Poverty Dimensions of Public Governance and Forest Management ...

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These considerations all pointed to the need for empirical research, firstly on livelihood systems
and decision-making, and secondly, on how environmental policy is being formulated in a
situation of decentralisation to local government. The ultimate aim was to help adapt policies and
management models/practices to the emerging realities, while seeking to safeguard both the
condition of natural resources in the FAI and the interests of the poor and vulnerable.
This proposal responded to a research topic identified in the NRSP FAI production system call.
By its nature, socio-political research of this type is unlikely to result from direct demand from
within the policy community, particularly on the part of the poor. Its value has to be judged by
future benefits, rather than immediate demand.
3. Project Purpose
This was a scoping study whose purpose was defined by NRSP FAI LF Activity 1.2, viz
‘Strategies for promoting new management approaches to increase the livelihood opportunities
of poor people developed and implemented in Ghana, in the FAI target zones’
This was to be achieved through a phased approach involving:
! Initial scoping study (the present contract)
! Full research study
! Validation of recommendations (in association with national and bilateral partners)
! Wider dissemination.
The following indicators of progress were identified for the scoping study:
1. Knowledge of institutions mediating policy (decentralised local government/ agriculture and
forest-related institutions) updated, identifying gaps and key constraints.
2. Research topics on strategies of participatory management aimed at enhancing the livelihoods
of the poor and marginal at the FAI investigated and elaborated with a view to informing
future FAI calls on Ghana and elsewhere.
3. Uptake pathways for alternative policy and other innovations defined and assessed.
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