An innovative approach to participatory watershed management
Several forms of cooperative efforts for small watershed management
1 Compiles by Mr. Guo Tingfu, Ministry of Water Resources, China.
This approach is used by farmers in eroded mountainous area. It is to attract farmers, their groups and institutions to participate in watershed management of large waste barren lands or gullies. Marginal farmers use their barren land and labor as stock shares to join in the management of the watershed. The rich farmers, groups and institutions invest their financial resources as shares to join. For instance, one share is Yuan 2, 000 (US$ 1= Y 8.25) which is worth 300 labor days one share. Both the financial resources and labor are used for watershed management. The economic benefits obtained through it are allocated according to quantity of shares held by a person. This approach provides employment opportunity for rural persons, promotes farmers' participation in watershed management on a cost/benefit basis and attracts investment for watershed management.
2 Compiled by Sun Boyuan, Department of Water Resource and Soil Conservation, Xinzhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province)
Cooperative efforts headed by a household
Cooperative efforts between a scientific unit and a production unit
Cooperative efforts between a collective am households
It is headed by one household who works in cooperation with several households. Each household provides labor input. The township and village administration provide materials. These inputs are transform into stocks. For instance, 1000 Yuan (approx. US$ 12.10) is equivalent to a stock which also equivalent to 00 labor days. The benefits generated from the small watershed produce are distributed according to the amount of stocks held by family.
Scientific Watershed Management Ltd Co. are established which set up national stock collective stock and individual stocks. National stocks are partly used for investment in watershed management, and partly for scientific research purposes. The collective stock is converted into inputs as materials and labor. Individual stock is converted into individual inputs such as labor and machines.
In order to concentrate on small watershed management, the village committee will distribute a certain area of waste land to each individual household to manage. The village collective will input seedlings and provide subsidy for land preparation while each household provides labor input. Individual households will be responsible for management and maintenance of the land. The economic benefits will be shared by the village collective and its households on a 50% basis.
