Framework of WSD Projects: Normative Concerns National Workshop Normative Concerns, Challenges and Opportunities in the New Era of Watershed Development Projects in India September 2008 National Academy of Agriculture Sciences (NAAS), New Delhi

Normative Concerns Watershed development programme is moving from being a mere soil and water conservation programme to becoming the linchpin of rural development The Common Guidelines is one more step in this direction This change has taken place by an increasing awareness of certain normative concerns like livelihoods, sustainability, equity and participation Some of these concerns are touched upon in CG; but need much more attention within the guidelines and in practice

Livelihoods The CG points to the “relative neglect of issues relating to balanced use of natural resources and livelihoods”; also about the need to bring different sectors together There is a need to go beyond mere bringing of different sectors together to one of understanding of how they come together in the livelihood patterns of the people of a particular area More than basic needs – should take into account of needs imposed by diverse livelihood patterns Objective should be self reliance – Food, fodder, fuel and domestic water – self sufficiency in kind is the aim – Input needs from local sources in kind as far as possible – Rest of the needs mediated by cash through equal exchange in value and energy terms

Sustainability The CG talks about the need for balanced resource use, and also more specifically about operation & maintenance of assets in the post project phase Sustainability: Conserve & enhance the primary productivity (productive & assimilative potential) of the ecosystem Stocks and flows: – Normally, use flows, not stocks – Use stocks in bad years, but replenish in good years Global aspect, especially in technology choice, reduction in non-renewable and non-local materials and energy use

Sustainability This has been one of the neglected areas so far Many reversals in the case of even “successful” cases Reversals have happened where resource governance has not been addressed Thus there is a need to expand on this in the CG and come out with certain clear provisions

Equity The CG talks about equity and gender sensitivity: “Watershed Development Projects should be considered as levers of inclusiveness. Project Implementing Agencies must facilitate the equity processes” – enhanced livelihood opportunities for the poor through investment in their assets and improvements in productivity and income – improving access of the poor, especially women, to the benefits – enhancing role of women in decision-making processes and their representation in the institutional arrangements – ensuring access to usufruct rights from the common property resources for the resource poor

Equity Equity and gender sensitivity’: presently more in the nature of a `desirable’ principle: it needs to become a precondition for graduating to the next phase of watershed works Need to more directly address the inequality inscribed into the social structure: (class, caste, ethnicity and gender); and spatial aspects of inequality (location within watershed) Prioritisation of water use, privileging domestic water use Equitable access to additional natural resources or productive potential created because of WSD Positive sum game as basis for equity

Participation/democratisation The CG emphasises the centrality of participatory processes and community based institutions for planning, implementation, and future management of the assets created by watershed projects Goal as well as means Democracy: Primacy of local community in decision making, accountability Informed choices: resource literacy Outsiders have a definite role – Capability building for informed choice – Raising issues related to equity and sustainability

Participation/democratisation Need to go beyond Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) to Participatory Resource Mapping (PRM), resource assessment, resource literacy and informed choices Downward accountability of supra local institutions to local institutions

To sum up... Shift from “integrated and participatory watershed management” to “integrated and decentralised resource governance” This entails: – adopting productivity, livelihood assurance, sustainability, equity, and democracy as basic values or goals – integration across resources and related sectors (forest, livestock, drinking water and sanitation, minor irrigation, etc.) & across scales (micro to milli to sub-basin) – moving towards a statutory system to regulate resource use beyond the life of the watershed programme – moving towards greater downward accountability