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Millions of rural poor people in developing countries depend on natural resources—farmland and rangeland, fishing waters, forests—for their livelihoods. But whether they can use these resources sustainably to climb out of poverty often depends on the institutions that govern resource use—property rights and collective action. A multiplicity of property rights and collective action arrangements exist around the globe, and researchers have learned numerous lessons about what kinds of arrangements work best under what conditions. Making property rights and collective action work for the poor is not as simple as issuing new land titles or mindlessly applying standards that have worked elsewhere. Instead, it requires a detailed understanding of local resource conditions and social relationships, among other factors.

This collection of briefs draws on a wide body of research conducted through the Systemwide Program on Collective Action and Property Rights (CAPRi) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It describes the complex issues surrounding property rights and collective action that policymakers and development professionals must understand and address if they are to successfully promote sustainable and pro-poor management of natural resources. We are grateful to editors Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Monica Di Gregorio, as well as all of the contributors, for their insights on this crucial topic.

Joachim von Braun Director General Head,

Rajul Pandya-Lorch 2020 Vision Initiative

Full Text of all Briefs
Individual Briefs in Focus 11:

1. Overview
   Ruth Meinzen-Dick and Monica Di Gregorio
   (PDF 115K)
2. Understanding Collective Action
   Elinor Ostrom
   (PDF 103K)
3. Understanding Property Rights
   Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Rajendra Pradhan, and Monica Di Gregorio
   (PDF 112K)
4. Local-Level Public Goods and Collective Action
   Nancy McCarthy
   (PDF 104K)
5. Property Rights, Collective Action, and Agroforestry
   Frank Place, Keijiro Otsuka, and Sara Scherr
   (PDF 115K)
6. Irrigation, Collective Action, and Property Rights
   Douglas L. Vermillion
   (PDF 103K)
7. Collective Action and Property Rights in Fisheries Management
   Mahfuzuddin Ahmed, K. Kuperan Viswanathan, and R. A. Valmonte-Santos
   (PDF 104K)
8. Collaborative Management of Forests
   Eva Wollenberg, Bruce Campbell, Sheona Shackleton, David Edmunds, and Patricia Shanley
   (PDF 104K)
9. Institutional Options for Managing Rangelands
   Tidiane Ngaido and Nancy McCarthy
   (PDF 104K)
10. Property Rights, Collective Action, and Plant Genetic Resources
    Pablo Eyzaguirre, Nancy McCarthy, Monica Di Gregorio, and Evan Dennis
    (PDF 105K)
11. Collective Action in Pest Management
    Helle Munk Ravnborg
    (PDF 103K)
12. Property Rights and Collective Action in Watersheds
    Brent Swallow, Nancy Johnson, Anna Knox, and Ruth Meinzen-Dick
    (PDF 104K)
13. Property Rights, Collective Action, and Agribusiness
    Nancy Johnson and Julio A. Berdegué
    (PDF 105K)
14. Farmer Research and Extension
    Anna Knox and Nina Lilja
    (PDF 94K)
15. Strengthening Collective Action
    Bryan Bruns and Pakping Chalad Bruns
    (PDF 105K)
16. Strengthening Property Rights for the Poor
    John W. Bruce
    (PDF 105K)