SANREM CRSP RESEARCH BRIEF

Sustainable Agriculture & Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program

2003 No. 14

SANREM CRSP
INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND POLICY FOR NATURAL
ABOUT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: LESSONS LEARNED IN THE
SANREM CRSP PHILIPPINES
SANREM’S mission
How can research inform environmental policy dialogue and design? What are
is to assist in the
the methodological approaches and institutional arrangements necessary to sus-
analysis, creation and
tain interactions between research and local governance?
successful applica-
tion of decision sup-
It is uncommon for
port methods, institu-
policymakers to seek
tional innovations
out scientific informa-
and local capacity
tion before making
approaches to sup-
decisions. If they do it
port participatory
is often for the purpose
sustainable agricul-
of confirming the
ture and natural
soundness of a policy
resource planning,
position after a deci-
management and pol-
sion has been made.
icy analysis at local,
This situation results in
municipal, provincial
a low appreciation for
and national levels.
the value of research
and, consequently, an
unwillingness to devote
resources to it. It also
An aerial view of the Manupali watershed
means that policies do
not gain from advances
in knowledge. These problems are compounded by the way science is designed and
results disseminated, often failing to take into account policy makers’ needs and
their capacity to access and absorb information, as well as the constraints of policy
making in the real world.

Currently, pressures for change emanate from two sources. First, funding agencies
are exerting greater demands on scientists to ensure that publicly-funded research
has clear potential for societal benefits. Secondly, the ongoing devolution of gover-
nance in many countries is increasing the demand for locally based research, as
communities look to their elected leaders for initiatives to stimulate the local econ-
omy and manage the natural resource base. In this Brief we analyze interactions
between environmental research and local governance, using the SANREM CRSP
experiences in the Philippines to show how a participatory approach contributes to

