CEC31

BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT

COURSE BOOK

Centre for Vocational and Continuing Education

The University of the South Pacific
Produced by the University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, 2014.

First produced February 2014

Course Development team for semester 1, 2014

Course coordinator Aminiasi Driu
Education technologist Kerishma Seth
Electronic publisher Ronald Philitoga
Cover design Marketing, Development and Communications Office

Except where otherwise noted, this work by The University of the South Pacific is licensed
under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.

CEC31 (CB) 12014

ii
Contents
Course Overview .......................................................................................vi

Unit 1: What is a Community? .............................................................. 1.1

Unit 2: Knowing your Community ....................................................... 2.1

Unit 3: What makes a Good Community? ........................................... 3.1

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment ........................................................ 4.1

iii
Course Overview
Welcome to CEC31 Basic Concepts of Community Development.
If you are thinking of making a career in Community Worker, then you have
enrolled in the right course! CEC31 is a beginner’s course in Community
Development which is one of the liberal arts that will prepare you for a lifetime of
change. This course will help you develop and appreciate the basic characteristics
of community development, how social, economic, political and governance
factors affect and impact community development, and how gender issues and
climate change affect community development.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing this course you should be able to:
Describe how the resources and services available in your community
enhance physical and cultural development.
Analyse how the social, economic, cultural, political and governance factors
affect community development.
Apply the knowledge of environmental factors that affect community
development.
Evaluate gender issues in recognition of your own culture.

Course Structure
This course is made up of four units which you will study throughout the semester.
Each unit may take one or two weeks to study depending on the length and the
amount of reading it requires you to complete.
The print course materials for CEC31 comprise one Course book and an
Introduction and Assignments book.

Using your Course book

The concept map
You will find this at the beginning of each unit. This gives an overview of all the
topics/concepts and the relationship between them. Frequently refer to this while
studying each unit to form a link between all the topics/concepts covered in the
course.

Study organiser
This is given as a table at the beginning of each unit. This will help you organise
your study time with respect to the topics of study and the requirements of each to
meet the objectives of that unit.

iv
Activities/Readings
It is important that you complete the readings provided in each unit as they contain
information essential to issues and concepts that you are studying in CEC31.
Activities based on the readings will help you to consolidate your understanding and
the notes you make will be useful when you prepare for your assignments. This is
how an activity looks.

Activity 1.1

Reading
This indicates that you are required to do a reading.

Reflections
These are activities that allow you to reflect on your learning and relate
the content of the course to your local context or to communicate with
others in the course.

We hope you will enjoy your learning journey in this course.

The CEC31 course team for 1/2014

v
 U1

What is a Community?
 What is a Community?

Definitions of • Identifying
different
community communities
development

• Whatmakes up a
good community?

Unit 1 concept map

This map represents the core concepts that we’ll be covering
in this unit, and the relationships between them.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.2

Study organiser
Before you begin this unit, please check through your study organiser. It shows
the topics that we’ll be covering, the skills you need to acquire (the learning
outcomes) and the activities you’ll do to help you acquire these skills.

Topic Learning Outcomes Activities/Readings

What is a • describe and discuss what is Activity 1.1
Community? community

• Identify the developments

How Do Activity 1.2/Reading 1.1
in your community
Communities
develop?

You should spend approximately

2 hours a day on this unit.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.3

What is a Community?
Let’s begin by testing your prior knowledge of the meaning of
community? How do you define community? Write your
definition in the space below.

I n tr o du ct ion
There are many different ways of identifying communities. The following definitions
and examples will give you an idea about the various ways we use the term community.

A community may be a:

1. group of people living in a particular local area of which they have common
ownership. This type of community includes villages and districts where a
particular clan of people holds communal ownership of the land and its
resources. Another example of this type of community is when a group of
people purchase and/or obtain land and live on it as a community sharing its
resources and governed by an agreed set of rules and principles to ensure
peace and order within the community. An example of this type of
community is the group of Banabans who were relocated to the island of Rabi
in Fiji from their home, Ocean Island, because it was depleted by phosphate
mining;

2. a group of nations having common interests e.g. the Commonwealth of

nations which consists of 54 nations voluntarily agreeing to be a community
of nations with common interests;

3. residential district where people live in private residences. This residential

district is usually a small town or part of a city that is composed mostly of
residents. The latter is commonly referred to as a residential suburb and may
consist of a diverse ethnic population and people of all walks of life and
religious beliefs;

4. group of organisms sharing an environment.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.4

Important features of a community

1. Community commonly consists of individual persons who, although are

separate human beings, are interconnected and interdependent in various ways
and often have similar values and aims. In this way, a crowd or established
group can operate together as a community separately from the life of each of
its members. That is, a community is as much the collective of individuals
who make it up, as well as the separate lives of the individuals within it.

2. Community may create a bond between some people and excludes others.
Thus community implies and creates a boundary between us and them, inside
the group and outside the group.

3. This boundary is usually marked in symbolic ways. There are many types of
symbols or features which mark the boundaries of community - flags, tribal
totem (or sign), provinces, dances, languages and so on. We have the Samba
community, the Tanna community for example.

Different Communities

When we think about communities most people think about a particular place or a
geographical location for the community. The geographical community can be a
town, a suburb, or even a small section of a suburb. There might be a few
communities in the same town. There are other times when a town might be only
part of a community, such as when the community includes the rural areas
outside town, or two towns are closely linked.

All communities are dynamic in nature. They act, interact, evolve and change as a
result of larger political and economic forces as well as internal and external
forces. A community and its meaning might vary with each member’s unique
understanding. There can be many kinds of community such as:

1. Local community
2. Ethnic community
3. Community of scholars, intellectuals
4. Community of values
5. Professional community e.g. Legal community; medical community
6. International community
7. Religious community
8. Polynesian/Melanesian/Micronesian community
9. Political community

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.5

Activity 1.1

Geographical Community Observation

In the space provided, conduct a mapping exercise of your community. All you
need to do is to go for a walk around your community at different times of the
day and observe. Follow the checklist provided on the next page.

1. Example: Trees and Hills.

2. Example: Parks, Community centre.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.6

Checklist

1. What are the natural features of the area?

2. Are there any key landmarks or points of reference?

3. What is the population density?

4. What groups of people live there? Note their caste, religion, language,
ages and other diversities that you notice?

5. What level of activity do you notice on the street? Do people sit out on
front steps, public benches, sit under trees? Where do children play?

6. Where do people gather?

7. Are there schools, post office, grocers, banks, medical/health facilities,

and parks?

8. What transportation options are available? Are there adequate roads, bus,
boat and taxis available? How do residents get around?

9. Do residents have access to adequate food and shelter? What kind of

housing do people have?

10. What does the community look like? Is it clean or dirty, old or new?

H ow do C o mm u n it ie s de ve lo p ?
In the past and to a large extent today, communities were and are developed by
their governments and leaders, that is, in a top-down way. For example, in Tonga,
the monarch constitutionally exercises the power to dictate policy and purpose
throughout the Kingdom. Through appointments to the Cabinet, who are ex-
officio members of the Legislative Assembly, he is not only able to implement
his agenda, but can also create and change law. Even the powerful Tongan
nobility is subservient to the King because he has the power to dissolve their
representation in the Legislative Assembly and fill their ranks with members who
are loyal to him.

Tonga's social structure is essentially broken into three tiers: the king, the nobles,
and the commoners. Between the nobles and commoners are Matapule,
sometimes called "talking chiefs," who are associated with the king or a noble
and who may or may not hold estates.

Obligations and responsibilities are reciprocal, and although the nobility are able
to extract favors from people living on their estates, they likewise must extend
favors to their people.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.7

Bottoms up or grassroots approach
Status and rank play a powerful role in personal relationships, even within
families. Communities are now increasingly developed in a bottom-up or
grassroots approach. In this approach, individuals and communities participate
and take responsibility for improving their lives. People are not seen as passive
members but rather as active agents.

Community development therefore can be seen as a process that allows people

to decide for themselves what they need and what they are capable of, then to
implement a collective plan of action, and to monitor and evaluate the results.
The ultimate aim is to empower the community to develop long term results
and rely upon themselves.

