Community engagement for inclusive rural transformation and gender equality
Community engagement is now recognized as a critical component of international development practice and humanitarian assistance. It facilitates agency and the empowerment of all social groups in rural communities, enhances local participation, sustainability and ownership, and builds upon local resources and capacities, thereby leaving no one behind.
Recognizing the importance of community engagement as a key factor in achieving a world free from hunger and poverty, and as a prerequisite for community-led collective action, FAO organized a series of five webinars between 2020 and 2021 titled ‘Community Engagement Days.’[1] This created a space for academics, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), development and humanitarian agencies and field development practitioners to come together to explore the concept of community engagement, exchange experiences and good practices as well as challenges and opportunities to bring these approaches at scale.
The webinars provided an opportunity to share research and field experiences across five interlinked themes (gender, resilience, peace, evidence, and collective action), encouraging reflection and dialogue on community engagement strategies, practices and approaches. Nearly 1,000 participants from NGOs, governments, the United Nations (UN), international development organizations, civil society, the private sector, and academia joined the series.
Based on these conversations it became clear that while multiple definitions of community engagement exist – and there is no “one size fits all” – these definitions do share common approaches (community-led, rights-based, gender-responsive/gender-transformative); principles (inclusive, participatory and people-centered, conflict-sensitive) and characteristics (contextual and adaptive, and empowering). The key outcomes of the webinars highlighted the importance of recognizing and challenging power dynamics, integrating reflexivity in research and implementation, prioritizing gender equality, fostering resilience and peace, and supporting collective action. Furthermore, the need for systematic knowledge sharing and creating spaces for ongoing dialogue and peer-to peer learning was emphasized to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of community-driven initiatives.
The Community Engagement Days webinar series was not a standalone initiative but a platform for discussion aimed at exchanging experiences, forging innovative alliances and partnerships to highlight the value of community engagement in both development and humanitarian contexts.
Given the scope of the series, the shared experiences were just a snapshot of existing approaches and practices. To provide an opportunity to expand the audience and hear voices from a variety of actors, the Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division of FAO (ESP) initiated this call for submissions and invites stakeholders to share their experiences, good practices and views on community engagement for inclusive rural transformation and gender equality.[2]
This call for submissions is open to individuals and organizations from both the development and humanitarian sectors who have experience implementing community engagement strategies, interventions, approaches/methodologies, or innovations. It also welcomes contributions from a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, sanitation, civic engagement and others critical to inclusive rural development.
Through this initiative, FAO is eager to hear more, learn, and exchange insights both internally and externally on what interventions and practices have worked and what can be improved in community engagement and community-led collective action to achieve inclusive rural transformation and gender equality. By capturing a diverse range of contributions, FAO aims to promote the adoption and scaling-up of community engagement approaches, address barriers to their implementation and refine these practices to make them more inclusive, effective, and sustainable.
| Please use the submission template in any of the three languages (English, French or Spanish). The background document can serve as a reference for completing the template for submissions. |
The submissions will be publicly available on this webpage and featured in the proceedings report of this call, enhancing the visibility of participants' work and fostering learning, inspiration, and networking among a broader audience. Depending on the relevance and content, FAO may also include contributions in knowledge products such as case studies, compendiums, and reports, and use them to inform its work on community engagement and collective action, with due acknowledgment of the contributions. Beyond this call, the initiative offers participants the potential for continued engagement and collaboration, laying the groundwork for further learning, networking, and community-building.
Criteria for submissions
We are looking for ‘good practices’—tested methods that have proven successful in multiple settings and can be widely adopted. We also consider ‘promising practices’—innovative approaches that have shown success in a specific context and have the potential for broader application but may need more evidence or replication. Both types contribute valuable insights for continuous learning and improvement.
