Participation and Options for Change

 The main objectives of this work package are:

• To identify and describe the impacts of enclosure policy on the pastoral way of life.

• To identify mechanisms for effective communication and negotiation among stakeholder, and to describe various arrangements that promote sustainable resource management at each field site.

• Assess the way resource management is organised, and the function and acceptability of alternative management institutions especially from the pastoral perspective.

• To organise and evaluate visual self-representations of the needs of pastoral communities, made by different interest groups.

• To document the processes of resource management- negotiated on either the household or communally based level or in any other form of cooperative organisation.

The field research will be in two forms, linked together through the development of themes and issues that arise in the courseof the field work.  One form of research will use participatory visual media, and the other form will rely on conventional social science interview techniques.

Visual material will be collected from several RETPEC study areas, for comparison and as conversation pieces in the field, to encourage comments of local communities and other stakeholders.  Short visual documentaries will be made with locals and special screenings will be held in the field.  Short participatory videos will be produced on the impacts of the enclosure policies by training locals to produce their own videos on these topics.

Interviews will be conducted with local townspeople, herders and administrators about their attitudes towards the fencing and resettlement policy.  A search for innovations on the grassland management and husbandry will take place at all sites visited.  Finally, the adminstration of the pasture land in each of the study area counties will be compared, to assess the relative costs and benefits of different implementation programmes for enclosing pastures and resettling nomads.