SANREM CRSP
1422 Experiment Station Road, Watkinsville, Georgia, 30677 USA
Phone (706) 769-3792 - Fax (706) 769-1471 - E-mail: SANREM@uga.edu
Web site: http://www.sanrem.uga.edu
ensuring research relevance and fostering policy ties bordering a major national protected area, the
linkages. Mt. Kitanglad Range Nature Park. Sugar cane and
corn are cultivated in the lower and middle eleva-
tions of the watershed. Temperate climate crops,
BACKGROUND destined to urban markets, have replaced tradi-
tional crops on higher elevations such as abaca
The research-policy interface and coffee . Towards the end of the 1990s,
Policy-focused research has been largely discon- Lantapan experienced a major shift in its economy
nected to local policy processes; until recently, when two joint-venture banana plantation compa-
environmental decisions in many developing coun- nies and several large-scale livestock production
tries have been confined to the national level. facilities began operations. Rapid agricultural
Consequently, the tendency has been for national growth, marked by expansion in cultivation of
agencies to distill sci- high-value vegetable
entific findings into crops in ecologically
rigid “one-size fits all” fragile areas as well as a
policy prescriptions for push towards agro-
country-wide applica- industrialization, has
tion. In a context of placed severe pressure
decentralized environ- on the local environ-
mental governance, ment. Deforestation,
policy relevant soil erosion, loss of bio-
research requires an diversity, and degrada-
in-depth understand- tion in water quality and
ing of the conditions in quantity have occurred
which local level poli- at unprecedented rates.
Competing use of resource bases affects quality and
cymakers operate. The
quantity of water resources (picture shows a dam on the
following issues exem- Manupali River, Pulangi reservoir)
The policy context
plify some of the spe- The launching of the
cific challenges that SANREM CRSP pro-
characterize the local level policy environment: gram in the Philippines (1993) came on the heel of
two key policy developments: a) the promulgation
❊Local governments’ powers are much more limit- of the 1991 Local Government Code, which
ed than that of the national government. brought about a radical devolution of political and
administrative authority from national to sub-
❊There are often contradictions among the poli- national units; and b) the creation of the
cies of different national agencies, and between Philippine Council for Sustainable Development
national and local government policies. (PCSD), with the mandate of articulating the coun-
try’s commitment to the goals of Global Agenda 21
❊Local governments face severe constraints in (formulated at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit).
terms of fiscal and human resources, which affect Unfortunately, neither measure provided for the
the performance of their devolved functions. generation of scientific information and human
capacity needed to underpin local natural resource
❊Policy priorities evolve dynamically in growing management policy. This is the lacuna that the
economies and are subject to change in order to SANREM program set out to fill.
adapt to transitions in political administration at
national and local levels. During the first phase of the SANREM program
(1992-1997), SANREM partnered with the munici-
The case study pal government to develop the Municipal Natural
The research setting Resource Management and Development Plan;
Nestled within the upper-watershed area of the this collaboration served as the nexus of an effort
Manupali River, Lantapan is one of the major to link research and policy. The Plan was informed
municipalities of the Bukidnon province through by SANREM’s research outputs as well as by the
which water flows to the Pulangi IV hydroelectric programmatic emphasis on participatory
power plant. It is also one of the eight municipali- approaches and inter-institutional collaboration.
In its second phase (1998-2003), SANREM programmatic decisions. Research results were
focused on the creation and successful application explained to the Lantapan community by means of
of decision support tools (e.g., biophysical and eco- informal gatherings, called kapihan (coffee break)
nomic models, environmental monitoring, etc.), and pulong-pulong (dialogue), The kapihan were
policy analysis and advocacy activities at the local also held at the provincial level, where they
level, and capacity-building activities. It also con- brought together a geographically and politically
centrated efforts towards scaling out and up, by diverse audience including municipal planners as
expanding to municipalities bordering the Mt. well as provincial and regional level policymakers.
Kitanglad Range Nature Park and by linking its These face-to-face information dissemination
policy research and activities to national level. In strategies facilitated understanding of the project’s
scaling out, SANREM played an important role in missions and created awareness of pressing local
facilitating cross-jurisdiction communication environmental issues. In an impact study con-
among officials from the different municipalities ducted at the research site, municipal officials
involved in park administrations as well as new ranked SANREM as the primary information
environmental responsibilities recently devolved source on natural resource management
from the national level. Scaling-up to national level (Buenavista et al. 2001).
was prompted by recognition that, despite the
devolution, much of the responsibility for environ- Capacity building for communities and local gov-
mental policy continues to emanate from the ernment
national government agencies including those with The program undertook numerous training activi-
a direct mandate over natural resources as well as ties directed towards municipal or provincial gov-
those whose decisions influence natural resource ernments, community-based groups, and other
management through market interventions. local stakeholders. At the community level, SAN-
REM also trained water quality monitoring volun-
teers, an initiative that led to the formation of a
METHODOLOGY registered NGO, the Tigbantay Wahig (TW) or
‘Water Watchers’. With SANREM’s support, TW
The approach and the process members have played an active role in advocating
The linear model, whereby scientists design and for policy change and have served as resource per-
conduct research and then pass their recommen- sons in municipal and national policy dialogues.
dations to policy makers, is inadequate in settings
where a strong ‘research culture’ does not exist. Demand-driven research and policy advocacy
Successful building of research-policy linkages SANREM’ s strategy has hinged on the production
requires appropriate methodologies and attention of demand-driven policy studies, coupled with
to the process whereby multiple stakeholders col- training for local government officials in policy
laborate to design, implement, and
evaluate research. Below we out-
line three interdependent strategies
that guided SANREM’s efforts to
link research and policy in
Lantapan.

Creation of social environments

for stakeholder interaction
SANREM has fostered the estab-
lishment and reinforcement of
social environments for stakeholder
interaction, including consultations
with community groups, participa-
tion in municipal meetings, and
creation of a community advisory
council (within the SANREM
Philippines management structure)
to ensure local representation in Livestock operations are a new economic enterprise impacting the
watershed environment
 needs and concerns vis-à-vis more
powerful stakeholders. In the case
of Lantapan, water quality and
stream flow data presented by a
community-based volunteer water
monitoring group (Tigbantay
Wahig) provided compelling evi-
dence for the local government to
act on its environmental policy
agenda and to call on the agribusi-
ness sector to invest in local envi-
ronmental conservation efforts.

