Contributing to a process of sustainable rural development: An evaluation of the SANREM CRSP research and development program in the southern Philippines

The notion of sustainable development holds tremendous promise for millions of rural poor throughout the Third World, yet progress on defining---much less implementing---the concept remains limited. Identifying a comprehensive set of goals and criteria for evaluating sustainable development programs, and developing effective means of carrying out such evaluations is one pressing area of need which this dissertation addresses. Through an examination of the literature, a comprehensive framework for evaluating sustainable rural development programs is constructed. It is based upon an acceptance of the fact that sustainability is a fundamentally dynamic, indefinite, and contested concept, and that sustainable development is, therefore, an unending process, defined not by movement toward a fixed goal nor the specific means of getting there, but by an approach to creating change---an approach based upon continuous learning and adaptation.;Both process- and outcome-oriented measures are used in an interdisciplinary evaluation of the contribution made by the SANREM CRSP research and development program to a local process of sustainable development in the southern Philippines. Specifically, the evaluation focuses on a case study of ICRAF's efforts to organize communities around agroforestry and environmental conservation. Direct- and participatory-observation, individual open-ended interviews, and a sample survey were employed in the evaluation. It was found that, though far from perfect, the SANREM program and ICRAF projects serve as instructive models for how programs can increase the long-term value and efficacy of their contributions to local sustainable development processes. Both have embraced a process-oriented conceptualization of sustainable development combined with participatory methods and a commitment to community organizing around sustainability concerns. Perhaps most importantly, they have also pursued a learning-oriented, research and development approach based on adaptive management to improve performance and maintain relevance over time.;The study lends weight to the arguments that on-going extension and monitoring is a vital component of sustainable development programs; seemingly minor investments on the part of external organizations have the potential to produce significant positive impacts on local processes of development---particularly through a well-targeted 'drip-feed approach' to funding; and mobilizing local resources is vital to the success of sustainable development programs.