Institutional Collaboration And Shared Learning For Forest Management In Chivi District, Zimbabwe

This paper examines processes of collaboration among institutions for communal woodland management at the local level in Zimbabwe and explores how these processes influence sustainable resource utilization. I discuss how institutions adapt to changing social and environmental conditions. Based on case study evidence, I argue that community-based natural resource management works best in a context of institutional collaboration and shared learning. I identify three requirements for collaboration: the need for effective facilitation of experimental learning, equal power in the learning process and the willingness to engage in a multistage process that can be costly..Funding for the study was provided by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the Department for International Development Micro- Catchment Management Project. DFID Project No: R730

Negotiating resource access

The last two decades have witnessed a ‘paradigm shift’ in conservation and natural resource management away from costly state-centred control towards approaches in which local people play a much more active role. The inefficiency of state control over woodland and water use, has partly led to the enactment of decentralisation policies to facilitate participation of local actors in resource management. Within the decentralisation discourse, there is a renewed debate on the role of institutions in community based natural resource management (CBNRM). Using a case study of Romwe catchment, Chivi district in southern Zimbabwe, this thesis examines the role of local level institutions, both formal and informal within donor supported CBNRM initiatives. Emphasis in the study is on the analysis of informal institutions, a focus that is rare in conventional CBNRM studies. Informal institutions are defined as those institutions that are not legally recognised by the state. These include cultural norms, beliefs and social networks. The study explores how these institutions influence patterns of women’s and men’s access to woodlands and water resources. The study further examines the gendered aspects of decision-making processes in CBNRM. The study finds that at community level, there are a multiplicity of institutions and management structures with unclear mandates and jurisdictions. This may partly explain the state’s recentralisation of management authority at the Rural District Council (RDC) level rather than devolution to levels below the RDC. While there is often reference to formal and informal institutions in the CBNRM literature, the dichotomy between these institutions is overemphasised in theoretical debates. In practice, there are inter linkages and overlaps. Relations between the various forms of institutional structures are influenced by a diversity of factors that include power dynamics. These power dynamics influence processes of negotiating resource access by various actors. In the process of negotiating resource access and use, conflicts may inevitably emerge as was found in Romwe. Although women have historically been sidelined in formal decision-making processes, this study finds that with the emergence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), women have become more actively involved. Women’s access to productive resources such as land and water has also been enhanced through garden projects. There is some indication of changes in the institutional framework at the local level, with women playing a much bigger role in formal decision-making processes

Conflict and conflict resolution in the management of Miombo woodlands: three case studies of Miombo woodlands in Zimbabwe

A report on the conflict and conflict resolution in the natural resource management of Miombo Woodlands in Zimbabwe.The prevalence of conflict over natural resources is well documented (Anderson et. a!..,1996; Ayling & Kelly, 1997; Ortiz, 1999; Sithole & Bradley, 1995; Moyo et. aL, 1992; Murombedzi, 1992; Scoones and Cousins, 1991). Scoones and Cousins (ibid) argue that resources that are highly valued are also highly contested. However, they find, as does other common property resources (CPR) literature that such competition for resources can result in tightly controlled property rights (Bromley and Cemia, 1989). But there is lack of consensus in literature about the impacts of such contests, as others suggest that conflict result in chaos, which abates natural resources degradation (Murphree, 1991; Buckles & Rusnak in Rusnak [Ed] 1999; Little and Brokensha 1986). Social scientists like Fortmann (1995), suggest that conflicts are an important aspect of the discourse where resources, rights and obligations are negotiated. Similarly, resource economists like Becker and Ostrom (1995), suggest that conflict or such contests are part of the ongoing negotiations for resources within CPRs. For example, Ostrom proposes that when such conflicts occur, users and their officials have rapid access to low cost, local arenas to resolve conflict among users or between users and officials (Becker and Ostrom, Ibid). Nevertheless, one major weakness with the high value-high contest’ and conflict as discourse’ approach to conceptualising conflict in the use and management of natural resources is that they down play the role that the social structure plays in either fomenting or averting conflict.Publication has been made possible through grants to the Centre for Applied Social Sciences from IDRC and the Ford Foundation

Microfinance and households coping with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe: An exploratory study

This study, conducted in Zimbabwe, sought to better understand the relationship between a microfinance program, Zambuko Trust, and how microentrepreneurs’ households cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The study examined how HIV/AIDS is affecting Zambuko’s operations and what microfinance institutions (MFIs) can do to lessen the impact of HIV/AIDS on their clients and operations. The findings indicate several small yet important ways that MFI programs help microentrepreneurs and their families respond to these impacts through access to credit and business management training. Participation in a microfinance program led to income smoothing and better financial management, which can help households mitigate the economic shock caused by HIV/AIDS. A number of recommendations emerged from the study that have policy, program, and research implications for MFIs, AIDS service organizations, donors, and governments

Contribution of Baobab Production Activities to Household Livelihoods.

IES Working paper.Baobab production activities play a crucial role in contributing to the livelihoods of rural households. In the face of increasing village populations, commercial use of baobab has been steadily increasing to the point where currently, 43% of sampled households participate in baobab production activities. Commercial use of baobab products is especially important to the poorer households arid women. In terms of contributing to household livelihoods, baobab activities are ranked second only to some kinds of agricultural production. Numerical estimates of contribution to livelihoods bear out this result with cash income of approximately Z$5000 per annum received for each participating person, well above the official minimum wage. Opportunity costs of labour make up about four-fifths of this value, leaving one-fifth of the cash income accruing as economic rent. The rent available to households seems to vary widely, as there are households that are well located close to baobab trees, which greatly reduces production costs and increases economic rents captured. The importance of baobabs to livelihoods, combined with the potential ecological importance of these trees in contributing to biodiversity, makes the sustainability of this resource vital. Accordingly, if current use rates are not sustainable (see Romero et al., (in prep) there is scope for investigations into policies and management options that could foster sustainable use

Institutional collaboration and shared learning for forest management in Chivi Distict, Zimbabwe

This chapter examines processess of collaboration among institutions for communal woodland managemnet at the local level in Zimbabwe and explores how these processess influence sustainable resources utilization. The author discusses how institutions adapt to changing social and environmental conditions. Based on case study evidence, I argue that community-based natural resource management works best in a context of institutional collaboration and shared learning. The author identifies three requirements for collaboration: the need for effective facilitation of experimental learning, equal power in learning process and the willingness to engage in multi-stage process that can be costly

Social charters and organisation for access to woodlands: institutional implications for devolving responsibilities for resource management to the local level in Chivi District, Zimbabwe

The "paradigm shift" in natural resource management away from state-centred control toward community-based approaches in which local people play a much more active role is situated within the theoretical framework seeking to empower local communities through decentralization policies. This study examines the organizational framework within which decentralization is implemented using a case study from southern Zimbabwe. At the local level there is a complex interface between traditional and modern authority structures, with both complimentary and conflicting jurisdictions and mandates. Given this multiplicity of organizations, the study advocates for systematic examination of appropriate organizations to be involved in the decentralization process