Canadian Topics

Tourism in the Canadian Arctic
Shane Pisani
Research in the Western Arctic was both exciting and a challenging for Shane Pisani. As Manager of Arctic Nature Tours, a company owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, he was able to secure a position in his field of interest - remote tourism development - and gain practical insight into this rapidly developing industry in the Arctic. 

Shane's responsibilities were varied, ranging from tour development with local operators to establishing mutually beneficial relationships with the many different stakeholders involved in the tourism industry - both locally and internationally. 

Shane's research has revolved around the barriers to cooperation between government and NGO tourism stakeholders in the more effective development of the tourism industry in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. His position as manager of an Inuvialuit-owned tour company, as well as the four months he spent in Inuvik, allowed Shane to become familiar with the key stakeholders in the area, which led to a greater acceptance and willingness to discuss the research issues. 

With 24 hours of daylight (which led to many intriguing hikes at 2:00 in the morning!), a multitude of wildlife and awesome scenery (Herschel Island) and the culture of the local people, Shane's experience in the Arctic is one that he highly recommends. 
 
 

Student Examines Emergency Plan
Scott Dunlop's
In the winter of 1998 a devastating ice storm ravaged Ontario and western Quebec, leaving many residents without electricity or heat. The storm tested civil organizations and military as they struggled to minimize and repair the damage caused by the storm. Scott Dunlop's research is focusing on the County of Lanark's Emergency Plan and he is evaluating how it functioned in the January disaster. 

Scott is a graduate of Trent University where he obtained a BSc (Hons.) of Biology. He also received a Forest Technician Diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College. 

Scott is committed to sustainable forestry. Recently he received the Natural Resouces Canada Team Achievement Award, the Natural Resources Canada Departmental Award and the Canadian Forest Service Merit Award for his contribution to the Criteria and Indicators of Sustainable Forest Management in Canada Technical Report, 1997. In addition, Scott is a Director for the Ontario Woodlot Association where he is currently employed. Outside of school and work you will find Scott keeping bees or managing his family's woodlot, both near Ottawa. 
 

Land Use Planning and Economic Development Associated with Ontario's Wine Industry
David Anston

Through the University of Guelph, School of Rural Planning and Development and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Special Research Project, David Anston has begun research on the future of local land use planning and economic development associated with Ontario's wine industry.  The research targets the relationship with land use planning and the recent agricultural development initiatives, mainly through agri-tourism.  The attempt is to develop and expand on the base of knowledge and information for the OMAFRA Land Use Planning Department.  The research will develop policies, recommendations, and guidelines for Land Use Planning Department. 

The project is expected to last one year.  It focuses upon the Okanagan Valley, the Niagara Region, Pelee Island, and other smaller wine producing regions in Niagara.  David is comparing the Ontario wine industry with that of the B.C. industry, more specifically the industry in the Okanagan Valley. In mid-October David flies out to BC to complete his field research. He has received a great deal of interest from planning departments and planning organizations throughout Ontario and British Columbia.

Community Participation in Economic Development Activities
John Wall

Do economic development activities that really involve their communities have significantly different results from other types of initiatives? This is the question that John Wall is addressing in his research. Based in eastern Ontario, John is interviewing leaders of economic development organizations and the professionals who support them. 

These interviews will help economic development practitioners recognize and understand various viewpoints and assumptions about types of economic development activities. Furthermore, the research explores how different types of participation  relate to economic development, and which methods of participation are most widely used and most effective. 

When complete, the results of the research will be compiled into a summary of "Lessons for Practice" which will be made available to participants in the research and other interested people. 

Planning Policy and Research Division of the Region of Peel
Jenifer Newcombe

  Jenifer Newcombe is a SRP&D masters student carrying out her internship in the.  Her focus has been to collect and analyze data for a community well-being indicators project, and to provide research and background to aid the regional Working Group in their choice of representative and effective indicators for the region. Peel is producing their first ever well-being report card, to be released publicly later this fall by regional council. One of the interesting aspects of this project is Peel's recognition that this year's report card is only a first step. The region is engaged in a long term project and are committed to experimenting with the use of qualitative surveys to support a more complex and comprehensive picture of life in Peel.
As an internship, Jenifer notes that it has been a very valuable experience to work in the initial stages of an important project, to work across interdisciplinary lines with various regional departments, to work with other regions and learn from their knowledge, to hone her statistical and stat software skills, and to gain hands on experience in a regional planning department.
 

