The purpose of this paper is to generate discussion on certain basic issues pertaining scope and limitations of community actions for agricultural development. For this purpose a sociological-historical-cultural approach has been followed keeping in mind the two roles of agricultural development, viz., production of food with the optimum utilization of human energy and other resources and socio-economic transformation. Various components of the environment that affect community participation in agricultural development are analysed. Community participation is influenced by the structure and organization of the community. These in turn are influenced by the nature of the technology used. This paper examines the close interrelationship between agricultural technology and social structure, organization, and processes. The interaction of four major components of the environment, viz., land-man ratio, nature of traditional agricultural technology, law of inheritance, and joint family system is analysed. This is followed by an analysis of micro-level realities covering the spatial distribution of settlements, pattern of land ownership, and pattern of social interaction. At the end, some suggestions are given keeping in mind the demands and constraints of the environment.