COMMUNITY BASED AGROFORESTRY PROJECTS IN DAMBULLA - EXPERIENCE OF scoa AND HADABIMA PROGRAMMES

Abstract

This paper analyses the social processes and policies which often determine the successand failures of community - based conservation projects with special attention to the onesin operation in the Dambulla Division. The main focus is on ecological contexts in whichrural people are directly dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.

Examples/case studies are based on the following;

* Shared Control of Natural Resources (SCOR) project administered by IIMI (InternationalIrrigation Management Institue) which is a participatory watershed management projectaimed at developing and testing a holistic interdisciplinary approach to integrateconservation concerns with production goals.

* Agroforestry, cashew planting and soil conservation practices in the Division facilitatedby the Hadabima Authority of Sri Lanka

This paper synthesiscs the degree of success and failures of each project taking intoaccount the level of community participation involved in decision - making,implementation and monitoring and the sustainability of the project after the funding hadbeen withdrawn.