Fraser Sugden

Work, education and out-migration among children and youth in upland Asia: Changing patterns of labour and ecological knowledge in an era of globalisation

In the context of ecological and economic change, this paper identifies the impact of ongoing transformations in young peoples labour contribution in four natural resource-dependent regions in India, Vietnam and China. Childrens work is important to maximise household labour productivity, while also endowing them with the ecological knowledge necessary to sustain key productive livelihood activities. However, today, an increased emphasis on education and the out-migration of youth is reducing their labour contribution, particularly in the more economically developed case study communities in Northern Vietnam and China. While selective in its extent, these changes have increased the labour burden of older household members and women, while the economic opportunities young people aspire to following schooling or migration frequently prove elusive in a competitive liberalised economy. Another implication of young people diverting their labour and learning away from traditional natural resource-based livelihood activities is the loss of valuable ecological knowledge.

Pre-capitalist Reproduction on the Nepal Tarai: Semi-feudal Agriculture in an Era of Globalisation

Abstract This article highlights the continued significance of pre-capitalist formations in shaping the trajectory of economic transition in peripheral regions, even in an era of neo-liberal globalisation. There is a tendency for Marxist scholars to assume the inevitable “dominance” of capitalism over older modes of production. Using a case study from Nepals far eastern Tarai, this paper seeks to understand the reproduction of feudal social relations in a region which is both accessible and integrated into regional and global markets. The paper traces the early subordination of indigenous groups to feudalism from the eighteenth century onwards, and the political and ideological processes through which these social relations were reinforced. Through examining the historical role of feudal-colonial alliances, however, the paper notes that pre-capitalist reproduction in Nepal is a dynamic process, actively negotiated and reinforced by the external imperatives of capitalist expansion itself as well as through the entrenched political power of landed classes. Today feudal and capitalist formations co-exist and articulate, with surplus divided between landlords and non-farm employers. Understanding the complex dynamics of feudal or “semi-feudal” reproduction in an era of globalisation is crucial if one is to identify avenues for collective mobilisation against inequitable pre-capitalist and capitalist class relations.

Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal

The publications in this series cover a wide range of subjects—from computer modeling to experience with water user associations—and vary in content from directly applicable research to more basic studies, on which applied work ultimately depends. Some research reports are narrowly focused, analytical and detailed empirical studies; others are wide-ranging and synthetic overviews of generic problems. Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff, and by external reviewers. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMI IWMIs mission is to improve the management of land and water resources for food, livelihoods and the environment. In serving this mission, IWMI concentrates on the integration of policies, technologies and management systems to achieve workable solutions to real problems—practical, relevant results in the field of irrigation and water and land resources. Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal. IWMI encourages the use of its material provided that the organization is acknowledged and kept informed in all such instances. Front cover photograph shows a plastic storage pond and irrigated vegetable cultivation in Moli, Okhaldhunga District, Nepal (photo: Fraser Sugden). Acknowledgements The core part of this study was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (Canadian International Development Agency). Invaluable support in data collection was provided by Prabin Ghimire (former consultant with IWMI-Nepal), Pratibha Sapkota (former consultant with IWMI-Nepal) and Ramesh Tamang (IWMI-Nepal). The authors are grateful for the field support provided by local contacts in the study districts including Amrit Magar, Tika Rai and Saroj Bomjan, and would like to thank Rajendra Shrestha, Rajendra Uprety, the field office staff at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) in Chautara, and the Department of Irrigation in Kathmandu, all of whom provided logistical advice and local expertise. The valuable feedback and comments provided by Brady MacCarl (former intern with IWMI-Nepal) and Vladimir Smakhtin (Theme Leader – Water Availability and Access, IWMI) are greatly appreciated. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) provided future climate projections, which were used in the analysis of climate change. CCAFS also supported the latter part of …

Tackling change: future-proofing water, agriculture, and food security in an era of climate uncertainty

See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/wffdocs Part of the Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Hydrology Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Sustainability Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons

Integrated action planning for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of highland aquatic resources: evaluating outcomes for the Beijiang River, China

The need for enhanced environmental planning and management for highland aquatic resources is described and a rationale for integrated action planning is presented. Past action planning initiatives for biodiversity conservation and wetland management are reviewed. A reflective account is given of integrated action planning from five sites in China, India and Vietnam. Eight planning phases are described encompassing: stakeholder assessment and partner selection; rapport building and agreement on collaboration; integrated biodiversity, ecosystem services, livelihoods and policy assessment; problem analysis and target setting; strategic planning; planning and organisation of activities; coordinated implementation and monitoring; evaluation and revised target setting. The scope and targeting of actions are evaluated using the Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts and Responses framework and compatibility with biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development objectives are assessed. Criteria to evaluate the quality of planning processes are proposed. Principles for integrated action planning elaborated here should enable stakeholders to formulate plans to reconcile biodiversity conservation with the wise use of wetlands.

The challenges and benefits of employing a mobile research fellow to facilitate team work on a large, interdisciplinary, multi-sited project

Over the last few years research funding has increasingly moved in favour of large, multi-partner, interdisciplinary and multi-site research projects. This article explores the benefits and challenges of employing a full-time research fellow to work across multiple field sites, with all the local research teams, on an international, interdisciplinary project. The article shows how such a ‘floating’ research fellow can play a valuable role in facilitating communication between research teams and project leaders, as well as in building capacity and introducing disciplinary specific skills. It also highlights some key challenges, including problems of language and translation, and the complex power relations within which such a researcher is inevitably embedded. This article contributes to the development of strategies for collaborative projects to facilitate coordination between research teams. It is based on a five-site, cross-cultural project, involving nine partners with a mixture of natural and social science backgrounds, researching aquatic resource use, rural livelihoods, work and education in China, Vietnam and India.

A framework to understand gender and structural vulnerability to climate change in the Ganges River Basin: lessons from Bangladesh, India and Nepal

159 Working Papers The publications in this series record the work and thinking of IWMI researchers, and knowledge that the Institutes scientific management feels is worthy of documenting. This series will ensure that scientific data and other information gathered or prepared as a part of the research work of the Institute are recorded and referenced. Working Papers could include project reports, case studies, conference or workshop proceedings, discussion papers or reports on progress of research, country-specific research reports, monographs, etc. Working Papers may be copublished, by IWMI and partner organizations. Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMI IWMIs mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, peoples livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. Acknowledgements Project This research study was initiated as part of the Gender, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in the Gangetic Plains project. (CCAFS), which is a strategic partnership of CGIAR and Future Earth. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. The views expressed in this document cannot be taken to reflect the official opinions of CGIAR or Future Earth.