Background and use of SL
NW Yunnan is rich in both ethnic and bio- diversity of global
significance. Many communities are agro-pastoralists and have
rich indigenous knowledge about fodder species, rangeland
and livestock management. In the last two years, the government
has also taken active measures to promote the conversion of
steeply sloped farmland to forest or grassland. As recent
macro-policy changes affecting resource use come into effect,
animal husbandry is playing increasingly important roles in
local livelihoods.
Technical
extension services are often unable to respond adequately
to newly arising problems and villagers' needs, thus increasing
the risk of livestock raising for villagers. Indigenous knowledge
of animal raising practices and grassland ecology is rarely
considered by extension agencies in the search for solutions
to current problems.
This
project aims to enhance the capacity of relevant stakeholders
to develop technical and institutional interventions to enhance
the sustainability of agro-pastoralists' livelihoods in three
localities in NW Yunnan.
The
main approaches to capacity building proposed are knowledge
and skills enhancement through;
(i) the application of a Sustainable Livelihoods Framework
in surveys that aim to understand livelihood dynamics and
the roles of institutions in determining access to and management
of resources, and identify key areas for intervention; and
(ii) experimentation with institutional and technical interventions
developed through a Participatory Technology Development approach.
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