Reading 1.1
Now turn to Reading 1.1: Community Development: What is it?
Reading 1.1 provides a detailed and clear discussion of
community development.

You will note from Reading 1.1 the comment that “…community development
has to look both ways: not only at how the community is working at the
grassroots, but also at how well do key institutions respond to the needs of local
communities". This can be in the form of community development facilitators
such as community nutritionists, health workers, environmentalists, agricultural
extension workers and so on, who provide the link between communities and
government departments or other community development agencies.

Another significant point made in the reading is that “Community Development

is about the active involvement of people in the issues which affect their lives. It
is a process based on the sharing of power, skills, knowledge and experience” to
improve the conditions in a community.

Strengths of the Community

In the past, when we addressed issues, we typically focused on “the problem” or
what is lacking or needed. But an important element of community development
is to be aware of the capacities (what they can do) within the communities, not
just its needs and problems. When working with individuals, this is called a
strengths-based approach. This approach focuses on developing the skills and
qualities of the individuals to enable them to cope with their problems and
challenges in meeting their goals in life in a constructive and positive way. In the
same way the strengths-based approach works with individuals, it can also work
with communities by building on their collective strengths, how they view the
situation and their preferred solutions.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.8

 Activity 1.2

What is a Community?

1. Now that you have done your reading, look again at the definitions of
community above, and compare them with your own idea of community.
What kind of community is your community?

2. The word ‘development’ means ‘to improve from one state to another’
in some form. What is your idea of development especially within a
community?

3. List 5 features or characteristics of a community from the reading?

4. List 5 different types of community?

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.9

Summary
In this unit you learnt about communities and their various features. It
examined how communities are different including your community. There
were various features of community that existed in the past but are no
longer there. These changes are a result of development within the
community. Many things continue to need to be developed and changed to
cope with the changed needs of life now.

References
A Statement from the Community Development Foundation (UK). Community
Development: What is it? [Online]
Available at: http://maaori.com/development/commwhat.html
[Accessed 18 August 2013].

Feedback on Selected Activities

Feedback on Activity 1.1

3. List 5 features that makes up a community

• A group of people living in a particular local area of which they have

common ownership.
• A group of people live in a community sharing its resources and
governed by an agreed set of rules and principles.
• A group of nations having common interests e.g. the Commonwealth of
nations.
• A residential district where people live in private residences.
• In biological terms, a group of organisms sharing an environment.

4. List 5 types of communities

• Ethnic community
• Community of scholars, intellectuals
• Community of values
• Professional community e.g. Legal community; medical
community
• International community
• Religious community
• Polynesian/Melanesian/Micronesian community
Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.10
Glossary
Start to develop your own glossary in this unit by completing the following table,
filling in the terms that relate to the given definitions. Some terms are defined for
you but you can try the rest.

Key terms Definitions

where individuals and communities

participate and take responsibility for
Bottom-up or grassroots approach
improving their lives

Community

Community development

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.11

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.12
 Reading 1.1
Community Development: What is it?
A Statement from the Community Development Foundation (UK). Community
Development: What is it? [Online]
Available at: http://maaori.com/development/commwhat.html
[Accessed 18 August 2013].

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.13

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.14
"Community development is a structured intervention that gives
communities greater control over the conditions that affect their
lives. This does not solve all the problems faced by a local community,
but it does build up confidence to tackle such problems as effectively
as any local action can. Community development works at the level of
local groups and organisations rather than with individuals or
families. The range of local groups and organisations representing
communities at local level constitutes the community sector.

"Community development is a skilled process and part of its approach

is the belief that communities cannot be helped unless they
themselves agree to this process. Community development has to look
both ways: not only at how the community is working at the grass
roots, but also at how responsive key institutions are to the needs of
local communities".

A Working Statement on Community Development.

This is adopted as a move towards our understanding of Community
Development.
• Community Development is crucially concerned with the issues of
powerlessness and disadvantage: as such it should involve all
members of society, and offers a practice that is part of a
process of social change.
• Community Development is about the active involvement of people
in the issues which affect their lives. it is a process based on the
sharing of power, skills, knowledge and experience.
• Community Development takes place both in neighbourhoods and
within communities of interest, as people identify what is relevant
to them.
• The Community Development process is collective, but the
experience of the process enhances the integrity, skills, knowledge
and experience, as well as equality of power, for each individual
who is involved.
• Community Development seeks to enable individuals and
communities to grow and change according to their own needs and
priorities, and at their own pace, provided this does not oppress
other groups and communities, or damage the environment.
• Where Community Development takes place, there are certain
principles central to it. The first priority of the Community
Development process is the empowering and enabling of those who
are traditionally deprived of power and control over their common
affairs. It claims as important the ability of people to act

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.15

 together to influence the social, economic, political and
environmental issues which affect them. Community Development
aims to encourage sharing, and to create structures which give
genuine participation and involvement.
• Community Development is about developing the power, skills,
knowledge and experience of people as individuals and in groups,
thus enabling them to undertake initiatives of their own to combat
social, economic, political and environmental problems, and enabling
them to fully participate in a truly democratic process.
• Community Development must take the a lead in confronting the
attitudes of individuals and the practices of institutions and
society as a whole which discriminates unfairly against black
people, women, people with disabilities and different abilities,
religious groups, elderly people, lesbians and gay men, and other
groups who are disadvantaged by society. It also must take a lead
in countering the destruction of the natural environment on which
we all depend. Community Development is well placed to involve
people equally on these issues which affect all of us.

Community Development should seek to develop structures which

enable the active involvement of people from disadvantaged groups,
and in particular people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups.

Unit 1: What is a Community? 1.16

 U2

Knowing your
Community

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.1

 Unit 2 concept map
This map represents the core concepts that we’ll be covering
in this unit, and the relationships between them.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.2

Study organiser
Before you begin this unit, please check through your study organiser. It shows
the topics that we’ll be covering, the skills you need to acquire (the learning
outcomes) and the activities you’ll do to help you acquire these skills.

Topic Learning Outcomes Activities/Readings

Community Map • draw a map of your community Activity 2.1

• list and describe the resources Activity 2.2

and services available in your
community

• discuss how these resources &

services enhance development
– physical, cultural, knowledge-
based resources and services

• identify the social structure or

governance arrangements of
your community

• identify the social, economic Reading 2.1

Social Factors
and cultural factors or features
of your community Reading 2.2

• demonstrate how these factors Reading 2.3

affect community development
Activity 2.3

Activity 2.4

Activity 2.5

• identify the roles of women in Activity 2.6

Women’s role in
the community
development
Reading 2.4
• describe the difference
between women’s role and Activity 2.7
gender

You should spend approximately

2 hours a day on this unit.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.3

Introduction
In this unit you will learn more about the nature of a community so that you are
familiar of the different aspects of a community that you will work in. Failure to
understand a community will deny you credibility and make it difficult for you
both to connect with community members and to communicate and implement
community initiative or intervention. Therefore it is very important that before
you start with any community assessment, it is important to start finding out as
much as possible about the community you will work in. You won't necessarily
look for this information in the order given here, although it's a good idea to start
with the following:

Its physical and geographical characteristics, social structure, governance

structure, cultural factors, economic capabilities and resource available to
name a few.

Apart from the information that you will gather from the results of the physical
resources as mentioned above, anything we do in a community requires us to be
familiar with its people, its issues, and its history. Carrying out an intervention or
building a coalition is far more likely to be successful if you are informed about
the culture of the community and an understanding of the relationships among
individuals and groups within it. In this unit you are also going to learn about the
roles of women in the community and an understanding of gender roles and how
it can contribute to community development..

Community Mapping
In Unit 1 we noted that the village was
a type of community. It is the most
common type of community to be
found among the Pacific islands.
Unfortunately, it is rare and difficult to
find up-to-date maps of villages as
there did not seem to be a need to
produce them in the past. Maps of the
world, the continents, countries and big
cities have been developed mainly for
commercial reasons. If we want
development at village level, then maps
are essential for various purposes.

