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There
is ample evidence of the benefits that cooperation can generate
for improved natural resource management. Increasingly, new
research emerges about factors that enable collective action
to be successful, though many replication challenges exist
in practice. Cooperation can be particularly important in
a watershed context where the actions of individuals often
have widespread spillover effects. However, little is understood
about the dynamic interactions that take place across different
watershed scales, not only biophysically, but even more so
socially and politically.
Through
research undertaken in 5 catchments in the Nile River and
the Virtual Andes basins, this project proposes to seek a
deeper understanding of the extent to which collective action
in watershed contexts as well as other livelihood strategies
have the potential to enable the poor to escape from so-called
poverty traps -- cycles of underinvestment, low productivity
and resource degradation that contribute to chronic deprivation.
Factors that facilitate multi-stakeholder collective action
across different scales in the face of high levels of environmental
externalities will also be explored using innovative methods
such as experimental games in the field. The experimental
designs will mimic conditions commonly encountered in watersheds,
including upstream and downstream interactions.
Stakeholder
participation is a fundamental approach of the project and
critical to ensure that the research has real impact on development.
Based on their participation in the economic games and lessons
learned from the process and results, stakeholders will develop
action plans in collaboration with local development organizations.
A common result from other field-based experimental games
is a realization of the benefits of collective action for
resource management and a strong interest in pursuing more
cooperative strategies, so that we would expect action plans
to embody these.
The project
is furthermore committed to end-user involvement in the evaluation
of the project outcomes as well as their own conditions and
development. Fueling a process of participatory monitoring
and evaluation (a form of collective action itself) will be
a major part of action plan development and include the formulation
of key biophysical and social indicators of particular relevance
to local stakeholders. Hence the major barometer that the
project will use to judge its impact will rest in the hands
of its primary beneficiaries. Participatory action planning
and evaluation will also enable the project's impacts to endure
over time through instilling a continuous learning and adaptation
process.
Policymakers,
including decisionmakers at all levels and scales, are a key
audience for which the project aims to target its research
results. Two regional policy workshops that promote dialogue
between researchers and policymakers will be an important
dissemination and learning vehicle employed by the project.
Likewise, involving and supporting university students in
the research will contribute to expanding the cadre of research
for development practitioners who are committed to an inter-disciplinary
and integrated approach to watershed research and management.
Collaboration with other Water for Food Challenge Program
projects is expected to generate a high level of cross learning
and also contribute to the scaling up of project results and
lessons.
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