The framework that has influenced the development process in the past assumed that there were "developed" countries and "developing" countries and that if the experience of the former, along with some resources, were transferred to the latter, the gap would be narrowed. The framework assumed that rapid economic growth could take place if there were central planning and control of the economy as a "top-down" process, with emphasis on industrialization, modernization and urbanization. Capital, the factor in short supply, was conceived as the main input into the process. Internal capital accumulation would be assisted by inflows of foreign capital and technology. The cumulative benefits of this kind of growth in the modern sector were expected eventually either to "trickle down" automatically or at best be handed down in an administrative fashion or "delivered" to the large numbers of people who in developing countries live predominantly in rural areas. Material accumulation was expected to solve other human problems. Rural development was lately added on as a sectorial issue to this development model.
The widening gap between industrialized and developing countries, the results of the "Green Revolution", which helped the rich get richer and made the poor poorer in developing countries, and massive reverse transfer of resources from rural to urban areas and from poor countries to rich confirm the irrelevance of this framework and indicate the limitations of the narrow "techno-economic" approach to development.
Of central concern in any discussion of rural development in wider human terms is the issue of participation. It is a pretence to think that the crisis that the developing countries is facing can be overcome and that the reshaping of its societies and the development of its rural areas can be undertaken without the participation of the people, particularly the large numbers who are poor. Perceptions of this complex question are varied, and a major debate relating to various aspects of participation in now taking place.
Participation has become one of the most difficult and controversial development issue of our time. It is difficult because it is conceptually integrated with the redistribution of economic and political power in the process of development and is therefore subject to value judgement. It is controversial because its content is operationally the function of the ideology and moral philosophy of each country. Nevertheless, participation of small farmers in development has recently received increasing attention by the international community and prominence in development literature. This increasing importance is the result of the hard lessons learned from the experience of past development efforts of many developing countries.
The major objectives of this study were : 1) to review the concepts concerning small farmers, rural organizations and groups, and participation in related with rural development ; 2) to investigate the under development causes of small farmers in developing countries ; 3) to review the participation factors of small farmers in terms of enviromental factors (political, social and cultural components), organizational factors and participant factors in rural development ; 4) to analyze some case studies of small farmers' participation in some selected countries ; 5) to draw the generalized participatory organization strategy for small farmers.
The major findings of this study may be described which were made for action to involve small farmers in development through their own organizations : In the first place, the removal of both external and internal obstacles to popular participation will require special policies, programmes and measures. Second, three basic functions required of appropriate organizations of small farmers are :
a) establishing starting bases for income-raising and other self-help activities as a means of building-up confidence and as a economic base, which are required of the organizations ;
b) the participatory organizations of small farmers are to be conceived as grass-roots receiving bases for services, facilities, and other support. Therefore, extablishing bases for aid/support is a must ; and
c) instruments for participation in decision-making must be furnished in the organizations. The participatory organizations must be able to act effectively as bargaining and pressure group which can make their own decisions and bring up their necessities and call attention of the authorities to their needs when necessary and, hopefully, to secure resources.
Third, main requirement for the participatory organization of small farmers :
a) remove legislative obstacles. A starting point is the assurance of freedom of association for small farmers. Unless small farmers are allowed to legally organize themselves within the law but with freedom to use their own ideas, needs and desires, attempts to involve them into development will fail ;
b) assure political backing at national and lower levels. Because of political opposition of vested interests at local or national level, or both, opposition will likely become stronger as the group of small farmers become more numerous and stronger. Governments must therefore ensure their support and encourage other influential group and agencies to do the same in common interests ;
c) provide for cooperation between the organizations of small farmers' group and other organizations. At a certain stage, if the members agree, groups for the weaker segments of the population could be federated in area associations. Or they could be linked, loosely perhaps, to existing rural organizations as their sponsor. Such links must not become the means by which the original groups are swallowed up by the large sponsor ;
d) provide effective relationships between participatory organizations and government development agencies. The above relationships are needed to obtain knowhow, inputs, credit and other services and missing resources required by small farmers for income-raising, social and cultural activities ;
e) develop and support special training programmes for group organizers, civil servants and small farmers ;
f) provide guarantee-cum-risk funds. Appropriate bodies, together with banks, should create guarantee-cum-risk to ensure low cost credit for income-raising activities to groups of traditionally unbankable people ;
g) make special arrangements for the landless. Full participation of the landless in the income-raising activities of the groupings, can reduce the dependency of landless workers and tenants upon the village elite ;
h) organize and support Action-Oriented Research. There is an especially urgent need for support for rural organizations and small farmers' group by the provision of verified fact on their situation, bottlenecks to action, and the results of action taken. This reseach for and with small farmers is particularly needed on the following : i) The conditions and problems of existing rural organizations, particularly specific obstacles to the participation of small farmers, and how the organizations can be made adequate and attractive to small farmers ; ii) With references to the non-participating underprivileged people what they do not join these organizations. How they could become mobilized for group action, either within existing organizations or in new ones ; iii) The effectiveness of, and the problems in the relationships between small farmers group and development agencies and organizations ; and iv) On the problems of rural poverty and the possible ways to overcome them. This research will assist policy makers and adminstrator, and trainers of group-organizers, civil servants, and small farmers themselves.
Conclusively, one of the most important programmes for rural development is the very development of small farmers through their own organizations. Organizing small farmers should be a significantly important means as well as the ends for effective development participation of small farmers. The participatory organization by small farmers will help themselves increase their income, actively participate in decesion-making process on rural development, and realize what they are. In addition to that, more important thing is that they will be able to change their environments by themselves through this mechanism.