Towards defining a pro-poor Natural Resources Management Strategy in the CGIAR

Report of a consultation convened by the CGIAR NGO Committee with representatives of NGOs, national agricultural research systems, universities, CGIAR Centers, and TAC on the development and implementation of a pro-poor natural resource management (NRM) strategy. The consultation took place on October 22-23, 1998, prior to CGIAR International Centers Week. A summary report (not in the collection) was circulated at ICW 98, and this fuller report was distributed at MTM 99 for background. Discussion among the 45 participants focused on the need for an ecological paradigm and natural resource management knowledge base that encompasses biodiversity, resource flows, productivity, and the resilience of ecosystems. The consultation was divided into three working groups (the scientific basis of a pro-poor NRM strategy; a methodological framework for NRM; and linking NRM to rural development). Effective management of natural resources required methodologies such as participatory research, partnerships and dialogue with farmers' organizations, as well as the development of indicators of sustainability. Participants pointed to the need for natural resource management to be linked to the larger policy, economic, and social aspects of rural development generally