Browsing by Author "Illsley, Catarina"

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Integral Peasant Land-Use Planning: A Method for Strengthening Local Institutions for Community-Based Management of Natural Resources
(2008) Diaz, Lucio; Illsley, Catarina; Marielle, Catherine; Garcia, Jorge; Morales, Pilar; Varela, Raquel; Roblero, Rita; Poinssot, Marion
"The Program for Peasant Management of Natural Resources and Agrofood Systems is carried out by the Group for Environmental Studies, the peasant organization SSS Sanzekan Tinemi and 19 communities which have jointly implemented a long-term intervention model for advancing towards the restoration and sustainable management of natural resources in one of MexicoÃ?ÂŽs most marginated regions. One of the main objectives is facilitating community based integral land- use planning processes in each one of the communities involved. It is based on the strengthening of local natural and social resources, and includes basic research, peasant experimentation and exchange of experiences, land use planning at community, watershed and regional levels. A permanent effort that spans over 10 years, resulting in learning, training and building social and technological alternatives as a result of a constant dialogue between all involved: Indian and peasant communities, technicians, public servers, foundations, etc. The idea is that strengthening the capacities of regional organizations, community institutions and peasant families to plan increases their capacity for control and sustainable management of their land and natural resources. Cartography is used as the physical basis for planning. Water is the central axis for planning and micro-watershed delimitation allows to concentrate work until it is restored and then to move on to another. While there is a vision of what is desired in the long run, every year a new annual plan is drawn up. In this process, each community has a document with a short, medium and long term plan. In some cases, these documents are being used as a tool for negotiating with government representatives for funding to be alloted to these plans. In a country where communities are normally not consulted this can be an important asset."
'Shared Water for All': An Experience in Community-Based Watershed Management
(2008) Pool-Illsley, Emilia; Illsley, Catarina; del Pilar Morales, Maria; Marielle, Lucio Diaz; Alarcon, Javier; Chana, Felipe; Flores, Marco Antonio; Tlacotempa, Albino; Flores, Juana
"This paper analyzes an experience in community-based watershed management, which involves 17 peasant communities of the Mexican dry tropics of the State of Guerrero. In these communities, where peasants are the owners and custodians of the ecosystems where water is produced, local institutions, regulations and organization forms, as well as local knowledge and practices, determine the access, use, conservation and veneration of water. The project considers this is the base upon which to build a new model for intervention, at community and regional levels, by which to improve local control, integrate new technologies and create an atmosphere for stimulating collective learning and technological/knowledge appropriation to guarantee enough water in the region for the present and the future. "Into its sixth year, the experience has accumulated a large number of small water conservation projects implemented according to the plan each community has drawn out, through its Water Committee, in a participative land use planning and training process. A series of interviews with the members of these committees were carried out to assess their perception of the project, of the main results and impacts, problems and possibilities. This input is being used as the base for building both qualitative and quantitative indicators for measuring impacts from the local point of view. Also, to gain certain insight into the process of appropriation of the project by the communities and their institutions."