Features
Study program on sustainable resource management springboards future collaboration with NABARD
As an apex bank, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development or NABARD India has a mandate to facilitate credit to promote and develop agriculture, small-scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts. It also promotes integrated and sustainable rural development including rehabilitation of watersheds through village watershed committees and local NGOs.
The bank has been sending participants to the international trainings of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) for the past years. This year however marked a first in its history. Thirty participants attended the 12-day study tour on sustainable resource management last August 2-13, 2010 at the YC James Yen Center, Silang Philippines. Comprising of twelve (12) NABARD officers and (18) eighteen non-government organizations (NGO) partners, the participants were introduced to community based approach to natural resource management in the Philippines.
Combining conceptual inputs and actual experiences of the various stakeholders, the course both employed interactive lectures and actual visits to organizations and communities involved in resource management. Visits included dialogue with government offices such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the local government of Calatagan. The Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems and the College of Forestry in University of the Philippines in Los Baños shared their role and mandate in promoting sustainable forest management. Meanwhile two communities in Quezon Province revealed the process and the continuing challenges they face in managing their own natural resources. And finally the support groups or the NGOs working with communities on sustainable resource management related their efforts in capacity building, advocacy, and conflict management. This provided the participants with a broad picture of various strategies in resource management in the country giving a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the different programs. An array of lessons learnt was drawn from these lectures and visits as reflected in their action plans. These include the following: paradigm shift from joint management to community based management approach in managing natural resources, importance of tenurial rights in resource management, importance of capacity building of all stakeholders, use of GIS as a planning and monitoring tool, introduction of the bio-intensive garden technology in NABARD programs for marginalized farmers, lighthouse concept on agricultural technologies for showcase, among others.
Part of NABARD’s mandate is training and capacity building of its client institutions, partner agencies and other developmental agencies recognizing that the process of development cannot be accomplished by credit/refinance alone. This paved way to initial discussions during the course to bring IIRR and NABARD partnership to another level - that is collaboration between the two premier organizations in providing more quality and innovative international trainings for development organizations and practitioners.
