Resilient Rules Research Workshop participation
The Resilient Rules research project funded by the EU at the University Zaragoza, Spain, is one of the largest data collection projects on socioecological institutions worldwide. One of the research aims is to decode institutional diversity to enhance contemporary small-scale agriculture norms worldwide. All over the world, ecological factors in pastoral and agricultural communities are under climatic stress. Hardin's debate on the tragedy of commons rejected the view that community ownership of resources was sustainable; instead, private ownership and governmental resource ownership were sustainable. Garrett Hardin’s argument was more hypothetical. However, Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom’s study crumbled Hardin’s argument that sustainable resource management is rooted in diverse, community-specific institutions. Elinor Ostrom's theoretical standpoint shows that “Institutional diversity is as important as biological diversity for human survival.” Yet, there are questions on what factors are shaping institutional diversity in recent times due to climate change. Understanding institutional diversity would put into perspective long-term resilient rules that can be used to manage community natural resources sustainably.
Anlo Shallot and Vegetable Farming Community
I situated the Anlo Shallot and Vegetable Farmers community at the workshop in the above context. The community is located in Southeast Ghana, Anlo district, Volta Region. It is a popular knowledge among Ghanaians that the Anlo vegetable farmers are resilient in turning unfertile lands into shallots and vegetable beds. However, three factors make this community an interesting case study. The first is unpredictable rainfall patterns, second is population growth, and the last is tension surrounding oil exploration in the Keta Lagoon. The three factors exert pressure on the common shared resources: groundwater and land.
To put the case study in historical context, there was a severe drought in the area in 1983, and in the same year, there were large numbers of Ghanaian returnees from Nigeria. A phenomenon called “Ghana must go”. These make the case study interesting because it examines how the institution has responded to direct and indirect impacts on shared resources. In the coming months, fieldwork will be conducted to collect data on the degree of institutional resilience of Anlo shallot and vegetable farmers. The data will also be added to the pull of other communities worldwide to determine the global state of Resilient Rules in line with Ostrom’s theoretical position.
- Jonathan Bill Doe