Biosphere Reserves and Tourism in the Bruce Peninsula
Nicolas de Salaberry

Nicolas de Salaberry, a student of the School of Rural Planning and Development, has been researching potential links between the tourism industry and a biosphere reserve located in Niagara Escarpment.  Nic's study has been focused on the Bruce Peninsula, which is the Northern Part of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve (NEBR).  The study was undertaken in response to a UNESCO interest to popularize the Biosphere concept as well as the apparent lack of recognition for the designation among residents and the touring public.  Funding for the project was obtained from the Ontario Heritage and Parks Canada.  The Bruce County Department of Planning and Economic Development assisted in the process.

The Primary goals of the project were to explain what biosphere reserves are, to explain why the biosphere reserve designation has received very limited integration into the NE tourism sector, to increase awareness of the biosphere concept in the peninsula, and to establish recommendations based upon the situation as viewed by residents.  The research involved various interviews, focus groups, and an intense literature review.

The Niagara Escarpment is a repository of natural wealth that includes many rare species of plants and animals, as well as a number of unique habitats.  Nearly 6 million people live within 100 km of the Escarpment, making developmental pressures and impacts from human activities a serious threat to the natural integrity of the Biosphere reserve.  The designation of Biosphere reserves is given by the UNESCO under the Man and the Biosphere program.  Biosphere reserves promote a balanced interaction between man and nature.  Their focus is to promote three functions.  These are the conservation of landscapes and ecosystems; economic development which is ecologically and culturally sustainable; and to provide research, monitoring, training, and education to conservation and sustainable development issues. 

Nic's findings suggest that the biosphere concept represents a good 'fit' with tourism as practiced in the Bruce Peninsula.  They share complimentary objectives and rely heavily on cooperation for positive results.  These findings have been presented to the Central Bruce Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, the Bruce county Council, the Bruce Peninsula Ecotourism Group, and the Niagara Escarpment Commission.
 

Exceptional Waters - Understanding the Process of Co-operative Management
Ryan Plummer

 A research project to determine the process by which waters of exceptional quality may be managed as a community resource has been undertaken by Ryan Plummer in the School of Rural Planning and Development.  The project which aims to provide a unique or high quality outdoor experience for anglers and other outdoor recreation interests while promoting sustainability also involves Dr. John FitzGibbon and Jack Imhof.

As recreational opportunities and properties surrounding lakes begin to reach capacity, attention and pressure is increasingly being put on river corridors.  Ownership of the property in the river corridor is somewhat complex.  Water is generally regarded as a common resource (public).  Individuals, however, may privately own land up to the river and sometimes even the river bottom.  Given this situation, river corridors are often considered a modified common property system.  Within these systems there has been an increasing pressure for multiple purposes such as fishing, hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, tubing, jet-skiing, birding, business, and walking.  Sometimes competition and conflicts occur between user-groups for limited resources with desirable attributes.  The trend towards privatization further erodes public recreational opportunities.  The complexity, conflicts and potential environmental degradation in these systems suggest that some type of management is required if they are to be sustainable.

Given the importance of understanding this research, a number of partners have contributed both financial and in-kind support towards a research initiative.  Initial funding partners include: the national non-profit conservation organization, Fly-Fishing Canada; the provincial government agency, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; and, the Toronto based private fishing club; Izaak Walton Fly-Fishing Club.  Contributions of time, office space and expertise come from a number of organizations.  Examples of organizations making such contributions include:  the University of Guelph; the Grand River Conservation Authority; the Ontario Steelheaders; Huron County Trails Association; Saugeen Watershed Fly-Fishers; Brantford Parks and Recreation; Six Nations Eco-center; and, Huron County Planning Department.

