scholarly journals Experiences and Challenges of Promoting Pro-Poor and Social Inclusion Initiatives in User Group Forestry

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bimala Rai Paudyal ◽  
Peter Neil ◽  
Gaia Allison
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
User Group ◽  
The Poor ◽  
User Groups

Community Forestry has tremendous potential to reduce poverty and promote social inclusion in rural communities by improving the livelihoods of the poor and excluded, in particular the livelihoods of women, dalits and disadvantaged ethnic groups. However, there exists a large gap between the potential of the programme and its achievements in reality. Addressing this gap demands strategic interventions, including a careful analysis of barriers to inclusion and the promotion of pro-poor and socially inclusive programmes and monitoring. The paper argues that Community Forestry would better contribute to poverty reduction and social inclusion if support to user groups were focused on at least three specific (and interrelated) domains of changes. These can be identified as: increasing the access of the poor and excluded to livelihood assets; strengthening the organisation, voice and agency of the poor and excluded; and advocating for the development and enforcement of pro-poor and socially inclusive policies and institutions. Key words: community forestry, social inclusion, livelihoods, gender, equity   doi: 10.3126/jfl.v5i1.1979 Journal of Forest and Livelihood 5(1) February, 2006 pp.34-45

scholarly journals Maoist People’s War and Community Adaptation: A Case of Community Forest User Groups Nepal

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61
Author(s):  
Nirmal Kumar BK
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Forest User Groups ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Community Forest User Groups ◽  
Rural Institutions ◽  
Conflict Period ◽  
Forest User

The ten year long armed conflict between the state and the Maoists in Nepal had tremendous impact on all sectors and communities in the rural area. However, based on the study of three Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) of Eastern Nepal, it is argued that CFUGs were less vulnerable than other rural institutions. The paper further discusses how CFUGs adapted their coping strategies and functioned more effectively than other village level institutions during the conflict period. It was observed that due to adjustments of the Maoists agendas for CFUGs planning, such as issues surrounding poverty reduction, social inclusion and caste/ethnic/gender-based discrimination, the Maoists did not adversely affect the CFUGs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfl.v9i1.8594 Journal of Forestry and Livelihood Vol.9(1) 2010 57-61

scholarly journals Pro-poor Institutions: Creating Exclusive Rights to the Poor Groups in Community Forest Management

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sushma Bhattarai ◽  
Prakash Kumar Jha ◽  
Niraj Chapagain
Keyword(s):  
Community Forestry ◽  
Community Forest Management ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Degraded Land ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
The Poor ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Community Forest User Groups ◽  
Forest User

In spite of the widely accepted success of Community Forestry in reviving degraded land, it is still seen as being unable to provide tangible benefits to the poor. This paper illustrates that through continuous sharing, deliberation and negotiation among the poor and non?poor members of Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), management of community forests can be made far more equitable than the usual scenario. Drawing from the experience on the processes and outcomes of Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP), this paper brings empirical evidence of how facilitation support has enabled the poor to have more equitable access to community forests. Three key pro?poor institutional arrangements resulting from the facilitation process include: a) establishing special use rights arrangements within CFUGs for the poor, b) pro?poor silvicultural practices, and c) equitable forest product and benefit distribution mechanisms. The paper suggests some changes in policy and practice to institutionalise these outcomes. Full text is available at the ForestAction websiteDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfl.v8i2.2304 Journal of Forest and Livelihood 8(2) February 2009 pp.1-15

scholarly journals Linking silvicultural aspects of pro-poor leasehold forestry for socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable communities

2018 ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
K. K. Yadav ◽  
G. P. Kafley ◽  
K. P. Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Community Forestry ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Silvicultural Practices ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Forest User Groups ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Forest User

Government of Nepal has adopted different models like community forestry, leasehold forestry, collaborative forestry, buffer zone community forestry and public land agroforestry for management of forest resources. Poor focused leasehold forestry is only the approach adopted since early 1990 that has two major objectives: livelihood improvement and environmental conservation. Forest user groups of 5–15 households (HHs) are provided with part of national forests for a period of initial lease of 40 years. Leased forests are managed mainly with forestry crops, forage and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to meet the dual objectives. Past studies and researches have indicated that leasehold forests are better than the hand over time however they are inadequate in dealing with silvicultural aspects in leasehold forestry (LF). This research paper has highlighted the significance of silvicultural aspects of leasehold forestry for overall socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable forest users. Review of the existing policy and legal documents, studies and progress reports of the leasehold forestry projects implemented during the last two decades, consultation with leasehold forest user groups from five districts (Tehrathum, Makawanpur, Tanahun, Pyuthan and Doti) formed the main source of data for this article. Further, author’s own experiences in the sector were taken as supporting reliable information for the study. The study found that silvicultural practices, except plantations and weeding, were not adopted in leasehold forest but there was great potential for such practices to maximize the socio-economic benefits. Proper use of silvicultural practices might have increased contribution to currently realized benefits like (i) increased income of members i.e. poorest families (having less than 3 months secured foods) were reduced over years, (ii) group members had increased access to different networks and cooperatives, (iii) participation of women, poor and indigenous people increased in the decision-making process, and (iv) forest coverage was increased with respect to the hand over time. Some issues on silviculture aspects included proper guidelines for silvicultural methods, capacity of staff and leasehold forest user group members, smaller sizes of leasehold forests, and promotion of appropriate species. Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Special Issue No. 4, 2018, Page: 113-119 

