write down the principle of dispensable development?..
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What is "sustainable"?
Some rules for the development road
By Bonita Brindley
Everybody talks about sustainable development hut nobody says exactly what it means.
Says an extension worker 'When we talk about sustainable development we must define our unit of analysts Are we talking about the level of economic activity or environmental sustainability? Are we speaking in a sociological or cultural context?" Geographic and time limits must also be defined
The World Food Programme (WFP) definition makes theoretical sense To allow for future generations, requires that we preserve our remaining resources and that we heal or rehabilitate resources that have been treated carelessly in the past To do these things systematically is to follow a path of environmentally sustainable development".
But workers in the field need more than theory They need practical guidelines and the best place to find such guidelines is in development projects themselves Looking at documentation from past projects, it becomes clear that the same elements are present over and over again. These add up to a set of 10 principles (see box)- a checklist for measuring current projects and a guide to the design and implementation of future efforts toward environmentally sustainable growth.
Some principles are closely linked. For example, to follow Principle I and consult with all participants. project size must necessarily he limited This is advantageous because, as Principle 2 advises small-scale projects have a higher success rate
Other principles may seem contradictory. Take No. 4. How can a solution he duplicated in the hundreds of' thousands and. at the same time, he tailored to fit local needs'? The answer lies in Principle 5 Education and training make it possible to duplicate a solution while adjusting it to different conditions at different sites
Why projects fail
Two case studies show how failure to respect these principles can affect project outcomes.
In Ethiopia, where the WFP found it difficult to overcome institutional and bureaucratic harriers, a project to create village woodlots has been largely unsuccessful Due to confusion over who owns the trees. villagers cannot foresee benefits to themselves and are unwilling to put effort into the project The government is unable to provide adequate technical support, and the programme appears too expensive to he widely duplicated
The Lilongwe Land Development Programme in Malawi as reported in ( Conservation Farming on Steep Lands (Moldenhauer and Hudson, eds ). fared even worse A l0-year project completed in 1977 at a cost of US$5 million, it aimed to prevent erosion by intercepting and controlling runoff from farmers' fields The statistics look impressive: using heavy earth-moving equipment, 357 km of crest roads. 7325 km of soil bunds and 933 km of artificial waterways were constructed on some 280 000 hectares occupied by 10000 farm families
But the farmers weren't impressed They weren't prepared to commit scarce lahour to maintain structures they had neither asked for nor built themselves Because there was no maintenance, the structures silted up Kit a degree that aggravated rather than alleviated the erosion problem As a final irony. the project was not only an expensive flop, hut failed to address the real cause of erosion, which was "raindrop splash". the action of rain on land with poor ground cover
Over the past 60 years, hundreds of millions have been lifted from poverty. Hundreds of millions more have obtained middle class lifestyles and opportunities, enjoying goods and experiences only available to the very wealthy of previous eras. As important, large areas of the globe are now free from large-scale conflict. These gains have all been made possible by sustainable economic and social development. Sustainable development is the topic at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development from June 20-22, otherwise known as Rio +20. The key question is simple: How can those in more affluent nations help the less affluent nations sustainably develop, bringing about peace and stability?
Sustainable development is easy to define—it's the generation of incomes, wealth, and opportunities that result in the creation of additional incomes, wealth, and opportunities, without reducing the ability of future generations to do the same. But, it's not always so easy to achieve. Analyzing a model used in over 40 countries, we have concluded sustainable development is guided by three concrete principles.
First, build on what already exists. Development projects are especially effective when they help people improve what they already do. In Africa, for example, this primarily means agriculture. Sustainability requires direct work with farmers, as well as infrastructure-based stabilization investments that expand market access and overcome constraint along the value chain. Investing in infrastructure—roads, bridges, and the electrical grid—can yield impressive results for the development of market-driven economic activities of all kinds, including agriculture.
Second, development organizations must work with and through communities. Sustainable economic and social development only succeeds if it identifies with and engages local power structures by leveraging the knowledge and capabilities of local leaders and groups. By engaging the community, one helps reconcile competing interests that impede work and develop the long-term commitment and resources to maintain market-friendly governance structures.