Strengthening social capital for improving policies and decision-making in natural resources management. Scientific report.
Abstract
This report gives a full account of the activities and ouputs of project R7856, 'Strengthening social capital for improving policies and decision-making in NRM'. The project initiated and supported village byelaw committees and policy taskforces at different levels, and strengthened their capacities to review, initiate, formulate and implement byelaws and other local policies. Several byelaws on soil conservation, tree planting, controlled animal grazing, drinking of alcohol, wetland management and bush burning were implemented with different levels of success in the pilot communities. A participatory policy process action research framework developed by the project concentrated on five key elements: facilitating community visioning and planning of desired future conditions; participatory policy analysis; linking bottom-up processes to higher level policy processes through policy dialogue and policy learning events, and supporting policy action at different levels. The report suggests a five \"INs\" model: strengthening local institutions; providing information; linking byelaws to NRM innovations; finding and promoting incentives and minimum inputs, and building a network of influence, as effective mechanisms that research and development organisations can use to influence policy action for sustainable NRM.
Citation
Sanginga, P.C, Martin, A.M. and Kamugisha, R.N. 2005. Strengthening social capital for improving policies and decision-making in natural resources management. Scientific report. Annex A of the Final Technical Report for project R7856, ‘Strengthening social capital for improving policies and decision-making in NRM’. Kampala, Uganda: CIAT - African Highlands Initiative. 71 pp.
Links