 |
 |
|
Eastern Africa: Drylands livelihoods and CPRsContextIn the semi–arid regions of Africa, the ecological status of common pool resources (CPRs) is subject to rapid change in response to a wide variety of drivers and to multiple, often competing, claims from resource users. For example, change in CPRs can be influenced, at the local scale, by use of resources for consumption and production. On the other hand, international stakeholders (including donors) can affect CPR change through their interests in issues such as habitat preservation. Regimes for effective common pool management must resolve the competing claims of multiple stakeholders: ‘win-win’ scenarios are elusive. Given the goal of poverty reduction, the challenge for CPR management is to establish resource management regimes that are able to secure the claims of the poorest over the flows of benefits from CPRs, in the face of competitive pressures from other users. This demands a systematic understanding of policy processes and policy options. Two important areas of policy that relate to CPR management in eastern Africa are wildlife conservation and rainwater harvesting. In Kenya, donor funding has facilitated the designation of large areas of land as areas for wildlife conservation. While such areas can attract tourism and may create job and income-generating opportunities for local people, farmers and pastoralists living alongside national parks can be negatively affected by the wildlife. For example, crops are routinely trampled or eaten and livestock can be killed by wildlife or weakened by exposure to tsetse fly. The designation of land as a conservation area can also lead to the curtailment of access to natural resources for local people. This can exacerbate poverty and cause conflict. In semi-arid parts of Tanzania, rainwater harvesting is an established and expanding practice for improving crop and livestock production. As a result, it has been given priority by the Government of Tanzania in the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy (2001) and in the National Water Policy (2002). Run off water has become an important CPR and access and management of run off water and related common property are key research issues. To ensure that water is used equitably and productively, improvements are needed in the ways in which water is allocated between, for example, upstream and downstream users, and between agriculture and the environment. Weak governance has been identified as the core problem for improved water allocation. This Suite of projects sought to better understand the role of CPR management in sustaining livelihoods in semi-arid areas of Tanzania: a key focus was the governance of run off water in rainwater harvesting systems. The Suite also aimed to investigate the links between wildlife conservation and livelihoods in Kenya; to explore CPR policy processes and options; and to identify ways of facilitating dialogue in conflict situations. Research Topics
ProjectsBeginning in 1998, the first project in this Suite ( This work was followed by
In 2002, project R8116 was added to the long-term series of rainwater harvesting projects (see Project links within Eastern Africa Suite 3: 1998 – 2005
OutputsFindingsR7150 revealed that wildlife conservation interventions at the two Kenyan study locations had not benefited local people, nor conserved wildlife, due to insufficient financial and other benefits reaching the communities. However, awareness of alternative approaches that could support ecotourism development and improve livelihoods was increased amongst the local communities and at regional and national levels, including the Kenya Wildlife Service. The PD assignment that followed R7150 demonstrated that introducing innovative livelihood options, which have the potential to reduce poverty whilst simultaneously conserving the environment, can provide opportunities for consensus building in socially fragmented communities adjacent to national parks. A key finding was that if wildlife conservation projects are to have a reasonable chance of success, they must target areas where the potential for cash income generation from wildlife is high and tailor interventions to the real needs on the ground. The capacity of civil society to participate in interventions and policy coordination for pastoralist development, wildlife conservation and tourism are also important factors. R7857 provided an overview of the current status of CPRs in Tanzania. It revealed that use of CPRs offered opportunities for livelihood diversification for poorer households in agro-pastoral villages. However, the role of CPRs in the livelihoods of poor people varied substantially. A lack of certain capital assets (e.g. livestock) could prevent poor households from deriving significant benefits from the existence of CPRs. Local respondents, particularly pastoralists, identified lack of access to water for agriculture and domestic use and lack of effective water governance as priority CPR concerns requiring intervention. R7857 also indicated that the poor are often under-represented on CPR management institutions, undermining their ability to influence and benefit from the use of such resources. Findings from R7857 fed into a subsequent NRSP cross-cutting study ( Project R7973 analysed the policy, legislative and governance environment within which the CPRs function. It established that all land in Tanzania is publicly owned with the ultimate ownership vested in the State, where the real power controlling land use, including village land, still officially resides. It proposed that any changes to the management of CPRs must therefore be linked to the reform of the role of local governance in land use issues. Opportunities were identified for developing CPR management strategies that benefit the poor through research and policy level dialogue, including promotion of the role of village level governance of NRs. A framework that could be used to help decision makers to understand the opportunities for, and implications of, possible policy options was developed, which led to a follow–up project in India (R8280; The study of run off water as a CPR in rainwater harvesting systems (R8116) indicated that current institutional and regulatory mechanisms limited poor people’s access to CPRs. Analysis of transaction costs and benefits in CPR management showed that individuals and communities incur these costs in both fiscal and time dimensions. However, the poor and politically weak incur more transaction costs than the rich, potentially limiting their participation in the management of CPRs. Several ways in which the governance of run off water and associated CPRs could be improved were identified. These included coordination between primary courts and village governments, and harmonisation of contradictory by-laws, regulations, traditions and customs. Use of participatory law-making, development of land use plans that recognize the requirements of different users and demarcate farm and grazing land, and the establishment of village committees responsible for preparation and implementation of plans and resolution of conflicts were all found to be useful means for facilitating constructive dialogue, reducing conflict and enhancing the equity of access to CPRs. Planners and policy makers at district level needed training in how to link their plans and programmes with national policies, strategies and legislation. At the community level, training was also needed in various areas, such as how best to ensure equitable access to run off water and how to resolve conflicts between farmers and pastoralists. Communication products were produced, including planning guides and maps on land suitability and tenure systems. Through workshops and training courses, the project was able to positively influence policy and planning at the district level. Research messages
Key research productsImpacts
Further workThere is a continuing need to promote dialogue on CPR management (including water governance), raise awareness of the CPR interests of the poorest households, and develop processes for improving the equity of access to CPRs, particularly in relation to rain water harvesting.
Select Eastern Africa node: suite
Select Node |
||||||
|
|||||||
| |
|||||||
