Shrestha, B. (2002). Factors Differentiating Active and Passive User Groups Induced for Watershed Management in the Western Hills of Nepal. M.Sc. Thesis. Thailand: Asian Institute of Technology
Most often donor-initiated local institutions have failed as soon as the external support is withdrawn. Taking this fact into consideration, a study was carried out to identify the factors differentiating active and passive user groups induced by JICA/HMG Community Development and Forest/Watershed Conservation Project first phase that was implemented from 1994/95 to 1998/99 in three Village Development Committees of Kaski district in the Western Development Region of Nepal. The factors were categorized into four dimensions viz. organizational structure, functional system, internal resource and support system, and external support and linkage system. A total of 17 user groups were formed for community plantation, landslide control, water source protection and trail improvement were purposively surveyed at first stage. Of which 8 and 9 group were respectively, designated as active and passive in a participatory discussion, on the basis of regular operation and maintenance, supported by holding of meeting and group fund. A total of 172 user households, 86 from active groups and 86 from passive groups were surveyed by using simple random technique at the second stage. All qualitative variables under consideration were indexed and T-test was employed to compare the significance of indices between active and passive groups.
The active groups were better than the passive groups in terms of members' perception on need and of objectives of user groups, roles and responsibilities and feeling of collective actions. The users' feeling of collective actions was the most important factor among them. Active groups had better operated and maintained the activities supported by the project, because of accruing considerable benefits both at the personal and community levels. Forest resources and reclamation of cultivated land formed the major benefits accrued by the users. The users' deep sense of collective actions and level of benefit accrued were directly associated with level of dependency on the conserved resources and inter-linkage between public and private lands. The members of active groups perceived to have better linkage with external organizations and opportunities of attending training and visit. Benefit was the most important factor differentiating active and passive user groups among all factors. Among all active user groups, gully and landslide control user groups were best in terms of all the dimensions under consideration. Moreover, the members of those groups had accrued the highest level of benefits both at personal and community levels.
The study confirms that the status of a user group (active vs. passive) largely depends on how far its members benefit personally and directly from collective actions. This issue is highly persistent in rural subsistence economy. Hence, it is concluded that the collective actions that can not provide direct benefits to the users are not going to be regularly operated and maintained after the withdrawal of the project. The landslide and gully control activities have greater potential to sustain if users accrue benefits at personal and community levels from collective actions.
The awareness creation, encouraging the users for sharing the cost of implementation and maintenance, providing users' rights would be instrumental to enhance users' feeling on collective actions and the level of benefits. These would further be fortified through the efforts in adding economic value to community plantation. Linking the user groups with local government, formation of broad-based / multi-purpose community organizations and providing training and visit opportunities to the users could enhance the local level institutional development initiatives, so that the groups could pursue regulation operation and maintenance of the activities supported by the project even after the withdrawal of the external support.
Most often donor-initiated local institutions have failed as soon as the external support is withdrawn. Taking this fact into consideration, a study was carried out to identify the factors differentiating active and passive user groups induced by JICA/HMG Community Development and Forest/Watershed Conservation Project first phase that was implemented from 1994/95 to 1998/99 in three Village Development Committees of Kaski district in the Western Development Region of Nepal. The factors were categorized into four dimensions viz. organizational structure, functional system, internal resource and support system, and external support and linkage system. A total of 17 user groups were formed for community plantation, landslide control, water source protection and trail improvement were purposively surveyed at first stage. Of which 8 and 9 group were respectively, designated as active and passive in a participatory discussion, on the basis of regular operation and maintenance, supported by holding of meeting and group fund. A total of 172 user households, 86 from active groups and 86 from passive groups were surveyed by using simple random technique at the second stage. All qualitative variables under consideration were indexed and T-test was employed to compare the significance of indices between active and passive groups.
The active groups were better than the passive groups in terms of members' perception on need and of objectives of user groups, roles and responsibilities and feeling of collective actions. The users' feeling of collective actions was the most important factor among them. Active groups had better operated and maintained the activities supported by the project, because of accruing considerable benefits both at the personal and community levels. Forest resources and reclamation of cultivated land formed the major benefits accrued by the users. The users' deep sense of collective actions and level of benefit accrued were directly associated with level of dependency on the conserved resources and inter-linkage between public and private lands. The members of active groups perceived to have better linkage with external organizations and opportunities of attending training and visit. Benefit was the most important factor differentiating active and passive user groups among all factors. Among all active user groups, gully and landslide control user groups were best in terms of all the dimensions under consideration. Moreover, the members of those groups had accrued the highest level of benefits both at personal and community levels.
The study confirms that the status of a user group (active vs. passive) largely depends on how far its members benefit personally and directly from collective actions. This issue is highly persistent in rural subsistence economy. Hence, it is concluded that the collective actions that can not provide direct benefits to the users are not going to be regularly operated and maintained after the withdrawal of the project. The landslide and gully control activities have greater potential to sustain if users accrue benefits at personal and community levels from collective actions.
The awareness creation, encouraging the users for sharing the cost of implementation and maintenance, providing users' rights would be instrumental to enhance users' feeling on collective actions and the level of benefits. These would further be fortified through the efforts in adding economic value to community plantation. Linking the user groups with local government, formation of broad-based / multi-purpose community organizations and providing training and visit opportunities to the users could enhance the local level institutional development initiatives, so that the groups could pursue regulation operation and maintenance of the activities supported by the project even after the withdrawal of the external support.
No comments:
Post a Comment