A single map of a single village can give us its geographical and spatial
arrangements and uses. If such entities as the churches, rivers, farm sites, houses,
community hall, shop and bus shelter of the villages are included, the situation
and circumstances of the village become very clear. An overall impression of the
village situation can then be revealed and formed.
Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.4
Maps will also help us to learn about the resources that are available in and
around our community. In this way they are useful in helping us to plan for
further and future developments with regard to site and suitable locations for
these development activities. Mapping also helps our visitors to become familiar
with our village site, location of the various houses and other building structures
and other important information needed to provide the right directions to the
village.

Look at the map Namelimeli village on the next page. This village is located in
the province of Namosi on the main island of Viti Levu in Fiji. On the map you
will note various important features of the village that will give you an idea of the
physical and social make up of the community:

Namelimeli Village in the province of Namosi, Vitilevu, Fiji

Source: Community Education Training Centre students worksheet

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.5

Activity 2.1

Map of your community

With reference to your findings in Activity 1.1, sketch the map of your community in the space provided.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.6

What is a community asset?
A community asset (or community resource, a very similar term) is anything that
can be used to improve the quality of community life. And this means:

• It can be a person -- The stay-at-home mom or dad who organizes a

playgroup. The church member who starts a discussion group on
spirituality. The firefighter who's willing to risk his life to keep the
community safe. These are all community assets.

• It can be a physical structure or place -- a school, hospital, church,

library, recreation center, social club. It could be a town landmark or
symbol. It might also be an unused building that could house a
community hospice, or a second floor room ideal for community
meetings. Or it might be a public place that already belongs to the
community -- a park, a wetland, or other open space.

• It can be a community service that makes life better for some or all
community members - good public transportation, early childhood
education center, community recycling facilities.

• It can be a business that provides jobs and supports the local economy.

• You and everyone else in the community are potential community assets.
Everyone has some skills or talents, and everyone can provide knowledge
about the community, connections to the people they know, and the kind
of support that every effort needs - making phone calls, stuffing
envelopes, giving people information, moving equipment or supplies -
whatever needs doing. This suggests that everyone in the community can
be a force for community improvement if only we knew what their assets
were, and could put them to use.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.7

Why should you identify community assets?
• They can be used as a foundation for community improvement.
• External resources (e.g., federal and state money) or grants may not be
available. Therefore, the resources for change must come from within
each community.
• Identifying and mobilizing community assets enables community
residents to gain control over their lives. People can become active
shapers of their own destinies, instead of passive clients receiving services
from a variety of agencies.
• Improvement efforts are more effective, and longer-lasting, when
community members dedicate their time and talents to changes they
desire.
• You can't fully understand the community without identifying its assets.
Knowing the community's strengths makes it easier to understand what
kinds of programs or initiatives might be possible to address the
community's needs.
• When efforts are planned on the strengths of the community, people are
likely to feel more positive about them, and to believe they can succeed.
It's a lot easier to gain community support for an effort that emphasizes
the positive - "We have the resources within our community to deal with
this, and we can do it!" - than one that stresses how large a problem is and
how difficult it is to solve.

Community Social Structure

You would by now have a fair idea on how things are being organized or run in
your community. This is what the term ‘being governed’ means. It also refers to
the social structure of the community. The process of how the community is
being organized/structured and run is called ‘governance’.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.8

Activity 2.2
Community Social Structure

Social structure of Savu village in the province of Tailevu, Fiji

Turaga ni Yavusa -Chief Mataqali/Clans

Matanivanua/Spokesperson Rokatabutabu

Cola Sau/Warlords Burenivalu

Bete/Priests Nabulula

Source: CETC Students Community Outreach files

Study the social structure of the Savu village and answer the following question.

1. Identify who has the most power or who makes key or important
decisions in Savu village?

2. The four level structures gives a fair idea that decisions can be made at
these levels. The arrows only go in one direction that is from top to
bottom.

Does this mean that those at the bottom cannot direct decisions to those
above them?

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.9

 3. In the space provided, draw the social structure of your community
beginning with the most senior person or persons, and showing how they,
and the rest of the community link up together to form a social structure.
As you are drawing your diagram, make notes about the relations and
responsibilities of community members based on age, gender and social
status.

4. Is there a difference in your community social structure to that od Savu

village?

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.10

 Social Factors
We live in a society where many factors affect our life style. These factors are
called Social Factors. Some are more specific and are referred to as socio-
cultural or socio-economic, socio-demographic, or socio-political factors. In this
unit, we refer to them as social factors.

Some important social factors are:

1. Religion
2. Ethnicity – culture and traditions
3. Family
4. Physical attributes (Skin color, Body type etc)
Economic Status
5. Education
6. Locality (where you live, type of neighbors etc.)
7. Life Partner and Children
8. Political System (Democratic or Socialist etc)

Some social factors can be the cause of biased or unacceptable behavior like
treating people based on their religion, gender or ethnicity etc. Some of these
factors will be discussed briefly in the next two units.

Reading 2.1 and 2.2

Now turn to Reading 2.1: Increasing social problems in urban

areas in the Pacific and Reading 2.2: Socioeconomic factors.

Activity 2.3

The following question is based on Reading 2.1 and

Reading 2.2.

1. List and explain social and economic factors that affect community
development.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.11

Cultural Factors
Culture encompasses the set of beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and
laws (or rules of behavior) held in common by a nation, a community, or other
defined group of people. Culturally determined characteristics include: the
language spoken at home; religious observances; customs (including marriage
customs that often accompany religious and other beliefs); acceptable gender
roles and occupations; dietary practices; intellectual, artistic, and leisure-time
pursuits; and other aspects of behavior. For example in Fiji and in other nations
with different immigrant populations, there is a wide range of cultural diversity,
religious beliefs, customs, and values, reflecting the scattered origins of its people
with considerable variation still remaining distinguishing i taukei (native Fijians)
and Indo-Fijian (Indian origin), Christians and non-Christians etc.

Reading 2.3

Now turn to Reading 2.3: Culture and Conflict. (LeBaron, M.,

2003)

The young men in this

photograph are mixing kava
which is used by many Pacific
Islands for formal ceremonies
such as the welcome of
important visitors to the
community or the installation of
a chief or village leader

Source: CETC community Outreach photos

Activity 2.4

Cultural Traditions
1. Identify some of the more prominent/popular cultural traditions in your
community.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.12

 2. External influences can break down the local cultural traditions, and it
often requires a deliberate community strategy if they are to be retained.
As with other aspects of community development, there can be no simple
recipe of how this can be achieved.

Identify and list the significant components of your cultural heritage that
you feel is disappearing and worthwhile to be preserved. Talk to other
people in your community especially the older members and ask them
what they feel about traditions that are now at risk because of the impact
of outside forces and modern developments. Which of these do you think
need to be preserved and why?

3. List and discuss cultural factors that affect community development

Economic features of a community

Every community engages in some form of economic (or money-making) activity

in order to survive and to earn money for commodities (goods) and services that
they are unable to produce or provide in the community such as clothes, certain
processed food items such as sugar and flour, and services such as education and
health. Some of these activities are run by families or by private companies or at
times by some government funded enterprises. Some economic activities use
natural resources belonging to the community or use assets or people from the
community.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.13

Activity 2.5

Economic Features

1. What commodities (goods) and activities (services) bring money into your
community/country?

2. What is the main economic activity in your community/country?

3. Identify the key people (men, women, overseas groups, family group)
involved in key economic activity in your community. Do you notice
anything about the people who are involved? Are they mostly women? Are
they from a family group, a particular race, or are they from different levels
of your community?

4. In your community, list and discuss economic factors that affect and promote
community development in your community.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.14

 5. Use the table below to make a list of resources that are found in your
community (under the headings of “natural” and “human”. Also make a
list to determine whether they should be goods or services.

Type of economic activity Resources

Natural Human
Goods E.g. Local crops – taro,
cassava
Sell in local and regional
market
Services E.g. Church youth group
providing land mowing for
a fee

6. Describe how these resources are used for the benefit of the community.
For example; local crops can be sold in the local and regional markets.

7. What services or goods or other factors that is missing but do affect

economic development in your community?

