A community-based management model for the implementation sustainable development in rural areas of Iran

Community-based management is basically the involvement of the beneficiary communities in the management of sustainable rural development facilities. Community based management will become the pivotal instruments responsible for managing community development, which include the assessment of community/demands as well as the potential planning and implementing development programs. In this study, survey and descriptive-correlation research methods, were used to design the pattern of community-based management and its application for sustainable rural development process in Iran rural areas. Study population consisted of 270, local community (rural councils), offices experts in rural related office activities and, Agricultural and Natural Resources Engineering Organization - NGO members. Conclusions of structural equation modeling of the accepted characteristics indicated that latent variable such as “Stakeholder’s Role” and “Affecting Factors” have positive effect and “Obstacles” latent variable has a negative role to design CBM. A structural equation indicate that these variables altogether account for 93% of variance (R2 = 0.93) in designing community-based management. Overall community-based management will have more impotent role in rural developments process planning, organizing, staffing, controlling and directing.   Key words: Community-based management, sustainable rural development, stakeholders, affecting factors, obstacles, structural equation modeling.