SCALING UP LANDCARE IN THE PHILIPPINES

The developing world is not lacking in successful grassroots initiatives for Natural Resource Management but few of these have spread beyond their initial limited domain. The issue of scaling up has recently gained attention based on the argument that these successful local NRM initiatives should be scaled up to a level that generates larger economic and environmental benefits more rapidly. Scaling is viewed as a process of planned intervention. The notion of scaling up thus involves finding a balance between a universalist perspective, where broad principles and practices are believed to be applicable to a wide band of situations, and a contextualist perspective, which emphasizes local initiative and demand. The aim of this book is to improve the understanding of the process of scaling up grassroots NRM initiatives so as to be better able to plan and implement scaling up interventions. An actor-oriented approach is used to recognize the central role of various social actors and their different perspectives, and that emphasizes the dynamic interaction between internal and external factors in any process of social change.