Regional workshop on Spatial approaches for land use and local governance, 24-26 November 1999, Pretoria, South Africa
Decentralisation of decision making and empowerment of local communities have a significant effect on a large number of countries in the SADC region. The State is reducing its direct resource allocation and involvement and is transferring the responsibility for development planning and support to the local governments. It is desirable since it provides the opportunity for involving new stakeholders in decision making, therefore empowering previously disadvantaged communities. It further provides the opportunity for institutional responses adapted to specific local conditions. However, the success is directly related to the local management capability and their ability and experience to mobilise and manage resources. These rapid changes, as well as the impact of liberalisation, calls for a new approach in agricultural research, technology and information development and transfer. In addition, there is a need for designing and testing methods to stimulate the participation and the dialogue between local stakeholders in the rural development process. Available information is generally sectorial (i.e. pedology, climatology, demography, production practises and volumes, health, etc). This information is often not up to date and does not account for the transformation processes of the rural world. While censuses might exist, they often address descriptions of objects in relation to administrative boundaries, which are not always relevant to explain the evolution and prospects of agriculturally-based rural development initiatives. Professionals in the SADC region recently started to undertake research and development activities focussed on spatial approaches for land use and local governance with the aim of supporting agriculture and rural development planning at community and local government levels. However, experiences to date remain isolated, therefore an urgent need was identified to provide an opportunity for professionals working in this field to gather and to exchange ideas and experiences. OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP: The workshop has offered an opportunity for professionals to present their own activities (case studies) relating to spatial approaches for land use and local governance and to learn from experiences of other country teams. The specific objectives of the workshop were: - to provide the opportunity for the exchange of information, methodologies and experiences; - to initiate comparative analyses of approaches implemented in different and specific contexts; - to valorise the scientific production derived from such experience, through their formalisation and publication and; - to develop a conceptual framework for improved collaboration and interaction.