Snapshots of International Community Forestry Networks: Country ...

Learning from International Community Forestry Networks: India Report
Pandey and Dr Rabindranath. A monograph on experiences of CF in Eastern India was published in
collaboration with researchers at IIFM. Some of the publications were translated into Oriya and Hindi, but
not to a great extent. In West Bengal Dr. Mark Poffenberger collaborated with Prof. SB Roy of IBRAD on
mapping and techniques of cluster analysis (e.g. how a number of villages share their resources, etc.)
Publications were shared with various organisations and individuals. Many AFN activities were centred in
Orissa in the past.
One of the problems of interviewing people about AFN activities was that not many people make the
distinction between the activities of AFN and Dr. Mark Poffenberger. In this sense, the AFN did not seem
to have a strong identity as a network. One of the reasons may also have been the informal nature of
membership.
Links with national networks: While in Ford, Dr. Mark Poffenberger was instrumental in encouraging and
supporting the formation of the SPWD-JFM national network. Thereafter the AFN kept in close touch with
individuals active within the national network. He was also instrumental in initiating the Foresters’
Network.
Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and Forest Trees and People
Programme (FTPP): There has been a great deal of overlap between the activities of RECOFTC and
FTPP in India, because the FTPP programme in India has been routed through RECOFTC, which acted as
the regional nodal point. Most people do not distinguish between the activities of the two networks, and
often use the names interchangeably. However, people did distinguish between the two networks with
regard to their newsletters, and RECOFTC’s independent training programmes in Bangkok. Three institutes
collaborated closely with RECOFTC/FTPP – IIFM, SPWD and IBRAD, from the mid-1990s up to 2000.
The origin of the collaboration was an invitation from FTPP to IBRAD and SPWD representatives to attend
the first regional FTPP network meeting in RECOFTC (Bangkok), where there were representatives from
7-8 other countries as well. The participants were told that FTPP was starting a network with the objective
of periodically sharing experiences and facilitating training activities, and that the network would also
provide some small grants for network activities in the different countries. It was decided that the network
would meet annually in different member countries. However there was never a meeting organised in India
because this would have excluded members from Pakistan (and vice-versa). IIFM joined the network at a
later stage.
The main collaboration with RECOFTC was in conducting two ‘travelling’ international training
programmes on “Participatory Forest Resource Assessment (PFRA) and Planning”, with participants from
different parts of Asia. Over 21 days, the trainees spent 6 days each in Delhi (SPWD), Bhopal (IIFM) and
Calcutta (IBRAD). It was an expensive programme, costing about US $4000 per participant. The objectives
of the course were to “develop skills in PFRA and monitoring; increase understanding on approaches and
methods in implementing PFRA; and identify ways to apply strategies and approaches learned in the course
back in the participants’ own work situation.” 32 In 1999 two Indian forest officers and one SPWD
representative were sponsored for training. Judging from an evaluation done for the 1998 programme, the
responses to the training were mixed. While field work was perceived as mostly well organised and content
was overall interesting with useful material being given out, negative comments included badly presented
lectures, bad time-keeping, and dominating resource persons. 33
In 1996-97 IIFM developed several case studies required for the training programme, in collaboration with
RECOFTC. A writing workshop was organised twice with RECOFTC, with AFN partially supporting the
effort. Participants from Asia, including India, visited RECOFTC in Bangkok and wrote about 10 case
studies while there, on different subjects like conflicts, NTFP or institutional aspects of CF, for the Asian
region. A format was also developed for writing case studies for trainers to use as teaching material. One of
the case studies written at IIFM was on self-initiated forest protection by communities in Kudada
32
Anon. 1999. Pamphlet on training course on “Participatory Forest Resource Assessment and Planning.”
RECOFTC. Bangkok.
33
Fuller, J. 1998. Participatory Resource Assessment and Planning, India 1998 RECOFTC / IIFM/
IBRAD /SPWD Course Review. Unpublished.
15