In response to the answers to Activity 2.4, you may list factors that contribute and
negatively affect the economic development of your community. You may have
come up with factors that affect women’s role in community development.

The next section deals with women’s role in community development. Women’s
role in community development is important because a community is only fully
empowered if all its members are empowered, supported and acknowledged.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.15

Women’s role in development
Women have been a largely untapped resource within development spheres,
particularly their economic contribution to Pacific Island economies. Much of the
work carried out by women occurs in the home and/or community setting and
often goes unrecognised and unrecorded in national planning and statistics. The
majority of business enterprises, which women undertake, are labour intensive,
with little profits.

Women often face difficulties in juggling their reproductive, economic and social
responsibilities and there is little opportunity to improve this situation. Unless
women are healthy and able to cope with their daily burdens their contribution to
their family and the nation is severely limited. Therefore, there is a large
percentage of the region underutilised economically, with few opportunities for
improvement.

However, women’s roles are changing and they have to become more involved in
the cash economy, especially as governments are undergoing structural changes
with job opportunities becoming less. As women are natural producers and
marketers, there is a need to focus resources on improving the situation of their
capacity to produce and generate income to contribute to the standard of living of
their families, to the community and generally to the development of the country.
This is termed the economic empowerment of women. There is a need to offer
opportunities to women who have a diverse contribution to make to families,
communities and the economy.

Women’s role and Gender

Gender: is a term which refers to the characteristics and roles that society defines
for men and women. It determines how we are perceived and expected to think
and act as men and women because of the way society is organised, not because
of our biological differences.

Gender includes:
Roles - What we think men and women should do?
Stereotypes - What we think men and women should be like?
Values - What we think is good for a women or man?

You would already have some understandings of the difference between ‘gender’
and ‘sex’. Read the summary of the difference in the caption below:

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.16

GENDER SEX
Socially constructed Biological
We are not born with it; hence it is we are born with it,
Interchangeable & varies among hence it cannot be changed
Cultures

Gender roles are not fixed Sex roles are fixed – e.g.
men cannot bear children

Gender Roles
The cultural beliefs and values in the Pacific which are closely identified with the
people are used to maintain law and order, influence gender roles. For example,
men are traditionally assumed to be the breadwinners and women to remain at
home and take care of children and the household.

Changing roles and values have emerged especially with contact to other
countries. Understanding the issue of gender will help realise that this
understanding will enhance and strengthen the culture and values, as it considers
and strengthens the relationships between men and women and the family.

To empower women does not mean reducing the traditional powers of men; it
means working alongside men, without discrimination or victimisation.
Empowerment can be facilitated through the consideration and integration of
gender dimensions into development processes.

Types of Gender roles

Gender Roles are grouped into three types:

• Reproductive roles – as it is women’s biological capacity to give birth, it

is often assumed that child rearing and household maintenance is also
women’s role;

• Productive roles – informal economic activities often carried out by

women, are often not considered productive, yet they contribute to
society;

• Community roles – social or leadership/membership roles of women and

men in the community. Men usually dominate in leadership and political
roles, whereas women usually perform service oriented or cultural
activities.

The key to discussion of gender roles is the gender division of labour – noting
the different tasks carried out by men and women. This differs between cultures,
and even within cultures, such as from rural to urban communities, e.g women’s
role in farming across the Pacific differs, role of women in the city is different
from in the rural areas and outer islands.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.17

 Activity 2.6

Gender Roles in your Community

1. Women’s traditional roles included housework, collect herbal medicines,

plant crops (in some cultures), make handicrafts and on-shore fishing.

Can you identify what some of these traditional roles are in your
community? In the table below, identify new roles that women play now
in your community under the words ‘traditional’ and ‘new roles’?

Traditional Roles New Roles

2. From the list and your understanding, explain how your culture influences
some of the gender roles in your community and other Pacific islands?

Gender issues
Gender issues are issues which consider the conditions and position of men and
women in society. If there are differences in opportunities, roles and situations
between men and women, including participation in decision making in your
community, gender issues arise.

These issues are influenced by:

• Unequal access and control over resources such as land, education and
training, decision making and finances;
• Unequal access and control over benefits generated from resources and
development initiatives;
• Gender division of labour within families and communities influence
health, social and economic conditions of men and women;
• External factors, which influence gender relations and access and control
over resources and benefits.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.18

Reading 2.4

Now turn to Reading 2.4: An Outer Island Community Story

Activity 2.7

The following question is based on Reading 2.4.

1. What could be the reasons that did not enable the women to meet their
commitments?

2. Relate this story to your own experiences.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.19

Summary
In this Unit, we focused on how communities are organized, within this
organization, members have responsibilities based on their gender, age and social
status. These responsibilities contribute to the development of the community
especially in how resources are used for economic benefits. In this way, the
community is able to survive, to grow and to develop as a community.

We also identified various social and cultural and economic practices that affect
community development. We also identified those practices that are hindrances to
the development of our community and discussed whether these should continue
to be preserved in the interest of progress given the realities of life today.

References
Increasing social problems in urban areas in the Pacific. [Online]
Available at: http://www.unescap.org/huset/pacific/pacific1.htm#1g
[Accessed 18 June 2013].

Definition of socioeconomic factors eHow.com . [Online]

Available at: http://www.ehow.com/about_5370269_definition-socioeconomic-
factors.html#ixzz15
[Accessed 18 June 2013].

LeBaron, M., 2003. Culture and Conflict [Online]

Available at: http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/culture_conflict/
[Accessed 17 August 2013].

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.20

Feedback on Selected Activities

Activity 2.2
Social Factors:
Religion
Ethnicity
Family
Physical attributes (Skin color, Body type etc)
Economic Status
Education
Locality (where you live, type of neighbors etc.)
Life Partner and Children
Political System (Democratic or Socialist etc)

Activity 2.3
1. Samoa –tattoo, Vanuatu –land diving, Fiji – fire walking, Solomon –
Dowry system

2. Gender inequality which allows only men to speak during community

meetings and decision making process.

Activity 2.4
Natural – land, sea, forest,
Human – labour, management/skills, capital
1. to develop and export products made from these resources to fund
development activities and projects for the people
2. infrastructure (road, power, bridge, buildings), post office, police posts,
communication, transport, shipping, shops, schools, hospitals, etc

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.21

Glossary
Start to develop your own glossary in this unit by completing the following table,
filling in the terms that relate to the given definitions. Some terms are defined for
you but you can try the rest.

Key terms Definitions

the set of beliefs, moral values,

traditions, language and laws held in
Cultural factors
common by a community or nation.

Gender is a term which refers to the

characteristics and roles that society
defines for men and women.

Gender division of labour noting the different tasks carried out by

men and women.

Gender roles what we think men and women should

do

Gender stereotypes

Gender values

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.22

 Reading 2.1
Increasing social problems in urban areas in
the Pacific
Available at: http://www.unescap.org/huset/pacific/pacific1.htm#1g
[Accessed 18 June 2013].

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.23

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.24
Various institutional, cultural and social factors affect the nature and pace of the
adaptation from village to town living. The national development process in the
Pacific involves the movement of people from villages and outer islands to urban
or town centres.

In urban areas there is a lot of pressure on the traditional social value systems
developed over centuries. These traditional leadership structures continue to
serve well in the rural areas but in the urban settlements family and clan-based
authority systems are breaking down. The social disruption caused by the
division of families between urban and rural areas and the loss of traditional
"safety nets" has contributed to higher levels of divorce, single parent families
and a rise in domestic violence. Insecurity and rapid urban growth have caused
tensions even conflicts between migrant groups, landowners and urban
authorities.

