Creation of New Commons as Local Rural Development Tools: Rural Markets of Wood Energy in Niger

Abstract

"Since 1989, the Energie II Project fosters long term sustainability of tree stock for wood energy in Niger. It is thus based on reappropriation of forest stand by village residents. The regulation reform has switched renewable resource management from State to rural population. This transfer is direct, immediate, and a source of great local autonomy. Creating an institution called 'rural market of wood energy' allows autonomous management of resources extraction, trading and recovery. The whole network has now a new structure based on susidiarity. Decisions are taken at the most efficient level (local, regional or national) according to the common goal. Due to the absence of cash crops, Nigerian forest favours a potential accruing leading to local rural development. Thus, the use of the income drawn fro wood energy by existing 'rural markets'. Rather than providing 'readymade' responses to questions, the project supports the emerging 'possible' ones and self organization without imposing development models. The novelty of this process is also the technical simplification of the organizational solutions leading to its implementation."