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Residents of some highland villages in China's Guizhou province now enjoy a steady supply of water. (IDRC Photo: C. Thompson)

In remote highland villages in Guizhou — one of China's poorest provinces — villagers have solved a problem that had existed for 200 years. Working with researchers from the Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GAAS), with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), they have secured a steady supply of water. They have also reforested land, transformed a wasteland into a peach orchard, and undertaken other productive initiatives — by applying community-based natural resource management (CBNRM).

The CBNRM approach recognizes that the local people who use natural resources understand them best — and have a vested interest in protecting them. CBNRM focuses on protecting and managing these resources by involving local people in decision-making. In China, where "top-down" methods of management have been the rule, CBNRM is proving to be innovative — and effective. In fact, the tap water system caught the government of China's attention because it has succeeded where other, bigger budget projects have failed. Key to its success is the involvement of villagers.

Project roots

GAAS researchers began working with villagers in Changsuan county in 1995. In this remote area deep in China's highlands, life is hard. In the dry winter season, people had to travel two or three kilometres to fetch water and it could take half-a-day to collect enough water for a family of four. Even then, there was really not enough water for drinking, cooking, washing, and cleaning. It's therefore not surprising that when researchers asked what problem villagers most wanted to solve, the answer was unanimous: water supply.

In response, the research team began working with villagers in the communities of Dongkou and Xiaozhai to engineer a system for piping water to the village. The aim was to provide a water tap for each of the villages' approximately 50 households. The researchers worked closely with the villagers, learning from their understanding of water sources and geography. "I think farmers have their own knowledge because they have stayed in the village a long time. They have survived for a long time. They are familiar with the situation," explains Yuan Juanwen, an assistant researcher with GAAS.

Tap water system

The construction of the tap water system was undertaken by villagers themselves, after receiving some training. "The villagers didn't ask for any technicians from outside," says Ms. Juanwen. "They have their abilities. In every village, there are one or two people who can understand technology very well."

After construction was completed (in 1998 for Dongkou village and in 1996 for Xiaozhai), the researchers and villagers worked together to develop a way of maintaining the tap water system. Community meetings were held to develop appropriate rules and regulations. For example, the villagers decided to metre the water and collect fees. This money is pooled to help repair and maintain the system, and a small percentage is used to pay a manager, elected by the community, to take care of day-to-day operations. The result: the system is working.

Benefits

According to Mr. Lu Quan, a farmer from Dongkou village: "We have no discontinuation of the water supply. Because of the management of the tap water system, women have to work less. Overall, we have saved 540 hours of labour in the dry season, per year."

"The [Deputy Governor], at the beginning, didn't pay attention to our project — it was just another project in the county," says Ms Juanwen. In fact, tap water systems have been built before in other parts of rural China, but keeping them running has been a problem. Government officials "had not seen these kinds of regulations and management systems. It was not something they had thought of, " she adds. "This is a key to the efficient operation of the system." The GAAS researchers are now hopeful that they will be able to adapt their model to other parts of China. Over the past few years, they have been replicating the system in other villages of Guizhou Province, with additional support from IDRC.

Sense of ownership

The villagers' sense of ownership is key to the project's success, says Ms Juanwen. "To just construct a tap water system and give it to the people doesn't work. People don't feel it is theirs. If people have input, they think: 'It's ours. We will take care of it'."

The time saved as result of the tap water system enabled farmers to establish a fruit orchard on uncultivated lands — sloping hills that can't be used for farming without risking soil erosion. Villagers also developed an approach for reforesting and managing disappearing forest lands. From 1995 to 1997, 45,000 trees were planted by the community — an average of 1,000 per household.

Fruit orchard

The fruit orchard was seen as a means for farmers to earn extra income. The researchers pre-tested tree species and examined methods of transferring skills in fruit cultivation, as well as pest and disease control. However, when it came to selecting what kind of tree to plant, the research team did not impose a choice.

"At the beginning, because we are the experts, we suggested that the farmers plant chestnut trees," says Ms Juanwen. But the farmers had other ideas. Although chestnuts would fetch a high price, the trees would not produce for many years. Moreover, these trees would require a great deal of care during times when farmers were occupied in the fields. The farmers preferred peach trees: they grow quickly and bear fruit early. They had also been found growing wild, so farmers knew that local conditions were suitable. In 1990, about 5.4 hectares of new peach orchards were planted, involving 64 households. The community also decided how the orchards were to be managed.

Local commitment

The farmers are committed to the project. "We have invested our labour and money in the orchards. Now we are learning more about cultivation and management and marketing skills. We want to produce more fruit and make more money," says Mr Quan.

Lisa Waldick is a writer for IDRC Communications.

For more information:

Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences (GAAS), Jinzhu Zhen, Guiyang 550006, Guizhou Province, PR China; Phone: (86-851) 376-1530 / 376-1734; Fax: (86-851) 376-1504; Email: cirdr_gy@yahoo.com

2001-06-22

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