Unemployment is one of the major problems associated with urbanization in the

Pacific. Many employment policies and programmes stress formal sector jobs
instead of improvements in the subsistence or informal sectors in local
communities. The growth potential in the small business sector remains
undeveloped. In Port Moresby, up to one third of the urban population is seeking
work and in other urban centres of Papua New Guinea unemployment is more
than 10 per cent. The numbers of the unemployed are rising as new batches of the
younger generation join the workforce (Connell, 1999). Unfulfilled expectations
of the urban settlers have spawned alcohol and drug abuse, family violence and -
- what has become the most publicized social problem amongst youth gangs in
most of the Pacific urban centres. Unemployment is also one of the causes of the
rising incidence of crime in the large cities.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.25

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.26
 Reading 2.2
Socioeconomic factors
Definition of socioeconomic factors eHow.com . [Online]
Available at: http://www.ehow.com/about_5370269_definition-socioeconomic-
factors.html#ixzz15 [Accessed 18 June 2013].

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.27

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.28
Socioeconomic factors are the social and economic experiences and realities that
help mould one's personality, attitudes, and lifestyle. The factors can also define
regions and neighborhoods. Law-enforcement agencies throughout the country,
for example, often cite the socioeconomic factor of poverty as being related to
areas with high crime rates.

Education- Among socioeconomic factors is education. One's level of education

can shape how he or she views the world and can contribute to social growth. It
can lead to increased earning capacity, which in turn can contribute to quality-
of-life issues. Education also can contribute to decision-making processes that
alter the paths people take in life.
Income and Occupation- One's income and occupation are factors that can
contribute to socioeconomic status. A career in medicine, for example, places a
person in a higher income bracket, while also making that same person part of a
social class of doctors, nurses and other medical-profession peers. In society, we
often are judged by what we do and what we earn. When getting to know
someone, the question of what we do for a living often is among the first
addressed.
Place of Residence -From the type of house we live in to the region and
neighborhood in which we reside, place of residence is another leading
socioeconomic factor. For better or worse, neighborhoods often group us
socially among people with similar incomes and often similar backgrounds. For
instance, at points in history, entire neighborhoods have been established around
factories or mills for purposes of housing employees. The city of Gary, Indiana,
for example, rose to prosperity around the steel mills on the shores of Lake
Michigan. And when the steel industry began to take a turn for the worse in the
late 1970s and early '80s, the neighborhood structures of Gary began to crumble,
and poverty and crime set in.
Culture/Ethnicity -Culture and/or ethnicity also are socioeconomic factors that
can contribute to our thoughts and attitudes. Both can have an impact on how
people are raised, their core values, and their sense of family and tradition. The
history of one's ethnicity, special holidays, and cultural beliefs are all things that
can be passed down between generations and shape individual identities.
Religion -Often closely tied to culture is the socioeconomic factor of religion.

Whole social networks are built around churches, temples and mosques. From
church barbecues and football games to overseas missionaries and outreach
groups, religion plays an important social role in the lives of many.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.29

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.30
 Reading 2.3
Culture and Conflict
LeBaron, M., 2003. Culture and Conflict [Online]
Available at: http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/culture_conflict/
[Accessed 17 August 2013].

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.31

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.32
Cultures are like underground rivers that run through our lives and
relationships, giving us messages that shape our perceptions,
attributions, judgments, and ideas of self and other.

Cultures are more than language, dress, and food customs. Cultural
groups may share race, ethnicity, or nationality, but they also arise
from cleavages of generation, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation,
ability and disability, political and religious affiliation, language, and
gender -- to name only a few.

Two things are essential to remember about cultures: they are always
changing, and they relate to the symbolic dimension of life. Cultural
messages from the groups we belong to give us information about
what is meaningful or important, and who we are in the world and in
relation to others -- our identities.

Cultural messages, simply, are what everyone in a group knows that

outsiders do not know. They are a series of lenses that shape what we
see and don't see, how we perceive and interpret, and where we draw
boundaries.

How culture works

Each of us belongs to multiple cultures that give us messages about
what is normal, appropriate, and expected. When others do not meet
our expectations, it is often a sign that our cultural expectations are
different. We may mistake differences between others and us for
evidence of bad faith or lack of common sense on the part of others,
not realizing that common sense is also cultural. What is common to
one group may seem strange, counterintuitive, or wrong to another.

Cultural messages shape our understandings of relationships and of

how to deal with the conflict and harmony that are always present
whenever two or more people come together. Writing about or
working across cultures is a challenge, but not impossible. Here are
some challenges in working with cultural dimensions, and the
implications that flow from them:

Culture is multi-layered -- what you see on the surface does not tell
the differences below the surface.

Culture is constantly in flux -- as conditions change, cultural groups

adapt in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable ways. Any attempt to

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.33

understand a group must take the dimensions of time, context, and
individual differences into account.

Culture is elastic -- knowing the cultural norm of a given group does

not predict the behavior of a member of that group, who may not
conform to norms for individual or contextual reasons. Therefore,
comments such as "Fijian thinks this way," or "Samoans prefer that"
have limited use, and can lead to error if not checked with
experience.

Since culture is so closely related to our identities (who we think we

are), and the ways we make meaning (what is important to us and how),
it is always a factor in conflict.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.34

 Reading 2.4
An Outer Island Community Story
Community Education Training Centre lecture notes.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.35

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.36
Ha’apai is one of four main islands in Tonga, where approximately 8%
of the population reside across several islands and hundreds of
kilometres of sea.

This island group has the second lowest per capita income in Tonga,
with a heavy reliance on remittances from relatives overseas as well
as donor assistance for economic development and improvement in the
standard of living.

With consideration by Government to improve the situation of the

outer islands of Tonga through improving the capacity to trade, both
nationally and internationally, efforts were made to boost farm based
enterprises for commercial purposes. This was carried out through
community based workshops involving the Trade Office and the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). A mentoring program
continued through MAF extension support.

Women were encouraged to make handicrafts in response to

developed market outlets. AUSAID provided a building for handicraft
making and a shop for display was already available. Commitments
were made by the Ha’apai women to provide specific items for sale at
particular times and the women were keen to produce their
handicrafts. The women forgot that they also had to cook, look after
their families and had other commitments to the church and the
village. They also needed other members such as the males to help in
the harvest and preparation of the pandanus leaves which is a long
and tiring process. The men did not see these as priority and spent a
lot of time drinking kava or talking in village halls. Also, two different
groups of women began in conflict with each other’s achievements,
petty jealousies and squabbles began to undermine activities.

As the time for the different market connections arose, no

handicrafts were available for sale. After the proposed periods of
sale, a few poor quality products were sent from Ha’apai for sale.

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.37

Unit 2: Knowing Your Community 2.38
 U3

What Makes a Good

Community?
 Unit 3 concept map
This map represents the core concepts that we’ll be covering
in this unit, and the relationships between them.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.2

Study organiser
Before you begin this unit, please check through your study organiser. It shows
the topics that we’ll be covering, the skills you need to acquire (the learning
outcomes) and the activities you’ll do to help you acquire these skills.

Topic Learning Outcomes Activities/Readings

What makes a • Identify the characteristics of a Activity 3.1
good community? good community

Political factors • List the political factors that Reading 3.1

affecting affect community development
community Activity 3.2
development

Governance and • Identify the governance factors Reading 3.2

Community that affect community
development development Activity 3. 3

You should spend approximately

2 hours a day on this unit.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.3

I n tr o du ct ion
In Unit 1 we defined community and looked at various types of communities. A
significant aspect of community is that it constitutes a group of people who have
many things in common: they live in the same area or location, share common
principles and values such as those embodied in culture, are involved together in
joint economic, social and other activities, share commonly owned resources, and
work together to identify health, education, social and other development needs.
Within this cultural, geographic, economic and political context there is
opportunity for communal or joint community planning action that will
improve the quality of life of the whole community.

In Unit 2, we looked at the different features of a community both physical,

social and demographic (people related). We identified some important
resources, traditions, and processes that contribute to the strengths of a
community, that is, on what make it a good community. In this Unit, we will
continue along a similar focus but we will look at the political, governance and
environment factors.

Let’s begin by looking at your community. Do you think it is a

good community? Why?

What makes a Good Community?