scholarly journals Non-Timber Forest Products and their Role in the Livelihoods of People of Nepal: A Critical Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-56
Author(s):  
Sami Shrestha ◽  
Jiban Shrestha ◽  
Kabita Kumari Shah
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Environmental Values ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Climatic Variations ◽  
Non Timber Forest Products ◽  
User Groups

Nepal is a rich source of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in terms of production and trading practices. The altitudinal and climatic variations in various pockets of Nepal have contributed to their diversity. This article attempts to outline the current status of NTFPs and its importance in the Nepalese economy. NTFPs provide rural people with food, medicine, construction materials, and income. About 80% of the rural population depend on the NTFPs for their livelihood and Nepal. NTFPs have commercial, socioeconomic and environmental values in rural communities. More than 700 species of plants are recognized as producing NTFPs and about 150 species of these are commonly used in international trade. The management of NTFPs has been receiving increasing attention from donors, development agencies and user groups who are involved in different aspects of NTFP promotion. Sustainable exploitation, use, and commercialization of NTFPs are important for socio-economic development, poverty reduction, and livelihood enhancement of rural people in Nepal.

Discourses of poverty across genres: Competing representations of the poor in the transitional context of Serbia

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-63
Author(s):  
Jelena Kleut ◽  
Brankica Drašković
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Online News ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
News Discourse ◽  
The Poor ◽  
User Comments ◽  
Poverty Reduction Strategy ◽  
The Government

This article examines representations of the poor across three genres – the government’s Bulletin on Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction, online news and online user comments – during the period that immediately followed the expiration of the first Serbian Poverty Reduction Strategy (2010–2012). The results show differences in the actors’ representation, and in attribution of causal and treatment responsibility. The Bulletin is characterised by the discourse of social inclusion, activation and responsibilisation of the poor. This discourse does not reach the news, which portrays the poor as passive beneficiaries of the government actions, as individuals in extreme poverty, and as the agentic working poor protesting for wages. In the online user comments, poverty is articulated as the personal experience of the commenters. The news discourse of state responsibility is echoed in the comments sections and further recontextualised into the discourse of political responsibility.

scholarly journals Social discrimination in community forestry: Socio-economic and gender perspectives

1970 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Parajuli ◽  
RK Pokharel ◽  
D Lamichhane
Keyword(s):  
Community Forestry ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
User Group ◽  
Social Discrimination ◽  
Community Forest ◽  
Disadvantaged Group ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Forest User Group ◽  
Forest User

A study was carried out to analyze the existing social discrimination among Community Forest User Group (CFUG) members. Two CFUGs representing heterogeneous ethnic groups in Syangja district were selected to examine the participation of CFUG members in Community Forestry (CF) activities, benefit sharing and fund mobilization system. PRA/RRA tools like questionnaire survey, wealth ranking, key informant survey, triangulation, and informal discussion were employed to generate primary data. Statistical parameters such as percentage, mean, ANOVA, and contingency coefficient were used to interpret this data. The perception of local people was measured on the five point Likert scale, and Chi-square test was applied to interpret this result. The participation of the poor, disadvantaged group and women were minimal in CF activities but their presence was more at the time of forest product distribution. Timber had been distributed less to the poor and disadvantaged group (DAG) households than to others. More than 65% CFUG members were unaware about CFUG fund. Their overall perceptions of CF management were not positive. The result clearly demonstrated discrimination between the rich and the poor, male and female, and DAG and non-DAG within the CFUG. Key words: Community forest user group; discrimination; participation; disadvantaged group; poor DOI: 10.3126/banko.v20i2.4799 Banko Janakari Vol.20(2) 2010 pp.26-33

scholarly journals Reconstructing the Concept of Forest-Based Enterprise Development in Nepal: Towards a Pro-Poor Approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Pokharel ◽  
Dinesh Paudel ◽  
Peter Branney ◽  
Dil Bahadur Khatri ◽  
Mike Nurse
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Community Groups ◽  
Community Forests ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Non Timber Forest Products ◽  
Key Aspects

This paper demonstrates that community forests have high potential to make a significant contribution to rural income and employment through non-timber forest products enterprises particularly to the poor. The paper highlights a practical experience of the pro-poor entrepreneurship approach, its process, steps and outcomes through examination of a recently-developed enterprise in Jiri, Dolakha district of the central hills region of Nepal. The paper concludes that there are five key aspects which need additional attention for a successful pro-poor enterprise: the scale of the enterprise; pro-poor governance of community groups; necessary skills and capacity to empower the poor producers, both socially and economically; partnership building among private, community groups and poor households; and specialized services to tap competitive markets and conducive policy environment. Key Words: community forestry, poverty reduction, enterprise, entrepreneurship, equity, income generation, employment doi: 10.3126/jfl.v5i1.1981 Journal of Forest and Livelihood 5(1) February, 2006 pp.53-65

scholarly journals Scheffler’s autopsy of poverty in the biblical text: Critiquing land expropriation as an elitist project

