This exploratory study analyses the functions and implications of participatory video projects inrural development settings. The term ‘participatory video’ refers to a bundle of innovativeusages of video technology which enjoy growing popularity in many corners of the world. Afterthe first trials in the late 1960s participatory video has developed into several differentdirections and there is no consensus of what the term actually stands for. In the currentliterature participatory video is closely associated to the burgeoning field of participatoryapproaches such as Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), even though its application goesbeyond the idea of participatory research and learning in many instances.There is by no means a consistent, established way of using the tool; experience and knowledgeabout what good practice is differ from person to person and in the literature. This studytherefore categorises the varying approaches into a typology based on a review of the relativelyscarce literature on the subject. Through a conceptual distinction of different project goals,three basic kinds of participatory video are identified, i. e. therapy-, activism- andempowerment-type video.The central part of the study consists of three case studies, from Mexico, Tanzania, andVietnam respectively. In each of these the functions and implications of participatory video useare identified. A particular focus is put on the second case study, the ‘Fisherfolks’ Project’, asthe relatively biggest amount of background information has been available. A number oftheories and concepts are tested on this case in order to deepen the understanding of thepotentials and limitations of participatory video. The concepts and theories applied to the caseinclude pluralism, the platform approach, soft systems thinking; Habermas’ theory ofcommunicative action and ultimately the principle of participation as applied in PRA. It isfound that participatory video is appropriate to facilitate processes such as mediation, conflictmanagement, capacity building and empowerment.Since the study is of exploratory nature, a considerable stress was put on the identification ofinteresting fields of further research. A list of easily available participatory video literature (inthe appendix) has been compiled to provide a starting point for such research.

Water is the source of life. Leonardo da Vinci, constructor of the drainage system of a swamp area north of Rome, said that “water is the blood of the soil”. Without water there is not fertile soil and without any of them there is no harvest. Sustainable Agriculture Management is all about how to develop and improve the use of different resources to make agriculture more sustainable. This study is about how to apply this concept into the study area. The Balkhash Lake is among the biggest lakes on earth, but due to unreasonable water utilization, the lake is facing the same fate as the Aral Sea. The lake belongs to the Ili Balkhash Basin IBB that is shared by two countries; Kazakhstan and China. Most of the water (around 80%), that feed the lake, come with the Ili River that is born on the Chinese side. Most of the water is used for agriculture purposes. Now the Chinese Government want to increase the irrigated area and develop more projects that require more water. If this is done without any improvement in the agriculture management, the IBB is under threat. The irrigation systems in the study area are very precarious. The farmers are isolated with almost no possibility to participate in the development process. The government is not interested in any research in water issues and the information that can be found about water consumption and cultivated area are proven to be far from reality. A difficult situation facing the above mention problematic. The agriculture area can grow but the water management in the Upper Ili Basin needs to be reviewed and improved. Just by doing small changes like changing rice cultivation for a crop with a higher water productivity the amount of water that can be saved is considerable. Or by importing virtual water from a region with a higher water productivity. But first a general recognition from the Chinese side about water shortage is necessary. The Ili Balkhash Basin can be sustainable if it is treated as a whole. The boundaries of the system need to be set around the whole basin. A partial view of the basin can be dangerous and jeopardize the subsistence of the natural environment of the area. When the carrying capacity of the basin is measured, the only way to grow is under this threshold. In this case, by improving water productivity with better agriculture management.