Paradigm Changes in Tropical Forestry and Steps towards a Green Economy: Elements of a Framework for Rural Development in Sudan

Rural regions are affected worldwide by outmigration, climate change and volatile markets, resulting in their increasing marginalization. In Sudan wars and tribal conflicts are additional threats. To counterbalance this, innovative strategies are required on policy as well as on local producer level. To understand current trends of rural development, a hermeneutic research approach is applied. This leads to the formulation of the six paradigmatic development stages (1) pre-colonial, (2) colonial, (3) independence and capital formation, (4) internationalization, (5) polarization and (6) globalization. Paradigms are rooted in theories, have impact on policies, are determined by a specific group of scholars and influence practice. In a first step, shifts between paradigms and its consequences for rural development and forest management are outlined and interpreted. In a further step current challenges of rural development are investigated with regard to their roots in previous paradigms. Taken into account are knowledge systems; colonial and postcolonial influences, which still determine current land use; consequences of the modernization era, in which large agro-industries were build up and experiences with the polarization stage, which led to the partial involvement of the civil society and rural communities in decision making. The current globalization paradigm is critically reviewed. Global governance instruments like conventions as well as environmental service models are mostly based on market mechanisms and hardly reach rural areas and local producers. It is proposed to follow different and alternative development paths, giving more decision power to regional institutions, improving the situation of small farms and building up social capital and small enterprises on a local level. It is assumed that many experiences from previous development stages have hardly been taken into account and need to be synthesized in development strategies. Concepts of a “green economy” are seen as a versatile fundament to discuss future strategies of rural development in Sudan