A Success story of collective action changing public policy: Farmers' innovation in the face of repressive forestry policy in Zambrana Abajo, Dominican Republic

Sibelet Nicole, Gómez-Luciano Cristino Alberto, Gutiérrez-Montes Isabel. 2021. A Success story of collective action changing public policy: Farmers' innovation in the face of repressive forestry policy in Zambrana Abajo, Dominican Republic. Small-Scale Forestry, 20 : 351-369.

Quartile : Q3, Sujet : FORESTRY

Résumé : Collective action and capacity building locally are key elements in overcoming poverty through agroforestry and community silviculture. Starting from extreme poverty, degraded soils and a reluctance to plant trees, the communities of Zambrana Abajo in the Dominican Republic were able to confront and change repressive forestry policies, obtaining the first legal right amongst smallholders to harvest timber and establish new livelihoods related to forestry and agroforestry. This study was carried out in order to identify the success factors and the lessons learned in this process. Qualitative research methods were used, including participant observation, review of literature, in-depth interviews with key informants, and semi-structured interviews guided by the Community Capitals Framework. It was found that community participation, local knowledge and the authorities' recognition of it had an impact on forestry policy and overcoming poverty through livelihood diversification thanks to harvesting the species Acacia mangium Willd. The level of understanding about the benefits of trees influenced farmers' decisions to participate in agroforestry and community silviculture projects. The possibility of harvesting timber also influenced farmers' decision to participate and in the diffusion of this initiative to other parts of the country. These findings demonstrate that human capital and its recognition are relevant in improving quality of life for families and improving the natural environment.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : innovation, gestion de l'environnement, systèmes d'innovation agricole, politique forestière, Acacia mangium, connaissance locale, développement agricole, renforcement des capacités, agroforesterie, sylviculture, approches communautaires, diversification des moyens d'existence, moyens d'existence durables, innovation agricole

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : République dominicaine

Mots-clés complémentaires : Action collective, Politique publique

Mots-clés libres : Acacia mangium, Agroforestry, Community silviculture, Environmental management, Farmer empowerment, Livelihood

Classification Agris : F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture
K01 - Foresterie - Considérations générales
E50 - Sociologie rurale

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 5 (2019-) - Territoires

Auteurs et affiliations

• Sibelet Nicole, CIRAD-ES-UMR INNOVATION (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0002-2107-6376 - auteur correspondant
• Gómez-Luciano Cristino Alberto, CATIE (CRI)
• Gutiérrez-Montes Isabel, CATIE (CRI)

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/597913/)

Métriques

[ Page générée et mise en cache le 2024-11-15 ]