Evaluating Sustainable Development: Giving People a Voice in Their Destiny

This book presents the principles and the tools for participatory evaluation of sustainable development--growth that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is intended for any citizen or group that may be concerned with protecting or recovering a cultural heritage, assessing the impact of a project or of plans that impact an environment or ecosystem.The authors describe participatory evaluation processes that will empower all interested "stakeholders"--anyone impacted by a proposed venture--to determine and control what is to be evaluated and how it is evaluated, to articulate and define their community’s vision, and to ensure that development plans meet their community’s needs sustainably. Acknowledging that the specific concepts, challenges, opportunities, and circumstances surrounding sustainable development differ significantly from one place or group to another, the authors provide an adaptable framework for developing an evaluation plan, as well as the tools for collecting, analyzing, interpreting and presenting data. They explain how to use and communicate findings to ensure a full and appropriate debate about the issues, and finally how to implement the evaluation plan.An important and practical book for anyone concerned with the impact of planning and development issues and who wants to ensure that all sectors of their community are given a voice in decisions that affect them.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Sustainable Development and Evaluation; Developing a Plan for the Evaluation; Data Collection; Analyzing and Interpreting Data; Communicating and Using Evaluation Findings; Designing and Implementing an Evaluation Plan.

About the Author :
Okechukwu Ukaga Ukaga is the Executive Director of Northeast Minnesota Sustainable Development Partnership, University of Minnesota. He is also an extension educator and associate professor of sustainable development with University of Minnesota Extension Service. He was previously Managing Director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development at Colorado State University and earlier worked at Penn State University and Florida A & M University. Ukaga has written and/or co-authored more than 50 publications including Renewing the Countryside (Minnesota 2001, co-edited) and Sustainable Development in Africa. Chris Maser Maser has spent over 25 years as a research scientist in natural history and ecology in forest, shrub steppe, sub-arctic, desert, coastal, and agricultural settings. He is an independent author as well as an international lecturer, facilitator in resolving environmental conflicts, vision statements, and sustainable community development. He is also an international consultant in forest ecology and sustainable forestry practices and has written over 260 publications, including authoring or co-authoring fifteen books, including: Planning for Sustainable Development (2000); Forest Certification in Sustainable Development: Healing the Landscape (2000); and The World is in My Garden: A Journey of Consciousness (2001).

Review :
"For agriculture to succeed, not only must the agricultural enterprise succeed, but the community that the farmer lives in must also succeed. In other words, not only must the farm be sustainalble, but the community and its infrastructure, too. This book helps you determine community values and the legacy you want to leave your children. This is a step-by-step way of evaluating sustainable development for your community and how to make it happen." Small Farm Today "Engaging and laced with examples of how and why participation around sustainable development works. Excellent for community groups to read and implement together to build a sustainable future and a handy tool for students. Ukaga and Maser show how evaluation is a tool for action." Cornelia Butler Flora, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Sociology and Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, Iowa State University "I congratulate Drs. Ukaga and Maser for their recent work, Evaluating Sustainable Development. Indeed, there is no topic more critical and timely to evaluation than that of allowing individuals to have a 'voice in their destiny.' Ukaga and Maser successfully link two essential elements: participatory evaluation and sustainable development. This book communicates the important ingredients of the evaluation process and will be a helpful reference for practitioners, a useful guide for students and also provide valuable insights for administrators and faculty." Richard A. Krueger, Professor and Evaluation Leader, University of Minnesota "[The authors] have constructed a book that helps organizations understand and implement power-fill led evaluations. [It] has broad application. [The authors] have grounded their recommendations in their respective practices--from Minnesota to Nairobi. It offers evaluation methods for sustainability on both global and local scales; for those addressing immediate problems of survival and development in non industrialized countries, and for those involved in large organizations and industrialized nations." Dr. Steven B Daley-Laursen, Dean, College of Natural Resources University of Idaho