Rights and resources
Access and control over land and other natural resources is regulated through many different systems and arrangements. Whether these systems are formal or informal, statutory or customary, restrictive or open, they all play a major role in rural livelihood security.
This issus focuses on rights to renewable natural resources, although it should be remembered that other resources are also necessary tor a sustainable and responsible agriculture.
Table of contents:
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4 - 5written by ILEIA editorial teamAccess and control over land and other natural resources is regulated through many different systems and arrangements. Whether these systems are formal or informal, statutory or customary, restrictive or open, they all play a major role in rural livelihood security. This issus focuses on rights to renewable natural resources, although it should be remembered that other resources are also necessary tor a sustainable and responsible agriculture.
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6 - 7Most West African countries depend heavily on natural resources for income, employment, livelihood and export earnings. The legal and administrative measures that determine the access to and control over natural resources are, therefore, very important to enable improvement of long-term productivity, stimulate investment, encourage fair access and make it possible to avoid conflict. (Article adapted from the IIED Drylands Programme Report, \"Land tenure and resources access in West Africa: issues and opportunities for the nest 20 years\", January 1999.)
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8 - 9written by Laura LemunyeteNgurunit location lies in the foothills of the Ndoto mountains in the semi-arid environment of northern Kenya. The local Samburu and Rendille pastoralists live in scattered villages and depend on their livestock for milk, meat and other products. Water is a main problem for both humans and livestock.
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10 - 12written by Nettie Aarnink and Paul van ZwietenSince the 1970s, there has been increasing competition for the fish resources of Lake Mweru, Zambia. This has led to serious conservation problems. The Department of Fisheries found it increasingly difficult to implement the existing rules and regulations to prevent overfishing. It decided to involve local stakeholders in the process of establishing acceptable and enforceable conservation measures. One of the tools used in this process was the highly successful video Lake Mweru is our bank.
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13 - 14written by Shiraz A. Wajih , Seema TripathiIn eastern Uttar Pradesh, more than 90% of the eocnomy is based on primary production. This article is based on a study consucted in some villages in Gorakhpur district where the Gorakhpur Environmental Action group (GEAG) is active. IN the villages studied, 60% percent of the land holdings are smaller that one hectare and farmers with larger holdings are considered to be better off. Land reforms have not helped much. Laws such as the Land Ceiling Act that limits the amount of land have only benefitted small holders in those areas where there are; and holding of more than 15 ha available for redistribution.
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15 - 15written by Luc VankrunkelsvenDemand for fair land redistribution has increased steadily in Brazil in the recent decades. In spite of several actions taking place throughout the years, the land issue continues to be a life or death struggle. Whilst the landless movement demands that a national plan for land reform be drawn, landowners are organising themselves to hold on to their possessions. In this highly volatile situation it is difficult to predict the direction land reform will take.
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16 - 17written by Ciro Eduardo CorrêaMST is one of 35 people's organisations fighting to get agrarian reform onto the political agenda. Established in 1984, it is active in 23 of Brazil's 27 states. The wider aspects of MST touch all aspects of community life, including education, health, cultural identity, leisure, sports and jobs. And MST's struggle for agrarian reform is, in fact, a struggle to preserve life and nature.
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18 - 20In Sherkolle refugee camp in Western Ethiopia, ZOA Refugee Care has been working together with refugees and local people to jointly manage the natural resources on which they both depend. At the heart of their programme are Environmental Working Groups, community-based organisations that develop natural resource management plans with limited outside facilitation and assistance. The EWGs also develop binding rules and regulations about access to natural resources for both the local communities and the refugees. They are increasingly seen as instruments to manage natural resources sustainably and avoid conflict.
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21 - 22written by Yihenew ZewdieKafa is a predominantly highland region in southwest Ethiopia. This article draws on research and case studies dfrom six forest villages. The level of income from non-wood forest products varies from household to houselhold, but averages at lkeast a third of the annual cash income of the rural households. This income may not be sustainable due to heavy deforestation, as timber production is sometimes excessive.
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23 - 24Five years ago, Mahender Rautela resigned from his private sector job in Delhi to come back to his home hamlet of Chhabisa and join a small group of water volunteers. He wanted to help his community to cope with the increasing problem of water shortage, by protecting and maintaining water sources and mediating in disputes between water users.
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24 - 24written by Ambuj KishoreFive years ago, Mahender Rautela resigned from his private sector job in Delhi to come back to his home hamlet of Chhabisa and join a small group of water volunteers. He wanted to help his community to cope with the increasing problem of water shortage, by protecting and maintaining water sources and mediating in disputes between water users.
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25 - 26written by Rik Thijssen , I.G. SuarjaThe Indonesian island of Bali is famous for its unique system of irrigation. Guided and informed by religious values, it combines impressive feats of engineering with complex and elaborate social structures. Community organisations called Subak control the water irrigation system to ensure realiable, fair and equitable distribution. Besides its technical functions, the Subak also provides social benefits including strengthening thepossibilities of its members to maintain social contacts.
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27 - 28written by Ben CousinsA proposed Communal Land Rights Bill is being discussed in South Africa. The legislation makes provisions for formalising customary land law. This article looks at the implications of these discussions for the bill and draws the conclusion that only by establishing strong links between local action and national advocacy activities can the voices of local communities be heard.
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29 - 29written by Donna HornbyEkuthuleni, a former mission station farm owned by the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, lies in Melmoth on South Africa\'s northern coast. Lon term tenants asked the DLA to upgrade their informal tenats rights into community ownership so that land right issues would no longer delay the development of their area. The DLA agreed, and aims to complete the process by 2003. Around 240 households are involved in this process.
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30 - 30written by ILEIA editorial teamHIV / AIDS has caused a particularly heavy death rate amongst able-bodied men and women. Communities are therefore finding it more and more difficult to meet their responsibilities and provide food and care. (This article has been compiled by the editors)
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36 - 36written by Ronnie Vernooy , Yiching SongIt is market day in Guzhai township, Guangxi province, and there is excitement on the streets because the fair has come to town. No ordinary fair this, it is an agricultural biodiversity fair, the first such an event ever to be seen in the province - or very likely anywhere else in China for that matter. This fair is the culmination of a year of planning and preparation by local farmers and a team of researchers working in the province with the aim of improving local livelihoods through participatory plant breeding techniques.
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