The abandonment of projects is one of the problems faced by institutions involved in promoting rural Mexico, however, there have been experiences that have encouraged their retention. One factor that enables their success, is the participatory approach (EP). Hence the importance of reviewing how institutions can incorporate this approach into their practices. We analyzed the progress of the EP in two institutions (UNCADER and INIFAP) and a nongovernmental organization (UGOCP), considering the philosophical and policy factors, as well as the methodological and operational ones. The research was approached as case study from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. Both the institution and its promoter were considered for the research, which involved semi-structured interviews, participants observation and document review. For UNCADER and INIFAP participation represents a methodological tool that improves the efficiency of institutional planning, whereas for UGOCP is a civil right that allows processes of organization mobilization. For UNCADER, participation has been symbolic, therefore real participatory aproech represents a challenge to the organization´s culture. In INIFAP, the birth of a project is a critical point that needs to be strengthened to implement participatory methodologies. Finally, the participatory mechanisms used by UGOCP involve authentic participation