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International Workshop Promotes Better Management of Natural Resources Through Users' Participation
On June 21–25, more than 50 government policymakers, staff from NGOs, leaders of user federations, and researchers from 18 countries met in Puerto Azul, Cavite, the Philippines, to share experiences at an international workshop on “Devolution of Natural Resource Management.” The workshop was cosponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research’s (CGIAR’s) systemwide program on Collective Action and Property Rights (CAPRi) and the German Foundation for International Development (DSE), and hosted by the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM).
IFPRI leads the CAPRi Systemwide Program, which seeks to strengthen research on various aspects of collective action, property rights, and their relationship to natural resource management.* Several CGIAR centers have been involved in research on various aspects of devolution of management of natural resources, including irrigation, forestry, fisheries, and rangelands. This workshop provided an opportunity to draw together the findings from the different sectors, explore common issues and differences, and to present the results to policymakers and practitioners.
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Officers of an irrigator's association show visitors the headworks of their irrigation system. |
According to Ruth Meinzen-Dick, coordinator of CAPRi, “The workshop helped identify the key factors for effective programs to devolve management to users, such as collective action and secure property rights that give them the ability and incentive to manage their resources. Sharing the experiences of researchers and policymakers led to a richer understanding and strengthened the networks of people working on these important issues.”
The Philippines was selected as the venue for the workshop because of the country’s broad experience in organizing local resource users to manage irrigation, forestry, and fisheries, and its efforts to decentralize power. “The workshop gave me an opportunity to exchange information and to interact with a number of people in the Philippines,” said Raymond Peter, who is additional secretary for irrigation in Andhra Pradesh and a key player in that Indian state’s promotion of management of irrigation by the farmers themselves.
Workshop participants reviewed papers on irrigation management transfer, fisheries co- management, joint forest management, and formalizing user management of rangelands, as well as case studies from several countries. Field trips during the workshop allowed participants to hear about the experience of such programs firsthand from members of an irrigators’ association, a forest users’ group, and a fisherman’s association organized to protect the coral reef.
Ugandan Minister of Agriculture W. Kisamba-Mugerwa commented: “Collective action and property rights . . . is a crucial, pertinent issue for different states to consider for attaining sustainable management of natural resources for generations to come.” Moreover, it benefits poor communities and uplifts the welfare of the people who use these resources for their livelihood. “While the policy of promoting collective action, property rights, and devolution in the management of natural resources is acceptable to policymakers . . . researchers should not take it for granted that [the policy] is widely known and could be implemented,” he said. A researcher should explain the advantages of the project to convince the policymakers and technocrats that it will enhance the welfare of the people using these resources. It will also promote their sustainable use by identifying the most appropriate institutions for managing natural resources.
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