Changing Livelihoods, Livestock and Local Knowledge Systems: Women Stake their Claim in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sagari R. Ramdas ◽  
Yakshi ◽  
Girijana Deepika
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
Natural Flora ◽  
Women's Role

This paper discusses women's role, resource access control and decision-making power in the context of rapid changes in rural livelihoods, local knowledge systems and NRM. Participatory research was carried out in collaboration with NGOs and community-based organisations in six distinct agro-ecological regions of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, with a focus on eco nomically and socially marginalised communities. The research revealed that state policies have resulted in dramatic changes from food to commercial crops. This has threatened food and fodder security, the biodiversity of crops, natural flora, local livestock and poultry breeds, and led to unsustainable extraction of ground water and high levels of indebtedness. Women have borne the brunt. Women who formerly played key decision-making roles have been marginalised, their knowledge and expertise made valueless. Traditionally also women have been denied access to certain kinds of knowledge that constrain their livelihoods. Participatory research has empow ered women to take the lead in movements to challenge mainstream paradigms of sustainable development.

scholarly journals Community Priority Index: utility, applicability and validation for priority setting in community-based participatory research

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamisu M. Salihu ◽  
Abraham A. Salinas-Miranda ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
DeAnne Turner ◽  
Estrellita Lo Berry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Priority Setting ◽  
Nominal Group Technique ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Nominal Group ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Priority Index

<em>Background</em>. Providing practitioners with an intuitive measure for priority setting that can be combined with diverse data collection methods is a necessary step to foster accountability of the decision-making process in community settings. Yet, there is a lack of easy-to-use, but methodologically robust measures, that can be feasibly implemented for reliable decision-making in community settings. To address this important gap in community based participatory research (CBPR), the purpose of this study was to demonstrate the utility, applicability, and validation of a community priority index in a community-based participatory research setting. <br /><em>Design and Methods</em>. Mixed-method study that combined focus groups findings, nominal group technique with six key informants, and the generation of a Community Priority Index (CPI) that integrated community importance, changeability, and target populations. Bootstrapping and simulation were performed for validation. <br /><em>Results</em>. For pregnant mothers, the top three highly important and highly changeable priorities were: stress (CPI=0.85; 95%CI: 0.70, 1.00), lack of affection (CPI=0.87; 95%CI: 0.69, 1.00), and nutritional issues (CPI=0.78; 95%CI: 0.48, 1.00). For non-pregnant women, top priorities were: low health literacy (CPI=0.87; 95%CI: 0.69, 1.00), low educational attainment (CPI=0.78; 95%CI: 0.48, 1.00), and lack of self-esteem (CPI=0.72; 95%CI: 0.44, 1.00). For children and adolescents, the top three priorities were: obesity (CPI=0.88; 95%CI: 0.69, 1.00), low self-esteem (CPI=0.81; 95%CI: 0.69, 0.94), and negative attitudes toward education (CPI=0.75; 95%CI: 0.50, 0.94). <br /><em>Conclusions</em>. This study demonstrates the applicability of the CPI as a simple and intuitive measure for priority setting in CBPR.

Community-Based Participatory Research

Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 272-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Israel ◽  
Amy J. Schulz ◽  
Chris M. Coombe ◽  
Edith A. Parker ◽  
Angela G. Reyes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Communities ◽  
Health Equity ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Urban Health ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Urban Populations

The study of urban populations must be grounded in the realities of local communities. Much as many insights of urban health are generalizable to the health of cities worldwide, local knowledge both can and is necessary to guide action that can improve the health of urban populations. Community-based participatory research is an approach to research that has a particular role in both the study of urban communities and in developing interventions and policies that can improve the health of these populations. This chapter discusses the principles and strategies of community-based participatory research and how their applications can guide the study and practice of urban health towards achieving health equity.

Beyond elite capture? Community-based natural resource management and power in Mohammed Nagar village, Andhra Pradesh, India

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOEKO SAITO-JENSEN ◽  
IBEN NATHAN ◽  
THORSTEN TREUE
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Indian Government ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Elite Capture

SUMMARYCommunity-based natural resource management (CBNRM) projects and policies often aim to improve the livelihoods of rural people who depend on natural resources, and to promote democratic decision making and equitable benefit distribution at the local level. However, a growing number of critics argue that CBNRM is susceptible to elite capture. This paper contributes to the debate on elite capture under CBNRM by studying joint forest management (JFM) in Andhra Pradesh (India) and, in particular, the case of Mohammed Nagar village. The paper addresses the following four questions: (1) How has the Indian Government formally addressed the risk of elite capture? (2) What actually happened over time when formal structures of JFM interacted with the pre-existing social structure in Mohammed Nagar? (3) When JFM results in elite capture, is this owing to the formal structures and/or the pre-existing social structure? (4) How can CBNRM be designed to avoid or minimize elite capture? Based on a reading of official government documents, the Indian Government has addressed the risk of elite capture, by ensuring representation of different social groups in the decision making bodies, regular elections, collective action in rule making and implementation, and transparency in record keeping. Nevertheless, during Mohammed Nagar's 10 years of JFM history elite capture did occur. This confirms that elite capture is a possible outcome of CBNRM. Yet, the subsequent fall of elite capture in the village also indicates that this is not necessarily a permanent outcome, and that CBNRM may in fact promote democratic and equitable resource management in the long-term. In Mohammed Nagar elite capture was largely owing to pre-existing social structures and to weaknesses in the official rules that were meant to safeguard the interests of marginalized groups. Accordingly, in CBNRM project design and implementation, pre-existing social structures' potential promotion of elite capture need to be taken into account and formal measures that might alleviate the adverse effects and/or reduce this risk must be identified.

scholarly journals Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Cooperative: can local knowledge inform caribou management?

