Natural Resource Management in West Africa: Towards a Knowledge Management Strategy (Bulletins of the Royal Tropical Institute)

Sustainable use of natural resources is a key element in the livelihoods of rural people. The poor especially are often disproportionately affected by environmental degradation: it loosens their production base, makes them vulnerable to health risks, and can result in natural or man-made disasters. Sharing and accumulation of knowledge are important to help rural people make better decisions.

This bulletin presents four examples on how projects and organizations in Western Africa deal with the knowledge aspects and capacity development in land resource management. With the ongoing processes of democratic decentralization and privatization, more and more actors are expected to play their role in sustainable resource management. The fragmented landscape of actors has huge consequences for the ways knowledge can be developed and shared.

The bulletin analyzes the examples and draws lessons with respect to the opportunities for knowledge sharing and capacity development. What are key ingredients for a knowledge management strategy? We conclude that knowledge management is usually not planned but happens on an ad hoc basis. Strategic questions are identified that need attention in policy development both for donor agencies and governments in the region.