Conflicts management, social capital and adoption of agroforestry technologies: empirical findings from the highlands of southwestern Uganda

Abstract

In the highland ecosystems where actions by some individuals or groups often generate off-site effects among a wide range of social actors and stakeholders, the use and management of natural resources are susceptible to multiple forms of conflicts. This paper examines the hypothesis that conflicts constrain the adoption of agroforestry technologies. Using empirical data from 243 households in Kabale-Uganda, the study identified over 780 different cases of conflicts, and found positive relationships between certain types of conflicts and adoption of agroforestry technologies. The results of this paper challenge the conventional wisdom that conflicts are pervasive, and that the prevalence of conflicts is a major barrier to the adoption of NRM technologies. On the contrary, they seem to suggest that conflicts may have some positive outcomes; they provide incentives for the adoption of NRM technologies, and can be a potential force for positive social change. Conflicts are an essential feature of NRM in the highland systems and cannot therefore be ignored. What matters is the ways such conflicts are managed and resolved, and transformed into a force for positive change. We found that three dimensions of social capital (collective action, byelaws implementation and linking with local government structures) have increased the ability of communities to manage and transform conflicts into opportunities for collective action. These findings suggest new areas for further investigation to improve understanding of adoption decisions and building local capacity for scaling up the impacts of agroforestry innovations.

Conflicts as enhancers or barriers to the management of privately owned common land: A method to analyze the role of conflicts on a regional basis

“…Our findings suggest that the occurrence of conflicts is a synonym for activity on the land (active owners) (Sanginga et al, 2007). However, this not a fully visible positive phenomenon insofar as it does not result in an increase in the area used for forestry or agriculture for economic production purposes.…”

“…Many authors have been concerned with the analysis of conflicts in rural communities (Hafner et al, 2003;Bogale et al, 2006;De Jong et al, 2006;Sanginga et al, 2007;Ibarra & Hirakuri, 2007;Puppim de Oliveira, 2008;White et al, 2009). This paper presents a new methodology for the analysis of conflicts and their consequences for society and the territory.…”

“…Yet, conflicts can be interpreted as a positive driver for social change or as a positive response to change (Hafner et al, 2003;Parai & Esakin, 2003;Sanginga et al, 2007).…”

Different approaches to the social vision of communal land management: the case of Galicia (Spain)

“…In this group, conflicts are positive insofar as they suggest a change in society or the desire to find a response to such a change (Hafner et al, 2003;Parai and Esakin, 2003;Sanginga et al, 2006). Among economic indicators, «Subsidies granted and requested» is the most characteristic indicator in terms of its mean values (Table 3), but high values of «Promotion of good environmental practices» and «Promotion of activities with environmental content» are observed.…”

“…The arrival of a competitive economy to international markets brought about important changes in traditional land uses and management practices (Pardo and Gil, 2005), which had to conform to the new socio-economic situation (Hoogstra et al, 2004;Olsson et al, 2004;Ziegenspeck et al, 2004;Barli et al, 2006;De Jong et al, 2006;Salka et al, 2006;Sanginga et al, 2006;Schlüter, 2007;Bravo and De Moor, 2008;Short, 2008).…”