Participatory rural development projects aim to improve the lives of rural people by extending development benefits to the poorest communities. These projects use a participatory approach where the target community identifies development priorities and works together for the common good. Peoples' participation as a strategy for rural development grew in the 1970s as governments and organizations became dissatisfied with the pace of economic and social progress. Participation is broadly defined as collective sustained activity to achieve more equitable development benefits. It involves citizens articulating interests, mediating differences, and exercising rights and obligations. Varieties of participation include horizontal involvement in influencing policy, and vertical relations where members engage with elites, as well as participation in administrative decisions.