Vigyan Bhavan & Kempinski Ambience
10 - 14 February 2014
Delhi, India
blog
I am neither a scientist nor a politician. I am just a type of person considered as a ‘development practitioner’. I try to look at the problem from a macro point of view – considering an institutional framework, as well as the ground challenges and YES, my name is Meerim and I am from Kyrgyzstan.
This blogpost is an attempt to present complex ideas which succinctly drives the forest sector in Kyrgyzstan. You have to limit yourself to explain something, so don’t expect academic tracts or state-of-the-art info graphics. Instead, look forward to surprisingly simple explanations of our inexplicable society and to having some of preconceived ideas radically challenged in Kyrgyzstan and worldwide.
This blogpost is about change from our day-to-day lives to the big and almost incomprehensible changes with a specific focus on youth involvement in forestry and other important ecosystems. Some are more serious and complicated than others. And none of them are explored here in depth: I am giving you a food for thought that I hope will whet your appetite to find out more.
This is my feelings and thoughts which I got from my master thesis on natural resource management in Kyrgyzstan with a focus on the forest sector. Of course, the 700 words in this blog post it is just a selection of my findings and some of today’s fundamental upheavals.
The focus of my study was on forest ecosystems in Kyrgyzstan, especially the community participation and its management. Because the way forest resources management is organized (globally) has strong implications in cultural terms, and on the way society it controls and distributes access, in terms of social institutions as well as in terms of political/legal arrangements. In other words, not only “economy” and “law” but “cultural, social and political” elements as well.
For this study, I looked at the Community Forest Management model in order to identify and analyze challenges in local communities in the country. Through this study several of discussions and interviews were carried out, including representatives from the Government, forestry specialists and experts in the country, moreover a field trip was conducted to interview the local people, particularly forest users. It was identified in my study that there is a need for a more intensive social mobilization of the community as a whole and the opportunities afforded by community based management should be conducted to allow for broader participation.
However, the most important thing which came out of this study is a lack of young people living in rural areas. A huge migration flow is rising to urban areas or/and abroad and therefore old people and women became the main labor force. Women and old people have become the main labor force, playing key roles in local communities, however they are not being capable of handling some of the labor requirements and hence these local communities are not given the opportunity to handle a portion of the land.
Participation of young people in rural areas is crucial and in long-term prospective this issue may curb the pressure on the forest sector in the country as whole. I believe the same thing happens in many developing countries and globally speaking this may led to greater challenges in the forest sector. It is important to highlight the importance of this sector which contributes many key political and economical interventions and they way forests are managed can whether significantly influence the success or dramatically fail it.
The lack of youth involvement and management creates different challenges in our societies including governance problems, environmental degradation, livelihoods problems/economic cause and climate change impacts which appear to be intensifying to the problems and potential worsening of our future. Youth participation in forest resources management (and other ecosystems) is a global problem and it can not be solved by the global economy that we have, but it could be changed by a global government that we do not have.
The future is already tomorrow and without youngsters our world will degrade and fall apart. Therefore the question pops up: “Who rules the world ?” Youth?
Blogpost by Meerim Shakirova (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) – mshakirova(at)gmail.com
Picture by Peter Casier/CCAFS
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This post is entry nr #20 in our #WCA2014 blog competition. The five blogposts with the most and highest votes will receive a signed copy of the book "Trees for Life". The most popular blogpost will get an iPad.
This blogpost received 1,185 votes, with an average score of 5 (out of a max of 5).
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80 People have left comments on this post
I agree with you that local youth should be more involved in practices like forest management. However, how would you keep them from going to the cities? The promise of a better future draws the most courageous and capable young people there, I have to admit I’m no different from that. What would that countryside promise that they didn’t have had all life long already?
Excellent writting dear Meerim… Keep it up… & Best of Luck.
Very interesting & inspiring blog post. Well done Meerim
Thanks for your good write-up. I would want to add my voice that when agriculture policies do not tend to favour the youths they will look for greener pastures in the cites.
Dear Meerim, Interesting and Excellent Research, very well done.
Wish you good luck
Naseer
DPP Participant
Well Done Meerim ! Proud of you!
Great job Meerim, I appreciate what you have done.
this will inspire other youth.
Good lack!
Dear Meerim, Our world needs more and more activists like YOU! Keep it ahead!
Best of luck,
Amazing work on Excellent concept……..
Well done!!!
This will be a seed of the world changes.
Vote for you my dear girl, excellent research with lots o love!!! ada
Well done, dear !!!
Dear Meerim,
We just voted for your post.
Keep it up, I wish to have more young people to follow your path.
It is important to start, you started and give an example to others. Just as you said Global Problem – Local Solution.
We wish you success and happiness at work and the more followers who will follow you and your example.
Good work….i vote for you my dear.it’san excellent research…youla
Good research, excellent analysis.
