Rehabilitation of CPRs Through Re-Crafting of Village Institutions: A Comparative Study from Ethiopia and India

dc.contributor.authorWisborg, Poulen_US
dc.contributor.authorShylendra, H. S.en_US
dc.contributor.authorGebrehiwot, Kindeyaen_US
dc.contributor.authorShanker, Ravien_US
dc.contributor.authorTilahun, Yibabieen_US
dc.contributor.authorNagothu, Udaya Sekharen_US
dc.contributor.authorTewoldeberhan, Sarahen_US
dc.contributor.authorBose, Purabien_US
dc.coverage.regionMiddle East & South Asiaen_US
dc.coverage.regionAfricaen_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-07-31T14:31:22Z
dc.date.available2009-07-31T14:31:22Z
dc.date.issued2000en_US
dc.date.submitted2007-07-16en_US
dc.date.submitted2007-07-16en_US
dc.description.abstract"The study examines approaches and experiences of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working with social and ecological rehabilitation of common pool resources (CPR), specifically the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme in India and the 'area enclosures' programme in Tigray, Ethiopia. The paper is based on comparative field-research in the marginal, semi-arid project areas of N. M. Sadguru Water and Development Foundation (SWDF), Dahod District, Gujarat, India and the Relief Society of Tigray (REST), Wori Leke Woreda, Tigray, Ethiopia. A multidisciplinary team of practitioners and researchers carried out field observations, mapping and interviews with households and key informants in two villages from each of the project areas. "Similarities were observed in histories of resource depletion through increasing economic pressures and institutional break-down, as well as present-day community-initiatives to revert negative trends. In both India and Ethiopia the government claims ownership to the village commons, and in both situations people refer to lack of or unclear property rights and short-sighted CPR policies as the explanation for resource depletion. However, within similar institutional frameworks, local specific histories and empowerment processes shape contrasting outcomes. "The comparison of the two study villages in India showed a considerable achievement, but also vast untapped potential, for regeneration of commons. Major reasons for the depletion of forest resources and absence of appropriate institutions appeared to be the lack of long-term resource security through CPR ownership or well-defined and substantial user rights. People favoured the re-framing of rules, practices and remuneration patterns which the JFM framework provides. JFM appears to be the major avenue for the NGO to support management of CPRs. Yet, in spite of the formal instruments, conflicting interests and uneven motivation among government officials continue to create hurdles, uncertainty and conflict. "The area enclosures in Tigray, Ethiopia evolved through a grass-root process. Local people support it as a positive initiative for soil and water conservation, and it has had a clear bio-physical impact on large parts of the degraded commons. The local government institution (the baito) is empowered to control the management of commons, unlike in India where the formal local government body (Gram Panchayat) is not involved in CPR management under the JFM. "Differences in the empowerment of local institutions is interpreted as one of the main factors responsible for the varying processes and outcomes observed in the two study areas. "The political and institutional contexts of the two countries present NGOs with contrasting rules and opportunities, creating a need for a thorough, local-specific understanding of the processes of CPR management. The present South-South research cooperation has documented and analysed similarities and differences, and will further pursue their context-specific implications for NGO strategy, advocacy and policy. The study confirmed that partners gain from joint learning and experience sharing on CPR approaches, but also showed that institutional, cultural and economic differences make transfer of models and practices challenging."en_US
dc.identifier.citationconfdatesMay 31-June 4en_US
dc.identifier.citationconferenceConstituting the Commons: Crafting Sustainable Commons in the New Millennium, the Eighth Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Propertyen_US
dc.identifier.citationconflocBloomington, INen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10535/661
dc.languageEnglishen_US
dc.subjectIASCen_US
dc.subjectcommon pool resourcesen_US
dc.subjectNGOsen_US
dc.subjectjoint management--comparative analysisen_US
dc.subjectforest management--comparative analysisen_US
dc.subjectinstitutions--comparative analysisen_US
dc.subjectvillage organization--comparative analysisen_US
dc.subjectregulation--comparative analysisen_US
dc.subject.sectorSocial Organizationen_US
dc.subject.sectorForestryen_US
dc.submitter.emailhess@indiana.eduen_US
dc.titleRehabilitation of CPRs Through Re-Crafting of Village Institutions: A Comparative Study from Ethiopia and Indiaen_US
dc.typeConference Paperen_US

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