Integrated Research on African Way of Rural Development Based on Area Studies

本研究旨在从环境保护和利用的角度建立一个审查“非洲农村发展方式”的框架和方法。这一框架和方法的目的是通过跨学科实地工作和参与性办法，促进对农村地区现实的了解，从而支持根据土著特点制定解决办法的努力。主要结果如下：1）在农村社会传播新技术和/或社会制度的过程中，需要引入外部因素，这些外部因素提供了创新的机会，并可以通过与社会中各种因素和个人的密切互动来创造新的制度。在这一过程中出现的模仿学习和新出现的特性，对发展基于农村地区土著特点潜力的做法作出了重要贡献。2）在非洲许多农村社会中观察到的均衡机制，在社会中的大多数人相信新技术或新系统可以利用时，可以促进传播（内生成熟）以及外部条件支持实施。随着外部因素的传播，这些因素在社会系统中内化，并为所有居民所利用。3）根据实地工作和参与性行动获得的数据，根据非洲农村地区的现状，设计了一个农村发展的实用模式。在这一模式中，首先通过实地考察和与居民的讨论确定农村地区的“重点特征”。通过在该地区进行的试验设计和实施解决方案;这些试验培养了研究人员的“实践意识”，并激活了内生发展的潜力。这一跨学科研究证明了内生发展模式的可用性。

This study aimed to establish a framework and methodology for examining “ African way of rural development" from the perspective of environmental conservation and utilization. This framework and methodology were designed to promote understanding of the realities in rural areas through interdisciplinary fieldwork and participatory approaches that would underpin attempts to develop solutions based on indigenous characteristics. The main results were as follows.1) The process of disseminating new technologies and/or social systems in rural societies involves introducing external factors that present opportunities for innovation and that can create new systems by virtue of their close interactions with various factors and individuals in the society. Imitative learning and emergent properties arising during this process are important contributors to the development of practices based on the potential of the indigenous characteristics of the rural areas.2) The leveling mechanisms observed in many rural societies in Africa can advance dissemination when majorities in the societies are convinced that new technologies or systems are available (endogenous maturation) as well as external conditions support the implementation. As external factors are disseminated, they become internalized within the social system and become accessible to all inhabitants.3) A practical model for rural development, based on the current situations in African rural areas, was designed on the basis of data obtained through fieldwork and participatory action. In this model, the “focal feature" of the rural area is first identified through fieldwork and discussions with the inhabitants. A solution is designed and implemented through trials conducted in the area; these trials develop the “practical sense" of the researcher and activate the potential for endogenous development. The availability of a model for endogenous development was demonstrated by this interdisciplinary study.