The Carnegie Commission for Rural Community Development recognised that old deficit models of rural development were failing: That forcing rural communities to denigrate their area in order to win essential funding was perverse. The commission believed that there was an alternative approach that builds upon the things that a community has - an asset based approach to rural community development. Here the interpretation is that assets means both tangible (e.g. land, buildings) but  intangible (e.g. culture, history and people skills).

Seven partners were asked to reflect on their experiences of asset-based development.  Kate Braithwaite wrote a briefing which delves further into the understanding of asset-based approaches and links in with the work of the Rural Action Research Programme partners.

Geoff Brown took a closer look into the issue of Land and Communities in his briefing.  In this he looks into examples of 'community access and ownership of natural resources' in which were included land, forest, water (rivers, lochs, foreshore) and fixed assets (buildings etc.) 

The partners' full reports can be ordered from Carnegie UK Trust.