Intensive slopeside crop production without proper land management It is too early to conclude that the
can cause severe soil erosion Lantapan Watershed Committee or
the NRMCs will develop into robust
analysis. One such example is a study requested by institutions that can adapt to political transitions.
the local government to assess the feasibility of Their sustainability is clearly linked to their
introducing water tariffs in the municipality as a accountability. As their accountability is limited to
way of responding to increased water demands by the local government, chances are that their exis-
banana plantations and livestock producers. tence will be threatened with every turn of the
Another example is the technical assistance pro- electoral cycle. ‘Downward’ accountability to the
vided by SANREM researchers in drafting an ordi- community broadens participation and is a dimen-
nance banning the use of aerial spraying in banana sion of effective decentralization.
plantations.
The value of research in guiding development
The successful creation of research and policy link- interventions is receiving increasing recognition
ages is a dynamic, interactive process requiring throughout the SANREM site. For example, the
collaboration with institutions that can communi- Bukidnon Integrated Area Development Project
cate and connect effectively with policy audiences. used a SANREM Policy Brief on water resource
SANREM’s partnership with the Philippine management to assess the environmental costs
Institute for Development Studies, which has the and institutional arrangement required to con-
specific mandate of advising the government in struct communal irrigation and potable water sup-
matters of policy, is an example of effective appli- ply systems. Similarly, SANREM research was
cation of this strategy. used in the deliberation of proposals for the World
Bank-funded Non-Destructive Livelihood
Activities to be implemented in municipalities sur-
RESULTS rounding the Mt. Kitanglad Range Nature Park.

Accomplishments and outcomes

SANREM’s research has been instrumental in CONCLUSIONS
alerting policymakers and citizens to incipient
trends in natural resource degradation. Local offi- Lessons learned
cials responded to SANREM’s messages by encour- The Lantapan experience yields important
aging the formation of committees to which the methodological insights and lessons to inform
municipal government could entrust some of its efforts to link research and policy:
devolved responsibilities such as the Natural
Resource Management Council (NRMC). The ❊Use the research process as a means to bring
NRMCs were responsible for drafting the natural together multiple stakeholders and to influence
resource management plan and for its approval by policy and action; use the research product to gen-
the municipal government. erate public awareness and guide decision makers.

Participatory research provides both a process and ❊Focus on long-term outcomes that foster local
a support for community groups to express their ownership (i.e. establishing a democratic process
for multi-stakeholder participation) advocacy as well as focus on issues of
rather than top-down short-term inter- relevance to the local community. SANREM is a
ventions (i.e. passing laws without com- Collaborative
munity consultation). Research Support
This Research Brief is drawn from the fol- Program (CRSP)
❊Institutionalize mechanisms for com- lowing paper: Buenavista, G., A. Sumbalan,
supported by the U.S.
and I. Coxhead. 2002. How do research
munity-based dialogue and involvement Agency for
projects influence the design of local poli-
in research design and implementation. cies for Environmental and Natural International
Resource Management? Philippine Journal Development
❊Institutionalize partnerships among of Development. First Semester 2002. No. Cooperative
agencies with environmental mandates 53. Volume XXIX, No. 1. Agreement No. PCE-
and between researchers and partners in A-00-98-00019-00
national and local government. ABOUT THE AUTHOR and managed by the
University of
Dr. Gladys Buenavista is the Research Manager
❊Design research with a plan for facili- Georgia. The project
for the SANREM CRSP Southeast Asia pro-
tating uptake of research results; follow- brings together
gram. Previously, she was the Site Coordinator
up activities to translate, package, and of SANREM Philippines. She is presently researchers from
disseminate results to different audi- based at the Office of International Agriculture eight U.S. universi-
ences should be supported by donors as Programs at the University of Wisconsin- ties who partner with
key phases of the research process. Madison. host country univer-
She can be contacted at: sities; local and
❊Contextualize research within the 240 Ag Hall national government
1450 Linden Drive officials; internation-
political context of the host country. For Madison, WI 53706
example, in the Philippines, the devolu- al agricultural
USA
tion of environmental governance research centers; and
ph: (602) 262-3946
enabled the SANREM’s program to fax: (602) 262-8852 non-governmental
build connections with local institutions E-mail: ggbuenavista@wisc.edu organizations.
in knowledge generation and policy