The general aim of this research study was to contribute to participatory development knowledge in the area of livestock fodder development in resource poor areas in the vicinity of Dahod, in the semi-arid zone of western India. The specific aims of the research were to: • characterise existing social structures and fodder resource strategies and assess the efficacy of participatory appraisal techniques in identifying areas of intervention in the cultural setting of the study area; • investigate a number of agronomic and common property interventions aimed at fodder improvement using a participatory approach. The techniques used to collect information on social status and present utilisation of fodder ranged from being very useful to being less useful. However, they all did contribute to some extent to helping determine the present state of village fodder To test a senes of hypothesis addressing the aims of the study, farmers participated in the design, implementation and evaluation of research activities relating to the problems associated with inadequate availability of livestock fodder. Results from experiments conducted on regenerating grasslands showed that significant increases in overall biomass were achievable through protection, but re-vegetation varied within the areas. Crude protein values increased the nutritional value of fodder in the grass sward due to the increased proportion of late succession species. Supplementing grasslands by direct seeding, sowing grass pellets or transplanting seedlings increased the rate of pasture establishment and enhanced quantity and quality of available fodder grasses. In addition to a high quality fodder from leafy material, woody legumes provided a potential source of fuelwood easily assessable to the village communities in the study area.