The first attribute of a good community is that it will have a leader to guide and
lead in community decision-making, policies, planning and development
activities. In a village, this leader would be the chief of the village. A good leader
or chief is one that encourages co-operation among members of the community
that will facilitate working together by its members. This cooperation would be
underpinned by respect and consideration for one another in the community and
also for the rules and policies that ensure that the community live and work
together in peace and harmony.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.4

Characteristics of a good community
Below is a list of characteristics or attributes that the community should have in
order to live together effectively both now and in the future. They help the
community to meet diverse needs, are sensitive to their environment and
contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive where the
community is made up of people with diverse cultures, well planned, built and
run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all.

• Accept, respect and understand differences especially culture and language

among members of the community
• Good, exemplary and easily identified leader(s)
• Co-operation and team spirit in the pursuit and nurture of common interest
• Plans ahead in all its projects
• Responds positively to constructive criticism
• Respects, observes and obeys community rules, roles and authority
• Good and open communication among members
• Learns from mistakes and benefits from them
• Socialises together
• Show respect for one another
• Maintains a clean environment
• Cares for the elderly, widows and other disadvantaged groups in the
community
• Prioritises family and their needs

How can you contribute to your community?

In living together, sharing and developing common resources, and aiming to
constantly improve the quality of life of the community, each member will be
expected to have certain attributes and responsibilities, and make relevant
contributions towards these common goals. Some of these are listed below but
you can add other attributes and responsibilities that you have found to be
relevant:

• Sharing knowledge, information and skills with the community to ensure

effective planning, development and completion of community projects
• Being accountable to the community
• Treating each member of the community with respect especially their right to
privacy
• Observing and maintaining proper standards of practice and behaviour
• Ensuring that each member has a voice in community discussions and
decisions
• Respect for spiritual values and enshrining these in community policies and
practice
• Supporting one another
• Maintaining a clean and sanitary environment at community and family levels

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.5

 Contributing to the development of the community and improvement of quality
of life for all in a community requires commitment, patience and loyalty to the
common good. It also requires the ability and will to work together as a team
with dedication and respect. Here are behaviours that can facilitate cooperation
and participation from community members:

• A strong shared feeling of the community and common interest.

• Willingness to share and contribute knowledge, information and skills as
needed by community projects and activities
• Strong team spirit in supporting and accomplishing a project
• Cooperation in fundraising where necessary to ensure the availability of
facilities and resources to support the goal of a project
• Preparing an action plan and the timetable activities

Activity 3.1

Characteristics of your community

Look around your community. Do you think your community has characteristics
that will enable people working together to engage community activities? If so,
list the characteristics of your community?

Political factors affecting community

development
Simply, these are practices or policies by ruling authorities (e.g. government or a
town council or village chiefs) that can have an effect on the way things are run
or done. For example, most business operators will keep an eye on any political
factor, such as new legislation or regulatory shifts, which could have a substantial
impact on how their company operates.

Although national politics or government seems to be remote from the

community and its existence, many of the policies of the government affect and
impact on developments at community level. Governments decide on laws and
regulations that determine relevant factors such as costs, activities that are
permitted or not permitted, processes in obtaining required resources and
facilities etc. It is therefore important that communities are aware of what these
political factors are in your country and how they affect development possibilities
in your community.
Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.6
 Reading 3.1

Now turn to Reading 3.1.

Activity 3.2

The following questions are based on Reading 3.1.

1. Make a list of the political factors in the article.

2. Do you think there are similar factors in your community? Reflect on

these factors in your country that you believe have an impact on the
development of your community.

Governance and community

development
Governance refers to how a community is run, directed and controlled. Good
governance means an effective organisation of a community.

How does governance link with political factors?

Governance is basically about the process of leadership and how responsibilities
are being organized, carried out and accounted for within an organized setting.

In our discussion above about attributes and characteristics of a good community

you will be aware that perhaps the most significant factor of all is how the
community is governed and what kind of leader(s) and leadership qualities.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.7

Without good and proper leadership and governance, many of the developments
of the community will not be given the planning, support and resources they need
to be completed. As well as this, every community needs a leader who is
respected and has the confidence of its members before they can expect the
cooperation and teamwork needed for community development.

Reading 3.2

Now turn to Reading 3.2: Good Governance

Below is an interesting article which explains the roles of traditional justice.

Read it before answering the questions in Activity 3.3

Role of traditional justice in Pacific highlighted by academic

23 APRIL 2012 SUVA (RNZI) ---- An Australian academic says international

agencies and governments shouldn’t overlook the work of local leaders in
keeping the peace in Pacific communities.

A University of Queensland researcher, Morgan Brigg, said research in Timor

Leste, Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
shows peace and order is most often dealt with at grass roots levels.

He says community leaders have the capacity to manage conflict on a day-to-

day level, avoiding needless escalation of disputes.

He said they need more support.

“The formal justice system is often remote from people, police may be a long
way away, it may be difficult or expensive to get access to the court system,
so it’s actually chiefs and church leaders predominantly, we’ve found, who
are often doing a lot of the everyday conflict management work.”

Dr Brigg said his work was presented at a UNDP workshop in Suva recently
and it was good to see there is support for this approach to peace and order in
Fiji.....

Source: http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.8

Activity 3.3

The following questions are based on Reading 3.3 and the article on the
“Role of traditional justice in Pacific highlighted by academic”.

1. Reflect on the 8 major characteristics of good governance.

2. Do you agree with these characteristics? Could you add a few more from
your own experience and within the context of your community?

3. In Reading 3.3, do you agree with the view of the Queensland

Researcher? Is there a characteristic from this article that can be part of
good governance?

4. Develop a “Good governance tree” in the space below. Draw a large tree
and label the tree trunk as “good governance”. Draw tree branches and
leaves, as well as roots. On the leaves and roots write down the definition
of good governance in your own words, what do you think it involves,
and words that are associated with good governance for example ,
“transparent leadership”.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.9

Summary
In this Unit, we discussed 2 important elements of the community: political and
governance factors. We reflected on and noted what these were in our own
community and specifically discussed how they affected the development of our
community.

References
Role of traditional justice in Pacific highlighted by academic
Available at:
http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp
[Accessed 23 April 2012].

UNESCAP (2010). What is Good Governance?

Available at:
http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp
[Accessed 23 April 2012].

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.10

Sample Answers to selected Activities

Activity 3.2
• politician developing own constituency because they voted him/her
• discrimination
• favouritism

Activity 3.3
participation, transparent, responsive, inclusive, effective &efficient,
lawful, participatory, consensus

Glossary
Start to develop your own glossary in this unit by completing the following table,
filling in the terms that relate to the given definitions. Some terms are defined for
you but you can try the rest.

Key terms Definitions

these are practices or policies by ruling
Political factors authorities (e.g. government or a town
council or village chiefs) that can have
an effect on the way things are run or
done
Good governance process of leadership and how
responsibilities are being organized,
carried out and accounted for within an
organized setting

Community development

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.11

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.12
 Reading 3.1
Community Education Training Centre lecture notes

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.13

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.14
In Samoa, more than 80 per cent of land is held under customary
ownership. Customary land is protected by the Constitution for the
‘customs and usage’ of the people of Samoa and is held in the name of
a particular titleholder (matai) who has authority over the land. In
the past the every Samoan can access land that provides a livelihood
and means of family support. The matai determines how land is
distributed among family members for their use. Customary land is
essentially outside the parameters of the formal land registration
system and cannot be conveyed or mortgaged. Customary land can be
alienated in only two ways:

1 Land can be leased to a person or corporation approved by the

matai. The Alienation of Customary Land Act 1965 appoints the
Minister of Lands to act as trustee for the owners and to sign the
lease. The Act requires the Registrar of Lands to register the lease
in the Land Registry, a public record administered by the Division of
Land Management in the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environment.

2 Land can be taken by the government, pursuant to the Taking of

Land Act 1964, for a ‘public purpose’. The land taken must be
registered as public land in the Land Registry.

In the past Government of Samoa appealed to the loyalty and

patriotism of people to allow roads and other works for the public
good to proceed unimpeded. And many customary landholders agreed
to provide land for public purposes without compensation. But this is
no longer the case. Today landowners sometimes lodge complaints
about compensation long after works are completed, even though a
community’s land may have been pledged to works designed for the
public good. Some development work is even withheld when there is
disagreement between government and landowners regarding
compensation fees.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.15

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.16
 Reading 3.2
GOOD GOVERNANCE
UNESCAP (2010). What is Good Governance?
Available at:
http://www.unescap.org/pdd/prs/ProjectActivities/Ongoing/gg/governance.asp
[Accessed 23 April 2012].

