This research, conducted in four communities in rural Costa Rica, investigates 1) how rural development has been defined and implemented by the current and past leaders of community development associations and 2) examines the synergies and contradictions between their experiences and major national policies and efforts to shape rural development in Costa Rica. In participatory workshops, community development practitioners documented their shared history and future visions, and engaged in dialogue about challenges and strategies for achieving past and future community goals. These workshops were videotaped and analyzed for major themes, symbolic interactions and to evaluate the workshop process. The four study communities are located in two geographic regions—the Central and Huetar Norte regions, which represent variations in ecological, historical, political and socio-economic contexts. A comparative analysis provides insight into the regional and contextual differences in the implementation of rural development approaches and questions assumptions of recent trends in rural development theory. Discrepancies among communities and inequities within communities are discussed with a particular focus on natural resource management issues, specifically water governance and land use. This research contributes to rural development theory debates, seeks to give voice to development practitioners and identifies the key components and challenges in the community level implementation of rural development policies in Costa Rica. (Texte integral)