ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Evaluation covers the period 1976-1979 and is based on a field visit and a review of project reports and documentation. To date, CBIRD efforts have been concentrated in Tangse, a large subdistrict of 26 villages. When it became apparent that the primary vehicles for organizing the rural poor, the community development committee (CDC), were being dominated by traditional leadership elements, two major changes were made to increase the participation of the poor: (1) expansion of management training to include the poor involved in working groups; and (2) the formation of village-level development committees (VCDC's), each including, for the first time, a representative from the poorest element of society. The VCDC's assumed greater operational authority, and the role of the CDC's changed from decision-maker to coordinator. Funding was dispersed among all participating villages to reverse the concentration of efforts in a few areas. By mid-1979, VCDC's were operating in each of the 15 villages in which CBIRD was functioning. There has also been a shift in emphasis from long-term projects to those immediately impacting on the poor. SCF's open approach to management has maximized communication, especially with villagers. SCF has also fostered informal relationships with both villagers and Government officials. The latter have responded by greater support and cooperation for the CBIRD program. These developments have been possible because of the small size and the relative isolation of Aceh. Although the project has been a success, SCF should face seriously now the problem of program coordination after it leaves, particularly since dynamic management appears to be the key to replicability. Also needed in the log run will be cost-benefit analyses of the 44 currently ongoing projects.