To ensure that relevant experiences are captured, we are looking for practices with the following criteria:
| 1. | Engagement of the community: Interventions should deliberately and actively strive to engage a wide range of segments and groups within the community to ensure inclusivity and broad-based participation, fostering a sense of ownership and collective empowerment among all community members, this should in turn strengthen community-led collective action. This means that they should go beyond merely targeting specific groups or formal structures, such as community-based organizations (farmer organizations, cooperatives, and self-help groups) as entry points. Instead, they should engage diverse groups within the community, fostering inclusivity, collective participation and shared benefits. These interventions promote a collective added value where everyone at the community level, regardless of their direct involvement, can benefit. Ideally, the community itself should be the primary entry point for the intervention, though approaches that indirectly impact the wider community are also welcome if they emphasize community value. Additionally, community-wide interventions do emphasize the participation of groups that are typically left behind. While these interventions are designed to be open to everyone, they are strategically inclusive by deliberately creating spaces and opportunities for marginalized or underserved groups to participate. |
| 2. | Inclusive and gender-responsive/transformative: The intervention should prioritize inclusivity, ensuring active engagement from all segments of the community, regardless of age, ethnicity, disability, gender identity/expression, etc. These efforts acknowledge that gender intersects with various social dimensions and identities, including age, ethnicity, indigeneity, health, psychological resilience, disability, socioeconomic and political status or other characteristics. This intersectionality creates compound inequalities and layers of disadvantage and privilege that the interventions aim to address, promoting greater inclusivity, equality, gender transformative change and positive masculinities.[3] This also involves challenging discriminatory gender social norms and unequal power dynamics and fostering attitudes and behaviors that support gender equality and women’s empowerment. |
| 3. | Rights-based and empowering: The intervention should aim for a process of change over an extended period, rather than relying on short-term or one-off activities such as workshops, trainings or consultations. It should adopt a rights-based approach[4], grounded in the principles of participation, inclusion, accountability, non-discrimination, transparency, human dignity, empowerment and agency. The intervention should position itself at the highest levels of participation (see Figure 1 below), promoting tailored and sustained engagement to achieve long-term impact. By enabling marginalized groups to influence decision-making and enhancing the capacity of individuals as rights holders to know and claim their rights, as well as ensuring that states and public authorities, as duty bearers, fulfill their obligations, accountability, impact, and sustainability can be strengthened. By recognizing and redressing structural inequalities, and by fostering the exchange and development of skills, knowledge, and confidence, community engagement enhances both practical abilities and inner resilience, ultimately contributing to sustainable development. |
| 4. | Self-facilitation and/or participatory facilitation: As a continuous and participatory process the intervention/experience can be self-facilitated by local actors from the outset, embodying bottom-up leadership, or it can be guided by an external facilitator who works closely with the community. The facilitation is focused on enhancing local stakeholders’ empowerment and ensuring their ownership and agency throughout the intervention and beyond (post-project), adopting a forward-looking approach. If the intervention is externally facilitated, facilitators should guide a participatory process that promotes community ownership and autonomy, allowing the intervention to be sustained independently after the project's conclusion. The most effective intervention facilitates the empowerment of the community to take full control, delegating authority, ensuring long-term impact. |
| 5. | Proven implementation: The intervention should either have been implemented or still be ongoing, and should incorporate learning processes throughout its execution. This includes lessons learned and results that can be shared or documented through this call. This knowledge can be generated in various ways, including local and generational knowledge, storytelling, and formal studies or evaluations. The intervention should showcase positive outcomes and lessons learned as well as challenges identified through both traditional and participatory methods. |
While FAO is particularly interested in approaches that specifically meet these criteria, we also recognize the value of methods used at specific phases of an intervention to ensure community engagement. This includes approaches for design and delivery processes or tools used for monitoring, evaluation and learning. Although the call acknowledges that meaningful engagement requires a participatory lens embedded throughout the entire planning and project cycle for higher outcomes and ownership, it is open to learning about tools and methods that support these goals at specific stages of an intervention/project.
Figure 1 Adapted from Pretty (1995), Arnstein (1969), International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), and White (1996). Figure 1 depicts various types of community participation, reflecting different levels of engagement in development interventions at community level. The progression goes from lower to higher levels of community engagement, but it does not prescribe a linear or hierarchical path. Instead, the figure offers a range of possible approaches to facilitate participation, tailored to the specific context and objectives of the intervention. As engagement deepens—from simply providing information to transferring decision-making power to the community— the community’s sense of empowerment and ownership over the process grows. Greater levels of engagement foster collective action, enhance accountability, and enable the community to take the lead in shaping their own development.
The call for submissions is open until 13 December 2024.
We thank participants in advance and look forward to learning from you!
