Participation and empowerment through the lens of the capability approach: a case from Felda’s settler development programme (SDP)

Active participation and empowerment are key to the success of development programmes such as FELDA’s Settler Development Programme (SDP), which aims to enhance settlers’ income and well-being through diversified economic activities. However, despite substantial government investment, participation among FELDA settlers in the SDP has remained limited and inconsistent, raising concerns about the programme’s effectiveness, sustainability, and its ability to genuinely empower intended beneficiaries. This study examines participation and empowerment in the SDP among FELDA settlers, focusing on two FELDA settlements in Kedah that recorded some of the lowest participation rates. These settlements were selected as critical cases to provide deeper insight into participation decline and implementation challenges in underperforming schemes. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 44 participants, comprising 35 FELDA settlers and 9 FELDA officers, selected through purposive sampling. The data were analysed thematically using NVivo 12. The study was guided by the Capability Approach, looks at both enabling and constraining factors that influence participation and empowerment. The findings show that settlers largely perceive participation in the SDP as compliance with a government initiative aimed at income generation, rather than as an empowering process involving agency and decisionmaking. At the local level, the implementation of the SDP is characterised by centralized decision-making, information asymmetry, one-way communication, and instances of favouritism, which restrict settlers’ access to information and meaningful engagement. As a result, participation does not automatically translate into empowerment, as settlers experience a lack of capability to act, limited decision-making power, and dominance by public officers. These conditions constrain settlers’ ability to exercise choice, influence programme outcomes, and convert participation into improved livelihoods and well-being. The study contributes theoretically by applying the Capability Approach to a Malaysian rural development context, demonstrating how structural and institutional constraints shape the relationship between participation and empowerment. Practically, it recommends enhancing settlers’ awareness and understanding of the SDP through practical hands-on training, adopting a bottom-up approach to participatory decision-making, and implementing regular monitoring and evaluation. A structured feedback mechanism is also required to ensure that settler voices are heard in programme development. This study contributes to theoretical discourse by implementing the capability approach in a Malaysian rural development context, and it makes practical recommendations to policymakers and FELDA on how to strengthen participatory development and improve programme outcomes.