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Temba T. Rugwiji
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Land Expropriation ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Reform Programme

The theme of poverty has recently dominated various scholarly platforms, including academic presentations and public debates. Nevertheless, it has emerged that the rhetoric about poverty reduction seems to be the project of the elite who apparently write and speak on behalf of the poor. The plight of the majority of the poor is problematised so that transformation is superficially democratised with the ultimate aim of benefitting the elite. The present study reflects on Eben Scheffler’s contributions on poverty and the poor in the Old Testament books of the Pentateuch, the Psalms and the Proverbs. Although this study refers to Scheffler’s other works on poverty from time to time, particular attention is paid to four of them, namely, (1) ‘The poor in the Psalms: A variety of views’; (2) ‘Of poverty prevention in the Pentateuch as a continuing contemporary challenge’; (3) ‘Poverty in the Book of Proverbs: Looking from above’; (4) ‘Pleading poverty (or identifying with the poor for selfish reasons): On the ideology of Psalm 109’. Scheffler points out that it was the ancient Israelite elite who played the role of writing and speaking on behalf of the poor. It is essential to note that Scheffler’s thrust is not an appropriation exercise, although in some places he makes reference to the ‘contemporary world’. Thus, the present study attempts to explore the land debate in our contemporary world, with a special focus on South Africa’s (SA) land expropriation without compensation (LEWIC) debate and the foiled fast-track land reform programme in Zimbabwe, as elitist projects. The Zimbabwean Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) was a prototype of LEWIC in SA. It is argued that the poor rural communities in Zimbabwe continue to languish in poverty in a country endowed with abundant natural resources, including land. The study argues that land allocation in Zimbabwe benefitted the elite.

scholarly journals Pro-poor Leasehold Forestry: A Community-based Tenure Regime in Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
Govinda Prasad Kafley ◽  
Krishna Pokharel
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Poor ◽  
User Groups ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Forest Rehabilitation

  Nepal’s Leasehold Forestry (LHF) programme,which has the twin goals of degraded forest rehabilitation and rural poverty alleviation, started in the early 1990s and is regarded as a priority forestry programme in Nepal.There has been limited documentationof the impact of the LHF programme as well as of the issues and challenges faced by it. On the basis of scarce existing literature and of our long experience working in the programme, we, in this paper, discuss such impacts, issues and challenges. We suggest that the programme has so far been quite positive in meeting the stated objectives; however, there remains a range of issues that deserve on-going attention. While the programme, in general, is criticized for its strategy of handing over poor quality land to the poor people, the communities’ tenure rights over land and forest resources is not fully secured either. Provisions regarding the transfer of tenure rights to the kin and/or in the context of absentees are absent, and the benefit sharing mechanisms are unclear in case of trees which were present at the time of handover, and compete across other overlapping forest management activities. Support services available to the LHF user groups are inadequate and discontinuous, limiting the opportunities for the poor leaseholders to harness their potential to pool resources from other poverty reduction programmes and influence policy processes. We indicate some areas of intervention at policy and programme levels that seek to overcome these issues and to provide wider space for LHF user groups to exercise their agency towards achieving the programme’s goals effectively, efficiently and equitably.

scholarly journals Reducing Poverty through Community Based Forest Management in Asia

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sango Mahanty ◽  
Jane Gronow ◽  
Mike Nurse ◽  
Yam Malla
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Reduction Potential ◽  
Community Forestry ◽  
Enterprise Development ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Elite Capture ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Integrated Approaches ◽  
Enterprise Governance

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the role and potential of community based forest management (CBFM)1 as a vehicle for poverty reduction. Some analysts suggest that CBFM initiatives have limited potential for poverty reduction because they are prone to elite capture; focus on low value, degraded forests; emphasise forests rather than integrated NR based livelihood development; and because of the high transaction costs facing the poorest of the poor in harnessing high-value goods such as timber. This paper proposes that CBFM has the potential to help the poor cope with or even begin to move out of poverty, but this potential is as yet only partially realised. We examine the issues involved in promoting CBFM as a vehicle for poverty reduction and review selected pro-poor approaches to CBFM in the Asian region. We conclude that there are three key areas in which more work is needed by CBFM professionals in order to harness the poverty reduction potential of community forestry: governance, appropriate enterprise development and integrated approaches. Keywords: poverty reduction, pro-poor, community based forest management, livelihoods, enterprise, governance   doi: 10.3126/jfl.v5i1.1983 Journal of Forest and Livelihood 5(1) February, 2006 pp.78-89

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