Conveners:
- Lauren Phillips, Deputy Director, FAO - Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP)
- Adriano Campolina, Senior Policy Officer, FAO - Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP)
Co-facilitators:
- Christiane Monsieur, Project Coordinator, FAO - Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP)
- Andrea Sánchez Enciso, Gender and Community Engagement Specialist, FAO - Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP)
How to take part in this call for submissions:
To take part in this Call for submissions, please register to the FSN Forum, if you are not yet a member, or “sign in” to your account. Please review the topic note to understand the criteria we are considering for this call. If you wish to learn more about community engagement, you may refer to the background document. Once you have completed the submission template, upload it in the box “Post your contribution” on the call webpage, or, alternatively, send it to [email protected].
Please keep the length of submissions limited to 1,500 words and feel also free to attach relevant supporting materials.
[1] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2021, March 3). Tapping into community engagement for empowerment. FAO Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism. https://www.fao.org/flexible-multipartner-mechanism/news/news-detail/en/c/1378190
[2] The call for submissions is directly aligned with the thematic components of collective action within FAO's Programme Priority Areas (PPAs), specifically Better Life 1 (Gender Equality and Rural Women’s Empowerment), Better Life 2 (Inclusive Rural Transformation) and Better Life 3 (Agriculture and Food Emergencies).
[3] A gender-transformative approach “seeks to actively examine, challenge and transform the underlying causes of gender inequalities rooted in discriminatory social institutions. As such, a gender transformative approach aims to address the unequal gendered power relations and discriminatory gender norms, attitudes, behaviours and practices, as well as discriminatory or gender-blind policies and laws, that create and perpetuate gender inequalities.” FAO, IFAD, WFP & CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform. 2023. Guidelines for measuring gender transformative change in the context of food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture. Rome, FAO, IFAD, WFP and CGIAR. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7940en
[4] A rights-based approach to community engagement emphasizes the fundamental human rights of all individuals, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to claim and enjoy their human rights. Central to this is agency, the ability of individuals to define their own goals and act upon them. By promoting meaningful participation, accountability, non-discrimination, transparency, human dignity, empowerment and rule of law (‘PANTHER’ principles) this approach not only addresses power imbalances and systemic barriers but also fosters individual and collective agency.
Please read the article of FAO publications on this topic here.
Topics
- Read 157 contributions
Dear Participants,
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the call for submissions on “Community Engagement for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality.”
We are thrilled to share that we received over 156 contributions from around the world, representing a diverse array of organizations, sectors, and disciplines dedicated to improving rural livelihoods. This incredible level of participation and interest is a testament to the importance of community engagement in fostering inclusive and sustainable development.
We hope this process has also been an enriching experience for all participants, fostering opportunities for exchange and mutual learning.
All contributions received will be showcased in a proceedings report, which will be made available on this website. We encourage you to explore this resource and the wealth of knowledge it captures.
As anticipated, depending on the relevance and content of the submissions, FAO in the future may incorporate selected contributions into knowledge products such as case studies, compendiums, and reports. These will inform FAO’s ongoing work on community engagement and collective action, with due acknowledgment of the contributors.
This initiative also offered an opportunity for continued engagement and collaboration beyond the call, laying the groundwork for further learning, networking, and community-building. We will keep you informed of next steps and future developments.
Thank you once again for your dedication, insights, and innovative practices.
Together, we are advancing the global dialogue on community engagement for a more inclusive and equitable future.
Warm regards,
- Christiane Monsieur, Project Coordinator
- Andrea Sánchez Enciso, Gender and Community Engagement Specialist
Dear All,
With Christiane we wish to share with you the experience of the FAO’s flagship approach in the field of community engagement and Gender Equality: Community Action Clubs (Dimitra Clubs)
Best regards,
Andrea and Christiane,
Community Engagement for Empowerment and Gender Equality, FAO
Dear Svetlana
- Dr Ayojesutomi Abiodun-Solanke, Dr Kafayat Fakoya and Dr. Oluwakemii Ajelara
- Prof Agbebi F.O.and Bamigboye E.O. and
- Prof Vijaya Khader
Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries Section of the Asian Fisheries Society
Dear Sir or Madam,
Please find the complete template attached.
Best regards,
Anna Burka
Food Security and Livelihoods Specialist
The theme of this call for submissions on ‘Community Engagement for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality’ is highly relevant to the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition. These Guidelines, endorsed at the 51st Session (October 2023) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), provide Members and other stakeholders with valuable policy guidance on advancing gender equality, safeguarding women’s and girls’ rights, and promoting their empowerment as a critical pathway to eradicating hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.
