This article analyzes various roles of development practitioners (called outsiders) in five different cases of community-based development (CBD) in rural Iran. It provides a review of the literature on CBD and identifies three main types of roles fulfilled by outsiders to support indigenous development processes. These include preparing the ground, activating community-based organizations as participatory institutions, and taking on the role of brokers who bridge the gap between the local community and outside institutions—especially the state and market. From the analysis of empirical qualitative data collected during fieldwork in Iran, the article concludes that while the roles played by the outsiders in CBD interventions there correspond mostly to those identified in the literature, there are differences in their strategies of intervention and activities under each role which correspond with their contextual contingencies. Recognizing this variation is needed to deepen the understanding of CBD practices and help practitioners think about alternative perspectives and approaches.

本文分析了伊朗农村地区五种不同的社区发展（CBD）案例中发展实践者（称为局外人）的各种角色。它回顾了有关《生物多样性公约》的文献，并确定了外来者为支持土著发展进程而发挥的三种主要作用。其中包括准备基础，激活以社区为基础的组织作为参与性机构，以及扮演经纪人的角色，这些经纪人弥合本地社区与外部机构（尤其是国家和市场）之间的鸿沟。通过对伊朗实地考察期间收集的经验定性数据的分析，文章得出的结论是，尽管局外人在《生物多样性公约》干预措施中所起的作用大部分与文献中所确定的相符，他们在每个角色下的干预策略和活动策略存在差异，这与他们的背景情况相符。需要认识到这种差异，才能加深对CBD实践的理解，并帮助从业人员思考替代的观点和方法。