Forum on Forestry and
Natural Resources Issues in Africa

PROPOSAL

BACKGROUND

Africa is a continent rich in both natural and human resources, yet it remains a paradox. Beset by formidable obstacles to social and economic development, e.g. famine, ethnic conflict, refugees, repressive and lethargic systems of government, disease, etc. (Veit et al. 1998), Africa still possesses enormous development potential. Long the focus of development investment in a myriad of projects from the developed world, some significant advances have been made—yet much more remains to be done. Indeed, many African countries have become living laboratories supporting research on strategies to achieve success. The now common use of participatory methods in both project planning and design, and implementation, is a relevant example (Hoben et al. 1998).

The rich natural resources of Africa rival those of both Asia and South America in the developing world (Figure 1). Although much lower in freshwater resources, Sub-Saharan Africa's quantities of permanent pasture, forest and woodland, and total land mass are substantial. Furthermore, across the spectrum of natural resources, the vast majority remains underutilized (Figure 2). There can be little doubt that future development in African countries is dependent upon or closely linked to sustainable use of natural resources.

Through the efforts of USAID's Environment/Natural Resources Management (E/NRM) Team in the Africa Bureau, many exciting projects have been established and progress is being made. Examples include FRAME - Strategic Analysis of Environmental Issues in Africa, Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), and Tracker - A Tool for Real-Time Learning from Local Resource Management Initiatives in Africa. Opportunities exist to improve the quality and quantity of development projects in Africa through closer collaboration with the U.S. university sector responsible for forestry and related renewable natural resources management. The National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC) is the umbrella group that represents 67 institutions from throughout the United States. The International Committee of NAPFSC, chaired by Dr. Sam Foster, Dean of the College of Forest Resources at Mississippi State University, has expressed an interest in working with USAID professionals in the area of forestry and natural resources management, with a particular emphasis on Africa. Although in recent years the level of university involvement in USAID development programs has decreased (Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment, 1991), a recent Forum of NAPFSC member institutions has indicated a renewed willingness to further the relationship with USAID.

During 1997, a Regional Roundtable entitled USAID/Higher Education Partnership in Development identified the following issues and activities for strengthening the relationship between USAID and the higher education community in the United States (ALO 1997). The project proposed here is a first step toward greater cooperation in the E/NRM area.

• Greater investments for building human capacity
• More flexible funding mechanisms
• Personnel exchanges from USAID and from higher education
• Joint strategic planning at all levels within the agency
• Greater transparency within the agency and higher education through inventories of interest and capabilities and greater access to information
• Building on existing higher education partnerships and networks to address development objectives
• Constituency-building for the public agenda
• Approaches for continuity and predictability
• Reviewing the principles of cost-sharing
• Research on development cooperation - what makes a difference, and what models are appropriate given new capabilities and technologies
• New mechanisms for extension and public service outreach
• Building on lessons from abroad
• Exploring cooperation among USAID, higher education, nongovernmental organizations, and development firms

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this project are as follows:

• To determine, using the knowledge and experience of selected NAPFSC institutions, outside consultants, African representatives, and USAID personnel, the key forestry and natural resources issues related to development in Africa over the next 20 years.
• To propose strategies for addressing those issues in a coordinated fashion, relying on partnerships with NAPFSC institutions, USAID, other agencies, NGOs, and the private sector.
• To present the results of the project in the form of a report to USAID Africa Bureau, and E/NRM personnel to use as reference during the impending USAID reorganization.
• To propose a mechanism for continuing the USAID/NAPFSC dialogue for continued cooperation.

PROCEDURES

The crux of this project will be the convening of a Forum on Forestry and Natural Resources Issues in Africa, to be held in the time frame of February-March, 2003 in the Washington, DC, area. A NAPFSC Task Force has already been identified, consisting of the following universities:

University of Arizona
Oregon State University
University of Montana
University of Minnesota
Mississippi State University
Virginia Tech
Pennsylvania State University

The three-day forum will bring together representatives from these institutions, three forestry and natural resources leaders from selected African countries, consultants and representatives from nongovernmental organizations with considerable African experience, and several USAID representatives. A facilitated session will elicit the key issues and approaches to dealing with those issues. A discussion of existing projects and programs addressing those issues will also be held.

Following the initial Forum, a second session will be held during the summer of 2003, for the purpose of completing and presenting the final report. The final report will serve as a guide to further collaboration between USAID E/NRM programs and the NAPFSC institutions.

LITERATURE CITED

ALO. 1997. Regional Roundtable USAID/Higher Education Partnership in Development. Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development and U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research, Center for Human Capacity Development. Washington, DC. 30 pp.

Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment. 1991. New opportunities for U.S. universities in development assistance. Office of Technology Assessment OTA-BP-F-71. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 99 pp.

Hoben, A., P. Peters, and D. Rocheleau. 1998. Participation, civil society, and foreign assistance to Africa. In Africa's Valuable Assets—A Reader in Natural Resource Management. Peter G. Veit (Ed.). World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. Pp. 109-154.

Veit, P.G., T. Nagpal, and T. Fox. 1998. Africa's wealth, woes, worth. In Africa's Valuable Assets—A Reader in Natural Resource Management. Peter G. Veit (Ed.). World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. Pp. 1-26.