What Lead to Conservation of Commons by the Community?

Abstract

"To translate the ambitious watershed development programs to cover large drought prone areas into participatory action, it is important to first analyse the pre-conditions required at the community level which allow adoption of watershed program by the people themselves. When and how a community adopts and starts a water conservation programme on its own depends upon a variety of factors. The case of community 1 and 2 of a village proves that leaders were the responsible individuals who took the lead, influenced the remaining people, brought everyone together, used the contact exterior to their social system and influenced the adoption of watershed. They brought out a willingness among the people to contribute labour work and money which became a stepping stone towards the conservation of the commons. Apart from efficient leadership and presence of NGO and various other aspects together ensures community’s involvement in the adoption process. This study provides rich insights to academicians and practitioners who are keen in understanding the conditions under which the process of conservation of commons starts from within and gets scaled up. The knowledge from this study can help in better planning, and implementation for scaling up of watershed programmes and more so ever in a sustainable manner."