Using a multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach, the CFS develops and endorses policy recommendations and guidance on a wide range of food security and nutrition issues.
Community engagement approaches, such as the FAO Dimitra Clubs, represent key tools for supporting the implementation of these Guidelines. These approaches align with the Guidelines' objectives, particularly the core principle of “Tackling structural barriers to gender equality,” by fostering transformative change. Rather than addressing only the symptoms of gender inequalities and social exclusion, they challenge harmful gender norms and social discrimination while respecting diverse cultural and local contexts.
Furthermore, such approaches are instrumental in creating enabling environments for country ownership, multistakeholder engagement, and the empowerment of women and girls through collective action. Crucially, these approaches also highlight the importance of ensuring that women's leadership and participation in decision-making are prioritized. Inclusive decision-making fosters equitable representation and enables transformative change across rural communities.
The success of these initiatives, however, also hinges on the inclusion of other marginalized social groups, such as youth, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities. By ensuring these groups have a voice in decision-making processes, community engagement approaches can build equitable and resilient rural communities. This inclusive framework contributes to fostering agency, solidarity, and long-term impact in addressing food security and nutrition challenges. I take advantage of this opportunity to share the link to download the newly branded version of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in the Context of Food Security and Nutrition (GEWGE), along with the brochure and the video.
Marina Calvino
Secretariat, Committee on World Food Security
Dr. Emily Gallagher
Dear Christiane, dear Andrea,
We would like to submit the attached document on behalf of the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment (JPRWEE). Nepal case study
Thank you for your consideration.
Kind regards,
Michele
Dear Christiane, dear Andrea,
We would like to submit the attached document on behalf of the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment (JPRWEE).
Thank you for your consideration. Tunisia case
Kind regards,
Michele
Dear FSN Forum team,
I hope this email finds you all well.
On behalf of the International Cooperative Research Group, I am pleased to share our proposal in response to the call for submissions: Community Engagement for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality.
We appreciate your confirmation of receipt and are happy to provide any additional information you may require.
Kind regards,
José Eguigure-Castillo
Senior Research Translation and Application Manager, ICRG
International Cooperative Research Group
U.S. Overseas Cooperative Development Council
Web: ocdc.coop
Hi Andrea,
The Global Women’s Resources Rights Initiative (WRR) aimed at promoting and strengthening women’s land rights through piloting gender transformative approaches (GTAs) in the context of IFAD funded agricultural development projects. The initiative involved 6 projects across the globe and one of them was the Resilience of Organizations for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ROOTS) in The Gambia. The process for developing the pilot GTAs involved a thorough gender analysis of the legal, social and cultural context that determined women’s land rights in the country, followed by a sensemaking exercise with key stakeholders and a process of co-creation with relevant local partners. The resulting approach consisted in developing a process to strengthen rural women’s capacities to advocate for land rights and opening spaces and opportunities to do this before authorities at different levels.
The process was intended to establish a viable Multi-Stakeholder Platform to advocate and campaign for policy changes that benefit rural women’s land rights and was carried out in 6 steps each feeding into the next, and culminating in a national-level event that brings together key actors around the central theme of increasing women’s land rights. This approach was led by the Rural Women’s Assembly, a women-led community-based organization with a country-wide presence and facilitated by Action Aid International The Gambia (AAITG). The process was operationalized through consultations with communities and local and traditional authorities to engage in discussions on WLR aimed at catalyzing change. More information and details about the 6-step process, as well as the benefits and lessons learned from this bottom up approach, can be found here: https://www.cifor-icraf.org/knowledge/publication/9267/ .
Parallel to this process, the Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia (FLAG) developed a Legal Guide to Women’s Land Rights in The Gambia with the purpose of raising awareness of WLR and clarify the process of obtaining legal documentation for rural people, and especially women. The written Guide is accompanied by audio voice overs and other accessible materials that will enable stakeholders to deliver training at district and community levels.
FLAG conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) for members of the Rural Women’s Assembly, platform coordinators and AAITG and IFAD staff, to clarify concepts in the Guide, walking through the processes for formally registering land and instructions on how/where to find technical support. They also designed and implemented step-down trainings for communities in the campaign districts, carried out by previously trained members of the RWA, and platform coordinators. The intention of these trainings was to raise awareness of documentation of land and encourage women who are allocated land to formally register it and secure their tenure .
This activity is now closed. Please contact [email protected] for any further information.