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.17

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.18
Good governance has 8 major characteristics. They are:

1. participatory
2. consensus oriented (gets the approval or consent of all concerned)
3. accountable and transparent (reporting and informing all concerned
about what is happening)
4. responsive (always responding to members needs)
5. effective (useful and serves the purpose)
6. efficient (does not waste time and resources)
7. equitable and inclusive (includes and treats all members fairly)
8. follows the rule of law

It assures that these leaders lead and follow what is correct and acceptable
and fair. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.

Figure 1: Characteristics of good governance

Participation
Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good
governance. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means
freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil
society on the other hand.

Rule of law
Good governance requires fair legal frameworks or a series of legislations or
law that addresses needs of everyone justly, and that that are enforced
impartially (without bias or misrepresentation). It also requires full
protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities.

Transparency
Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in
a manner that follows rules and regulations. It means that information is
freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by
such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough
information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable
forms and media.
Responsiveness
Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.19
Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all
stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.

Consensus oriented
There are several actors and as many viewpoints in a given society. Good
governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach
a broad consensus (agreement by different sections) in society on what is in
the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It
also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for
sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such
development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical,
cultural and social contexts of a given society or community.

Equity and inclusiveness

A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that
they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of
society. This requires that all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable,
have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.

Effectiveness and efficiency

Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that
meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources available
to them. It also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the
protection of the environment.

Accountability
Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only
governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society
organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional
stakeholders. Who is accountable to who varies depending on whether
decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or
institution. In general, an organization or an institution is accountable to
those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot
be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.

Unit 3: What makes A Good Community? 3.20

 U4

Our Natural
Environment
 Unit 4 concept map
This map represents the core concepts that we’ll be covering
in this unit, and the relationships between them.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.2

Study organiser
Before you begin this unit, please check through your study organiser. It shows
the topics that we’ll be covering, the skills you need to acquire (the learning
outcomes) and the activities you’ll do to help you acquire these skills.

Topic Learning Outcomes Activities/Readings

Natural • Identify the importance of our Activity 4.1
Environment natural environment to Activity 4.2
factors community development
Activity 4.3
Reading 4.1

• Explain the role of natural Activity 4.4

What are natural
Resources? resources in manufacturing and
show that nothing can be made
without using at least one
natural resource
• List the main environmental
issues in Pacific Island countries

Good • Define sustainable or Activity 4.5

development, appropriate development and Activity 4.6
economic growth suggest practical ways to sustain
versus our and preserve your natural
natural environment
environment

• Discuss the meaning of

development and how it relates
to the different features of a
community and the factors
affecting a community

You should spend approximately

2 hours a day on this unit.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.3

Introduction
As humans, the environment-the Earth-is the only home we have. It is where we
live, breathe, eat, raise our children, etc. Our entire life support system is
dependent on the well-being of all of the species living on earth. This is
commonly referred to as the biosphere. .

The natural environment plays a fundamental role in sustaining our collective

future. It is widely recognised that people’s connection with nature can increase
their health and well-being. The natural environment also provides a range of
additional economic, social and environmental services without which society
could not function.

Unfortunately the planet is in danger. Many species of animals and plants are
nearing extinction. Our clean water supply is at risk and more and more of our
beautiful, open spaces and forests are disappearing as new developments take
place.

We need to save the environment. If we don't then the whole world is at stake:
animals, plants, humans, and all the living organisms will be affected.

Natural Environment factors

Natural environmental factors are also critical in the development of community.
If a community is dependent on the environment for its livelihood then it is
important that the resources of the environment is protected and conserved so that
it is able to support and sustain the needs of future generations of the community.
Abuse of the environment such as overuse, exploitation or failure to replace what
we use can also lead to such negative effects as pollution, depletion of resources
and health issues that affect the quality of life in the community. Other
consequences can be poverty resulting from overharvesting natural resources,
lack of land for subsistence farming because it is being used for commercial
purposes; polluted water sources resulting in increased disease risks.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.4

Activity 4.1

Environment

1. What do you think about when you hear the word “environment”? Is
there a word for environment in your own language? Think about what
this means and how it might translate into English.

2. Write your definition for environment

3. Your definition may be linked to the ‘natural’ or what has been created by
nature in your community. This is called ‘natural environment’. Some
languages or cultures do not have a special word for the natural
environment. Can you think why this might be the case in some cultures?

4. Using the table below, identify those resources in your community that
are natural and those that are manufactured or processed:

Natural Manufactured/Processed/Produced

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.5

 5. Write down some of the differences between the natural and the
manufactured objects

6. Choose one of the manufactured objects and discuss how it was made.
What natural resources were required to make it? Who made it? Who
would buy/use it?

You should by now note that a number of goods or things you own or use are
made from natural resources around the world. Some of these resources are
depleted. Some are no longer available. Communities in Pacific island countries
face this problem. This problem is due to poor management of these resources
among other reasons.

Examples

Let us look at the example of the sea turtle. The most common threats to sea
turtles around the world can be characterized as the following:

1) Harvesting/poaching of eggs;
2) Incidental capture and death of adults by commercial fishing operations
3) Tourist, urban or industrial development of nesting habitat;
4) Slaughter (killing) and eating of turtle meat;
5) Capture and slaughter for other products
6) Marine pollution, especially chemicals and plastics

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.6

Activity 4.2

Uses of Environment
1. Reflect on the way you use the environment and its resources in your
community. Can you identify any risk or negative consequences (results if
the risks are not dealt with) in the way these are used that will affect the
development of your community and its people? Use the table below to
write down these risks and consequences.

2. Are these risks and consequences short term (i.e. immediately noticeable
or felt) or are they long-term (not noticeable yet but will be in the future,
e.g. climate change and rising sea levels).

Environment resource Risks Long/Short term Consequences

Reading 4.1

Now turn to Reading 4.1: The Waisarava Creek

This reading discusses how the Mataqali Vola coped with the
problem of pollution.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.7

Activity 4.3
Environmental Issue

Choose an environmental issue of interest to you that you identified as a risk in

Activity 4.2. Write notes on this issue under the following headings:

The problem: Example: Soil erosion

Impacts/effects on people: Example: Soil erosion leads to flooding

Causes: Example: Is caused by deforestation

Possible solutions: Example: Can be minimized by

reforestation

Some of your responses will give you a fair idea of the importance of the natural
resources we have in our communities to our livelihoods and those of others.
Preserving and sustaining our resources is a good example of effective and
responsible community development

People and their natural environment

We will now look at how people interact and use their environment and the
impact of these processes. The environment is critical to people because it
provides the resources to sustain life both directly and indirectly. In other words,
the resources obtained from the environment are used by people to manufacture
goods that can be sold e.g. timber is obtained from trees in the forest and sold for
income.

We have used the term “resource” throughout this module.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.8

What are natural Resources?
Natural resources come from nature and are used or turned into the things that we
want and need to live.

From the ancient pyramids of Egypt to rockets in space, everything human beings
have ever made or used comes from natural resources. The earth’s soil, sunlight,
and water grow the plants that give us the food we eat. The heat that keeps our
homes warm in the winter comes mostly from oil and coal. The metals that we
use to make computers and cans come from minerals found in the earth’s crust.
Natural resources provide us with the things we need, such as air, water, and
food, as well as things we may want, such as television, toys, and soda.

Where do we Find Natural Resources?

Although natural resources come from the earth, they are not always found right
where we need them. Very often, natural resources come from far away places
before they end up in our home or city. For instance, Petroleum or oil comes from
deep underground, in places like the Middle East, and from underneath the ocean
floor. Aluminum comes from mineral called bauxite, which is found in the
tropical rainforests of South America and other parts of the world. Even the food
we eat often travels thousands of miles before it ever reaches our plates.

