Developing social capital important for agriculture

摘要

AN IMPORTANT question for rural communities is: can local people play a positive role in the conservation and management of natural resources? Though some communities have long been known to manage common resources such as forests and grazing lands effectively over long periods without external help, recent years have seen the emergence of local groups as an effective option instead of strict regulation. These groups are showing that given good knowledge about local resources, appropriate institutional, social and economic conditions, and processes that encourage deliberation, communities can work together collectively to use natural resources sustainably over the long-term.