Rangifer ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don E. Russell ◽  
Michael Y. Svoboda ◽  
Jadah Arokium ◽  
Dorothy Cooley
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Information Source ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Harvest Management ◽  
Herd Health ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Management Decision Making

While quantitative analyses have traditionally been used to measure overall caribou herd health, qualitative observational data can also provide timely information that reflects what people on the land are observing. The Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op (ABEKC) monitors ecological change in the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH). The community-based monitoring component of the Co-op’s mandate involves the gathering of local knowledge through interviews with local experts in a number of communities.We analyzed the responses to interviews collected during 2000–2007 related to caribou availability, harvest success, meeting needs and caribou health during fall and spring. Interviews revealed 1) caribou greater availability during the survey period, 2) an increasing trend in the proportion of harvesters that met their needs 3) no trend in animals harvested or proportion of successful hunters and 4) improving overall caribou health throughout the period.There was no population estimate for the herd between 2001 and 2010. In 2001, 123,000 caribou were estimated in the herd. Based on an estimated 178,000 in 1989, a declining trend of ~ 3% annually occurred at least until 2001. In the interim agencies and boards feared the herd continued to decline and worked towards and finalized a Harvest Management Plan for the herd. In contrast, from the Co-op interviews all indications suggested improving herd conditions throughout most of the decade. A successful survey in 2010 determined the herd had grown to 169,000 animals. We conclude that the community-based interviews provided a valid, unique information source to better understand caribou ecology and express community perceptions of overall herd status and could provide a valuable contribution to management decision making.  We recommend that ABEKC results become standard input into Porcupine Caribou harvest management decisions and serve as a model of integrating community based monitoring data into resource management decision making throughout the north.

scholarly journals Bridging Knowledge Systems: A Community-Participatory Approach to EcoHealth

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12437
Author(s):  
Ann Marie Crosse ◽  
Margaret M. Barry ◽  
Mary Jo Lavelle ◽  
Jane Sixsmith
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Research Approach

Earth’s life-supporting ecosystems are integral to human and planetary health. Ecosystem services connect ecosystem functions to human wellbeing. The complex, multifaceted socio-ecological challenges of ecosystem decline necessitate a transdisciplinary approach, including the active and meaningful engagement and participation of local communities. Communities uniquely possess expert local knowledge, which, when integrated into policy development and community planning, has the potential to enhance and sustain ecosystem benefits for health and wellbeing. Community-informed mapping tools provide an opportunity for integrating science, policy, and public participation in data collection. However, there is a dearth of community-informed mapping tools demonstrating the interconnection of the ecological and social determinants of health at a place-based level. This paper presents a study that employs a community-based participatory research approach to mapping local knowledge systems on EcoHealth. The study seeks to develop a community mapping tool for shared dialogue and decision-making on EcoHealth between local communities and policymakers. The participatory research methods used to explore community awareness and knowledge regarding ecosystem services, health, and sustainability in the local area are described. The process of co-producing a Community EcoHealth Toolkit, based on the integration of different knowledge systems into local policy and planning, is discussed.

scholarly journals Decolonization of knowledge, epistemicide, participatory research and higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budd L. Hall ◽  
Rajesh Tandon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Knowledge Systems ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Research Partnerships ◽  
Action Strategy ◽  
Knowledge Democracy

This article raises questions about what the word 'knowledge' refers to. Drawn from some 40 years of collaborative work on knowledge democracy, the authors suggest that higher education institutions today are working with a very small part of the extensive and diverse knowledge systems in the world. Following from de Sousa Santos, they illustrate how Western knowledge has been engaged in epistemicide, or the killing of other knowledge systems. Community-based participatory research is about knowledge as an action strategy for change and about the rendering visible of the excluded knowledges of our remarkable planet. Knowledge stories, theoretical dimensions of knowledge democracy and the evolution of community-based participatory research partnerships are highlighted.

Volunteer Involvement in an Academic Camp in the Dominican Republic

2018 ◽  
pp. 174-192
Author(s):  
Karie Jo Peralta
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Volunteer Participation

This chapter examines the expansion of volunteer participation in a participatory research project, which explored possibilities to enhance volunteer involvement in an academic camp operated by a non-governmental organization in the Dominican Republic. Although there are numerous studies that identify how organizations should involve volunteers, these studies typically represent an outsider perspective. Therefore, the concerns, ideas, and agency of volunteers—all of which may facilitate improvements in their participation—are often overlooked. For the purpose of this chapter, volunteers are elevated as key actors in the development of the organization. Specifically, community-based philosophy's concept of participation is applied to identify key moments in the project when the broadening of volunteer involvement was important for achieving a greater understanding of the issue of interest. The objective is to advance an appreciation of how projects with volunteer participation, albeit in fluctuating levels, can result in the co-creation and elevation of local knowledge.

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