I belong to a country where agriculture plays an important role. India has a history where Agriculture sector played a major part in the GDP and still it does. And India is also facing the same issue of agriculture produce decline due to migration of youth from the rural areas because of increasing urbanization. This blog post addresses this problem and the solution rightly. The youth involvement is definitely the key to solve the forestry issues.
A brilliant post by Ms. Meerim yet again. I wish the best for you and your ideas.
Its really great one Meerim!! Thumbs up for your effort in empowering youth …
Good job!!!
Hi meerim,
I just voted!!hope you will win…congrats in advance
Dear Meerim
I vote for you
best of luck
As today’s youth are the future leader, their involvement, to know and to talk for the world crisis, it will lead us to a new world of peace.
Thanks for your fight. Really appreciate your effort.
Great effort , keep up the good work , my best wieshes
Well done.
I agree that without “intensive social mobilization of the community” and ownership by the community it would be difficult to solve forestry problems.
Amazing work, Meerim! Thanks for writing this. Keep up the good work.
Meerim, good work!
Well done Meerim.
Very good post.
No doubt, you’re the best and I am proud to vote for you. Good luck.
Inoussa.
Waow u did a hard effort my dear .. Keep it up
Meerim you are amazing. Our future leader! The world needs you
All the best.
Yaaay
Voting for you
Well done, Meerim. You have always done a very good job in whatever you want to do. Your initiatives have also inspired others. I’m very proud of you. Keep up the good work, my dear. All the best.
Good luck Meerim !!
Keep up the good work Meerim!
Well done!
Well done Meerim. Interesting and challenging question to round off. Kudos
Meerim you are doing a great for today and for the future. Amazing mission and passion!
Great work!
Good blogpost which show how important youth are for the global development. Indeed migration is a crucial problem because of the hole it creates in rural areas where labour forces are need for agriculture and forestry. Also solutions are available and as mentioned in Meerim post it starts with youth, it is them who will shape the future, their future. They must be involved in current issues such as agriculture and forestry to meet all the challenges to come.
Meerim great and interesting work, congratulations!!!
Good job Meerim. Keep it up!
Meerim weldone! keep up the great & inspiring move. Our support is always for youth like yourself!
http://www.volunteersinitiativenepal.org
Great job meerim! Keep the good work!!
Wonderful work Meerim.
it’s wonderfull work , God bless u
you done good Job
God bless u
Dear Meerim,
This will go a long way to make our world sustainable. Thanks for your ingenuity.
With love from Nigeria.
Dear Meerim,
This is brilliant one from you and I believe your ingenuity can make the world more sustainable.
‘Mayokun. With love from Nigeria
Dear Meerim,
Thanks for this good community Development research work.
Keep on my dear.
Well done Meerim, good research. Keep the Green Flag Up!
Well done Meerim, good research. Keep the Green Flag Up! But a little recommendation: I feel the youth should be paid for their involvement. To keep keep a greener society else they’l relocate to Urban citys were every effort is worth a Penny!
Thank you for this well written piece of work and your community development initiatives. well done and keep the good work up
Just starred your post Meerim. My very best wishes!
Awesome Meerim! Keep up the good work you do and i`m more than sure you`ll own the thrown !!
Dear Meerim
It is great! Hope success for you.
Good luck dear meerim. Great job. God bless you.
Good luck Meerim
Dear Meerim,
Great work, Meerim. Hope you success anyway.
Very nice, best of luck Meerim
great Job Meerim , good luck ^_^
Loved reading this. Well done
Dorogoya Meerin jelayu ycpehof I s4astya.
Dear Meerim,
I went through your topic and found it really interesting. It was very nicely written.
Wonderful job.
yes
Dear Meerim
I think its significant steps for the peace of work of community development initiatives . Carry on………..god bless you
Good post, thank you for talking about these things in your blog
Well written Meerim. Good luck and all the best! Regards, Udayan
Dear Meerim Shakirova,
Piece of writing you written is really a good job, yuo are really a “Development Practitioner” we wish your successes.
Bashir Safi
Kabul – Afghanistan
good message Meerim . We are so glad that you are also our YPARD champion !!!!
Good luck
This is really helpful.
Thanks Meerim.
Write more. Ok? Best regards.
Very inspiring meerim…wish u luck
Great post!
Good Work…Good Luck!
Good piece of work Meerim.
Lack of youth is like cutting the thread that is forming more or less the ‘circle of life’ (circle of continuity).
Without youth this circle will fall apart.
But the question is now: How to get youth interested in living/working in rural areas?
How to finance that?
Reforestation for production of wood for companies is possible and but you will need long term investors to start with.
Good luck and please keep in touch!
La gestion des écosystèmes forestiers est devenue un enjeu dans ce monde actuel où les uns et les autres cherchent le profit. Maintenant que vous êtes engagés sur cette voie je vous souhaite beaucoup de courage. Prenez soin d’analyser minutieusement les acteurs impliqués, leurs intérêts. Bon vent à vous
Great work…||||||
great my dear!go ahead!best wish from kinshasa!
Nice write up Merim, I wish you all the best.
we wish your successes.
Great Work.. All the best!!!