Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
resulting in a general decline of woodlands through deforestation and land
degradation in the region.
The management and sustainable use of forest products in general, and
indigenous fruit trees in particular, have been influenced by several institutional
arrangements and policies at local and national levels. In principle, legal systems
exist that can be used to regulate the utilization of forest resources but, in
practice, these institutions are fragmented and sometimes inconsistent with one
another, making implementation difficult. Most institutions work in isolation and
lack sufficient human resources, and also communication and exchange of
information between them is poor. This chapter synthesizes information on the
role of institutional arrangements and policy in the conservation, utilization and
commercialization of indigenous fruits in the miombo woodlands of southern
Africa.
17.2 Institutional Arrangements in the Management of Forest
Resources and IFTs
Institutions are regulatory systems, formal and informal regulations and
agreements; norms of behaviour that are generally agreed upon by com-
munities and organizations (Harris, 1982). Several regulatory and institutional
arrangements governing natural resource management are found in southern
Africa. The institutions are usually complex and have persisted over time,
serving collective and valued purposes. It is therefore very important to
understand the governance structures or organizations and institutional frame-
work with regard to the management of natural resources. In earlier times,
communities used to decide on who could use resources, when, where and
how. There exist many institutions ranging from local to national, formal to
informal, within various social, cultural and traditional contexts, operating
independently or alongside each other, guided by national policy, regulations
and an institutional framework.
17.2.1 Dynamics of institutions governing IFTs
The types of institutions and legislation and sectors governing the management of
natural recourses in the southern Africa region include government ministries,
other para-state agencies, international conventions and religious or faith-based
institutions. In order to develop IFTs, there is need to understand the evolution
and dynamics of institutions (Campbell et al ., 2001). Most of the institutions in
southern Africa have been affected by the changing state and administrative
frameworks from colonial to post-colonial times. In colonial days, the management
of forests and woodland resources was carried out by governments to the
exclusion of local communities. The colonial government caused changes in
existing traditional institutional structures to facilitate their development and
administrative agenda. These changes undermined the traditional institutions and
organizations responsible for the management of woodlands (Matose and Wily,
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