Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds
Watersheds, especially in the developing world, are increasingly being managed for both environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. How complementary are these objectives? In the context of a watershed, the actual and potential linkages between land and water management and poverty are compl...
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Water Alternatives Association
2009-02-01
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doaj-f0eccfba6f1c46609c4f9be73e67855b2020-11-24T21:29:10ZengWater Alternatives AssociationWater Alternatives1965-01751965-01752009-02-01213452Water and Poverty in Two Colombian WatershedsNancy Johnson0James Garcia1Jorge E. Rubiano2Marcela Quintero3Ruben Dario Estrada4Esther Mwangi5Adriana Morena6Alexandra Peralta7Sara Granados8International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, KenyaCentro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, ColombiaCentro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, ColombiaCentro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), Cali, ColombiaConsorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN), Cali, ColombiaInternational Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DCCentro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Cali, ColombiaDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State UniversityCentro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical, Cali, ColombiaWatersheds, especially in the developing world, are increasingly being managed for both environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. How complementary are these objectives? In the context of a watershed, the actual and potential linkages between land and water management and poverty are complex and likely to be very site specific and scale dependent. This study analyses the importance of watershed resources in the livelihoods of the poor in two watersheds in the Colombian Andes. Results of the participatory poverty assessment reveal significant decreases in poverty in both watersheds over the past 25 years, which was largely achieved by the diversification of livelihoods outside of agriculture. Water is an important resource for household welfare. However, opportunities for reducing poverty by increasing the quantity or quality of water available to the poor may be limited. While improved watershed management may have limited direct benefits in terms of poverty alleviation, there are important indirect linkages between watershed management and poverty, mainly through labour and service markets. The results suggest that at the level of the watershed the interests of the rich and the poor are not always in conflict over water. Sectoral as well as socio-economic differences define stakeholder groups in watershed management. The findings have implications for policymakers, planners and practitioners in various sectors involved in the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM).http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol2/v2issue1/45-a2-1-3/fileWatershedspoverty dynamicsmulti-stakeholder platformsparticipatory poverty assessmentColombia |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nancy Johnson James Garcia Jorge E. Rubiano Marcela Quintero Ruben Dario Estrada Esther Mwangi Adriana Morena Alexandra Peralta Sara Granados |
spellingShingle |
Nancy Johnson James Garcia Jorge E. Rubiano Marcela Quintero Ruben Dario Estrada Esther Mwangi Adriana Morena Alexandra Peralta Sara Granados Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds Water Alternatives Watersheds poverty dynamics multi-stakeholder platforms participatory poverty assessment Colombia |
author_facet |
Nancy Johnson James Garcia Jorge E. Rubiano Marcela Quintero Ruben Dario Estrada Esther Mwangi Adriana Morena Alexandra Peralta Sara Granados |
author_sort |
Nancy Johnson |
title |
Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds |
title_short |
Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds |
title_full |
Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds |
title_fullStr |
Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Water and Poverty in Two Colombian Watersheds |
title_sort |
water and poverty in two colombian watersheds |
publisher |
Water Alternatives Association |
series |
Water Alternatives |
issn |
1965-0175 1965-0175 |
publishDate |
2009-02-01 |
description |
Watersheds, especially in the developing world, are increasingly being managed for both environmental conservation and poverty alleviation. How complementary are these objectives? In the context of a watershed, the actual and potential linkages between land and water management and poverty are complex and likely to be very site specific and scale dependent. This study analyses the importance of watershed resources in the livelihoods of the poor in two watersheds in the Colombian Andes. Results of the participatory poverty assessment reveal significant decreases in poverty in both watersheds over the past 25 years, which was largely achieved by the diversification of livelihoods outside of agriculture. Water is an important resource for household welfare. However, opportunities for reducing poverty by increasing the quantity or quality of water available to the poor may be limited. While improved watershed management may have limited direct benefits in terms of poverty alleviation, there are important indirect linkages between watershed management and poverty, mainly through labour and service markets. The results suggest that at the level of the watershed the interests of the rich and the poor are not always in conflict over water. Sectoral as well as socio-economic differences define stakeholder groups in watershed management. The findings have implications for policymakers, planners and practitioners in various sectors involved in the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM). |
topic |
Watersheds poverty dynamics multi-stakeholder platforms participatory poverty assessment Colombia |
url |
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol2/v2issue1/45-a2-1-3/file |
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