Activity 4.4

Natural Resources and its benefits

1. Complete the table below, following the examples given in the first few rows.

Natural resource Is it used How is it used to make What other uses does it
in your country to make money? have? Who benefits
money?
Pine forest Yes Sold for timber. Creates Recreation areas; nature
jobs. walks. The general public
Native rainforest Yes Sold for timber. Creates Birds & animals are hunted
jobs here. Medicinal plants grow
here. Community members
benefit in many ways
Mango trees Yes Fruit sold at market. Healthy food.
Creates jobs Bats live here. Community
health benefits

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.9

 2. Does everyone benefit equally from a resource? Explain your answer.

3. How is money from a resource used? Does the whole community benefit
from this money? If not, give reasons for your answer.

Good development, economic growth versus

our natural environment
In every country, the environment provides the resources for economic
development at both national and community level. In your activities above you
have demonstrated how natural resources from the environment provide a living
or part of a living for people in the community. Just as people use the
environment and its resources to sustain their lives, so too governments makes
money from the environment to fund national projects and purposes. Government
is also responsible for making policies that affect the use of the environment and
its protection.

In Unit 2 we discussed about the economic factors and how they affect
development in your community. Think about the activities that generate money
for your community based on the use of your natural resources and which result
in projects that develop or improve your community. This can be the use of your
freshwater supply which brings improvement to your roads, employment to your
people or a new school. Any general improvement to the livelihood of people and
its community is basically called ‘development’.

In communities, if there are signs of good business activity and improvements in

the lifestyle of people such as having tap or piped water sources, improved
housing and schools and more educated children and adults; more people
employed and have increased income and resources, these are examples of
development and a clear sign that the economy is growing.

However, there may be new buildings or activities that are being introduced to a
community which can be seen by many as ‘development’, but which may be
harmful to the environment and natural resources in your community. These may
be seen as ‘negative development’. If the economic activity is based on these
natural resources, and if these natural resources are not sustained, then the trading

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.10

and business activity may slow down and eventually stop once the natural
resources are depleted.

Activity 4.5

1. Define development? Give examples of different type of development in

your community or country.

2. What is the difference between development and economic growth?

3. Are there groups in the community who do not always benefit from
economic growth? Can you name any of these groups and give examples?

4. Some people think that economic growth can lead to health problems in a
society. Give examples.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.11

 5. Together with economic growth, the developments in a community or
country may have negative impacts on the economy in the long term. Do
you agree? Give examples from your community or country?

6. Explain how the government can help protect the natural environment.
Give examples.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.12

Below is an interesting article about Merina and her fishing net. Read it before
answering the questions in Activity 4.6

Merina and Her Fishing Net

Merina was a fisher who lived on the island of Ika somewhere in the Pacific
Ocean. She caught fish off the reed near her village and sold them regularly to Mr
Lui. Mr Lui drove his truck to her village every week to collect the fish, for
which he paid $2 each. He took the fish to the town 5 miles away and sold them
for $4 – thus making a $2 profit per fish, which helped to cover the cost of
transport and gave him money to put his children through school. The people in
town who bought the fish were happy to get good quality fresh food from their
own country, and their children were healthy and well fed.

Merina used some of her earnings to put her two children through school, and the
rest she put away in a bank account so that she could pay for her oldest daughter
to go to high school in town in a few years. The system seemed to work well for
both Merina and other fishers in her village, as well as for Mr Lui and his buyers
in town.

Then one day Merina saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a fishing net.
She thought the net would help her catch more fish, which would bring her more
money. So she went to the bank, took out $10 from her account and bought
herself a net. The next time she went fishing she caught twice as many fish! She
was very happy; and Mr Lui was happy to buy more because he could now also
sell the fish to some of the big hotels in town.

After watching Merina make more money, everyone else went out and bought
nets to help them catch more fish.

Some years later, Merina went out fishing one day and came back with only a
few small fish in her net – nothing like what whe had caught before. She thought
it must be a bad day, and decided to come back two days later. Sadly, this time
there wasn’t even a small fish. When Mr Lui came to visit, he was very angry as
this meant he had wasted petrol driving to the village. He demanded that Merina
have fish ready for him the next time he came back.

This lack of fish was unheard of in Merina’s village, and she was very worried.
She spoke to her friends, who had all experienced the same problem. The fact had
to be faced – there was no fish left in their lagoon!

Source: CETC Lecture notes

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.13

Activity 4.6

The following questions are based on the article: Merina and her fishing net

1. Merina and her friends used nets to increase the amount of fish they could
catch. Why was this an advantage?

2. Who will be affected by the lack of fish on the island of Ika? Make a list
of all the people involved and show how they are affected.

3. Why do you think the fish disappeared?

4. What could Merina and her friends done to prevent this sudden lack of
fish? Think of the different skills required to plan, communicate,
advocate, mediate that you have studied so far?

5. Can you think of a situation in your country where thoughtless use of the
environment may cause health and economic problems?

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.14

 Summary
In Unit 4 we developed ideas about the importance of the natural environment
and its resources to the development of the community in different aspects
including health and the economy. It also has given you some ideas on how you
can make good use of the different skills and knowledge that you have learned
from this module to contribute to effective development of your community.

Sample Answers to selected Activities

Activity 4.1
Environment is a place where we live which is surrounded by all the living
organisms.

Activity 4.2
1. natural – unspoilt, genuine, in its original form
2. manufactured- processed, denatured, decolorized, additives added,
changed from its original texture and form

Activity 4.4
2. No, not everybody benefits equally. Some get more benefits because of
ownership titles and social ranking (e.g. the village chief).

3. The money is used for development purpose. No, the whole community
doesn’t benefit. It is usually shared equally amongst the community
members.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.15

Glossary
Start to develop your own glossary in this unit by completing the following table,
filling in the terms that relate to the given definitions. Some terms are defined for
you but you can try the rest.

Key terms Definitions

Natural resources Materials or substances such as
minerals, forests, water, and fertile land
that occur in nature and can be used for
economic gain
these are practices or policies by ruling
authorities (e.g. government or a town
Political factors
council or village chiefs) that can have
an effect on the way things are run or
done
Good governance process of leadership and how
responsibilities are being organized,
carried out and accounted for within an
organized setting
Economic growth

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.16

 Reading 4.1
THE WAISARAVA CREEK
(1995) Project WET International Foundation.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.17

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.18
The Waisarava Creek runs across a piece of land that belongs to the
Mataqali Vola, a Fijian landowning unit. The creek flows over 10-12
kilometres discharging into the Wainibau River about 500-700 metres
upstream of the Lodoni Water Pump that supplies water to the city.

Land on both banks of the Wasarava Creek and adjacent hinterland

are used for farming and housing for urban employees who commute
to work in the Nausori and Suva corridor.

Recently, residents living on both sides of the creek have complained

about the foul smell from the creek. The residents claim that the foul
smell comes from the chicken abattoir upstream.

Observations by the Mataqali Vola suggest that sources of pollution

apart from the chicken abattoir are rubbish dumped by residents
along the creek and activities related to household chores.

Agriculture activities have also contributed to the pollution of the

creek. The absence of fish and other fresh water organisms in the
upper creek testify to reduction of biological diversity in the stream.

What happened next?

• What are the environmental and social impacts of polluted rivers?
• How do agricultural activities affect rivers?
• What are practical community actions that can be taken by the
community?
• What are the actions that can be taken by the abattoir?

What really happened?

In December, 2004, the Mataqali members approached a consultant
to advise them on the best approach to clean up the creek and its long
term sustainable management. The Mataqali and their decision-makers
have agreed to initiate a community-based project to enhance the
stream water quality.

They conducted workshops and invited landowners and tenants in the

Waisarava Creek catchment. The workshop focused on water. Key
government stakeholders and environment organizations were also
invited to the workshop.

The Mataqali also approached the Native Land Trust Board and
presented how their environment has been degraded by activities of
the leaseholders. They are hoping that the NLTB will ensure that all

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.19

leaseholders abide to decrease environmental pollution. They have
agreed that to approve a lease, the applicant must promise that all
activities he/she wants to carry out on the piece of land are
environment friendly.

Unit 4: Our Natural Environment 4.20