Policies, natural resource governance and local development in Mozambique
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Date
2008-12
Authors
Massuanganhe, Israel Jacob
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
The role that agriculture should play in economic development has been recognised for years. In
recent years, concern has been expressed over rising agricultural and food prices. The world market
prices for major food commodities have risen sharply to historic highs of more than 60 percent above
levels just two years ago. Many factors have contributed to the rise in food commodity prices. Some
factors reflect trends of slower growth in production and more rapid growth in demand that have
contributed to a tightening of world balances of grains and oilseeds over the last decade. Other
factors that have added to global food commodity price inflation include the declining value of the US
dollar, rising energy prices, increasing agricultural costs of production; growing foreign exchange
holdings by major food-importing countries, and policies adopted recently by some exporting and
importing countries to mitigate their own food price inflation (Trestle, 2008).
Mozambique has a vast extension of land and diversity of natural resources. Resources are
inadequately used, the rural income continues to fall, and poverty is increasing. The rural standard of
living has been deteriorating year by year. To date, estimations reveal that between 60 and 80
percent of cultivated land in all the provinces is concentrated in areas between 0.2 and 1 ha. For a
sample of 192 farmers, using a translog stochastic production frontier like that of Bravo-Ureta and
Pinheiro (1993), who estimated a Cobb-Douglas total value product frontier for analysis purposes,
the study found that the average economic efficiency (EE), technical efficiency (TE) and allocative
efficiency (AE) for the sample were 11.6%, 83.0% and 13.7% respectively. These results suggest
that there is considerable room to maximise resource usage and increase agricultural output without
additional input and given the existing technology.
The adoption of new technologies designed to enhance farm output and income has received
particular attention as a means to accelerate economic development. However, output growth is not
only determined by technological innovations, but also by the efficiency with which available
technologies are used in the absence of inefficiency factors. As Bravo-Ureta and Pinheiro (1993)
noted, the evidence presented in this study suggests that there is much room for improving the
efficiency of natural resource management in general. The results based on frontier methodology
are generally consistent with the notion that local actors play an important role in the management of
local resources; consequently, public investments designed to enhance human and social capital at
local level can be expected to generate additional skills and output even in the absence of new
technologies. The participation of citizens in all stages is crucial.
It is recognised that qualitative variables have influence and potential importance in efficiency.
Governance is considered within the framework of power, process and practice and how these have
shaped peasant access to and control and use of natural resources. Over the years, state visions of
appropriate agriculture development have largely been extended to the peasant sector through a use and management of resources to the peasant communities have largely resulted in
recentralisation at the district level, where such efforts are still practised in the trickle-down mode.
This is in part because the policy thrust seeking to empower the peasant communities is supply-led,
and thus defined according to the terms and processes of external agents, including funders and
central governments,
The research found that by improving institutions', citizens' and communities' capacity to address
local governance and decision-making through prominent, decentralised natural resources
management policies, they could participate more effectively in local development, gain experience
in democratic processes, and hold local officials responsible for their decisions. The study concluded
that natural resources play a strategic role in rural economies both as a potential source of long-term
development and as the essential contributor to sustained food security. Access by the poor to
natural resources (land, forests, water, fisheries, pastures, etc.) is essential for sustainable poverty
reduction. Many rural communities are dependent on natural resources in one way or another.
Decentralising natural resource management and using local decision-making power is critical to
improve the revenue generation of citizens and local authorities. Local representative bodies need
power over the resources that affect rural sustainable livelihoods in order to become legitimate actors
around which civic organisations and citizens rally for justice, sustainable livelihoods and economic
improvement. Decentralising natural resource management (NRM) can give local governments
allocative powers over lucrative opportunities, both of which can help build local government
legitimacy. In short, local development can emerge.
Description
Keywords
Data envelopment analysis, Efficiency, Decentralisation, Natural resource management, Land reform, Agricultural development, Governance, Participation, Local development, Natural resources -- Management -- Mozambique, Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Mozambique, Natural resources -- Government policy, Thesis (Ph.D. (Agricultural Economics))--University of the Free State, 2008