Growing the Wealth of the Poor - World Resources Institute

Resource DegradationA decline in the status or productivity of a local natural resourceis frequently a significant factor in generating community demand.A sudden drop in fish catches or the depletion of a certain stock oftree may spur community members to act or to be more receptiveto new approaches to managing the resource, particularly if theresource is or was an important part of the household incomestream. The decline in the resource must take place over a shortenough time span to be noticeable; if changes are too gradual,individuals may not perceive the events as serious enough at anyone point in time to justify action (White and Runge 1995:1685).While serious resource degradation may build demand to addressthe loss of resources, this demand alone may not be sufficient tospur action without a convincing alternative at hand.Changing InformationInformation is always a critical variable in the demand equation.What people know about the changing resource situation in theircommunity, new opportunities for using resources, or the potentialreturn on a new investment is usually the deciding factor inwhether they consent to community resource management. Newinformation can come from a variety of sources, with demonstrationsand pilot projects being particularly effective in conveyingan alternative to the status quo. The “demonstration effect”—when villagers or their leaders see for themselves the benefits thatB U I L D I N G O W N E R S H I P, C A P A C I T Y , A N D C O N N E C T I O Nother communities have gained by managing their watershed,forest, or fishing grounds differently—is often quick and persuasive.In Niger, where NGOs initially helped farmers to regeneratetrees and implement basic soil and water conservation practices,the visible and rapid yield increases created by these practicesinspired neighboring farmers to follow suit. The spread has beendescribed as “viral,” with the techniques now used widely acrossNiger. (See Chapter 3: Turning Back the Desert: How FarmersHave Transformed Niger’s Landscapes and Livelihoods.)However, seeing demonstration projects in person is not theonly way that villagers can get new information. Street fairs,theater, radio broadcasts, pamphlets, posters, and video presentationscan all broadcast possibilities, shift consciousnesses, andchange tastes, making people more aware of options for action(Lobo 2007). Awards and prizes that recognize good practices canalso be an effective tool for delivering new information and generatingdemand. The Equator Prize of the UN DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP), which profiles and rewards successfulecosystem enterprises, has had a substantial demonstration effectsince its establishment in 2002 (UNDP 2008a). (See Box 2.1.)This emphasizes the important role that communication plays inbuilding demand at the village level. In most cases, being an effectiveadvocate for community resource management requiressome mastery of communication tools and forums.Engaged LeadershipEffective leaders are able to understand the forces for change in acommunity, express a guiding vision, offer alternatives for action,and organize their constituents first to make a choice betweenalternatives and then to carry through on their choice. In thissense, leaders provide both the spark of demand and also a stabilizingforce connecting demand to collective action. In thebeginning, a leader’s personal charisma may be crucial in sellingthe vision for action and arousing the willingness to make acommitment to a new resource management scheme. Because oftheir position, education, and experience, leaders can confer legitimacyto a proposed line of action or doom it if they find itunacceptable. Because of their connections to those in power (aform of bridging social capital), they can also communicate thislegitimacy to external sources of funding or support. Particularlyin those situations where a new management regime or enterpriseis stimulated by outside actors (NGOs, governments, etc.), thedevelopment of local leaders with the capacity to function withinthe community according to its norms greatly increases thechances for success (Seymour 1994: 481–486).New Incentives or Resource AccessFactors originating outside the community, such as changes in statetenure policies or the availability of state or international funds tosupport a change in resource management, can also be powerfulinducements for change. Namibia’s conservancies could not takeoff until the national legislature enacted the Nature ConservationAct in 1996 that devolved wildlife tenure to local groups. Likewise,the widespread adoption of new watershed management practicesContinues on page 61OWNERSHIP55