Assessment Of Community Participation In Sustainable Local Economic Development: The Case Of Ginchi Town

Abstract

The study dealt community participation in sustainable local economic development a case of Ginchi town. The objective of the study is to assess the participation of community’s in sustainable local economic development. In order to carry out this study; both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Instruments like semi-structured questionnaire, FGD, Key informant interview and observation were employed. To this end, a total of 154 urban households were selected through simple random sampling technique. Thus, the data obtained from the respondents were analyzed through SPSS version 21th and descriptive statistics. In addition, qualitative data were collected and analyzed to triangulate the quantitative data in descriptive forms. The issues observed to achieve the objective were areas of community participation, institutionalization of participatory practices, substantive coordination of the actors and outcomes of these processes and activities in two kebeles. In-depth interview, focus group discussion and observation tools were developed and employed to elicit important information from the community and triangulate with secondary and questionnaire data. Therefore, it is essential to identify and implement sustainable development strategies that prioritize local community engagement and create employment opportunities to ensure the long-term viability of development activities. The participatory sustainable local economic development work has not been linked to small and micro enterprises. Therefore, the study concluded with the recommendation that the sustainable local economic require a holistic approach that involves community engagement, environmental stewardship innovation and investment in human capital. By adopting these strategies, communities can create thriving economic that benefit both current and future generations and activities of local economic development in the town for this study.