The research is to be structured through a multiple case-study methodology.  Each case focuses on a reach of river that is of an "exceptional quality" in the context of Southern Ontario.  In each case, a Participant Action Research (PAR) approach will be employed.  Such an approach involves the implementation of a planned action.  It is anticipated that in each case all landowners, angling groups, guides, local governments and other recreational interests will be contacted.  After working with each group to build their agenda, the groups will be brought together to address concerns and issues that were identified in the agenda building phase.  Interviews, participant observations and focus groups are techniques to be used that facilitate taking information from the process to theory.

Anticipated results of this study make contributions to: the theory of environmental governance; the professional practice of river corridor management; and, the formation of three functioning community-based organizations on rivers of exceptional quality.  In sum, the research initiative serves as a pilot project through which the cooperative-management process around river corridors may be understood.  This understanding provides the basis to develop a program that will foster and facilitate the formation of community-based groups to manage river corridors. 
 

Guelph Student Researches Homelessness in the Region
Shannon Smith

Shannon Smith, a SRP&D 2nd year student in the Canadian stream is currently practicing everything she learned about social research in class last year!  In a summer project with the United Way of Guelph and Wellington, Shannon is researching how many homeless folks there are, who they are, what related housing services and supply exists, and what needs to exist to facilitate adequate housing for them. The final report will be used to inform funding allocations by the United Way and other funding agencies. 
Shannon found the research to be far more interesting than she ever imagined.  On-the-ground research involved listening the stories of people who are currently experiencing homelessness (or have in the past), talking with local service providers and outreach workers; as well as day-time park investigations and night time street counts with the Guelph Police. “The research is truly fascinating and is giving me insight into an issue that is clearly a hot one at the moment. The positive response from the Guelph community was nothing less than impressive.”  The final report will be released in September or October.
 

Summer on the Island:  Developing an Aboriginal Ecotourism Plan with the Mi’kmaw People of Prince Edward Island 
By: Brian McHattie

From mid-May to mid-August,  I had the distinct pleasure of working with Chief Charlie  trk and the members of the Lennox Island First Nation on Epekwith aq Piqtuk, Mi’kmaw traditional Territory -- one of more than 30 Mi’kmaw Bands across the Mariuemes, Quebec and the north-eastern United States.  Lennox Islan00is a 500 hectare well-forested island situated (now connected to the mainland Prince Edward Isa nd by a causeway) on the shores of Malpeque Bay, an internationally acclaimed wetland. Home to the Mi’kmaw People for thousands of years, Lennox Island is ideally situated to attract visitors from around the globe.

This journey all started with my response to an e-mail from Charlie Greg Sark ( RPD grad 1996) who offered the opportunity for an RPD’er to come and get experience in Prince Edward Island (thanks CG!!).  In the middle of a Guelph winter the thought of spending the summer on the shores of an island was pretty attractive. From that opportune beginning and then through a grant from the Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Programme from Carleton University in Ottawa , and the First Nations Forestry Programme I found myself working through RPD to assist in developing an Aboriginal ecotourism strategy for Lennox Island.

Over the summer my activities involved working with the community on developing a three year tourism strategic plan, opening a Mi’kmaw Cultural Centre, making contacts with government personnel and other organizations, writing funding proposals, arranging for community training in hospitality skills, and assisting with ecological issues.  In all of this I have received the sage advice (and as always, great personal support) of Professor Jackie Wolfe-Keddie. Important administrative assistance was provided by Joan Cascio, John Fitzgibbon and Anna Galina. In the bargain, I have learned a great deal about Mi’kmaw culture and customs (including some language), how First Nation government works (including information on treaties), and how to adapt my southern Ontario crspy headspace to the slower pace of Prince Edward Island (that should help in India, I hope)! 

In between times, I managed to get in two sea kayaking trips around Malpeque Bay, a four day backpacking experience up hill and dale along the Fundy coast organized by fellow RPD’er 
Molly den Heyer (my knees are only now recovering!), a weekend with the whales on Grand Manan Island, an da five day soujourn amongst the rich Celtic and Acadian cultures of Cape Breton - all great educational experiences in themselves.

How has my education at RPD helped me? Well, I think my conversations with the Diploma students from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh provided me with the best education on development issues that I could have ever received. The Uphoff book, Reasons for Success from Farokh’s IRDP course and the concept of “assisted self-reliance” was always in my mind, and Harry’s Evaluation course was probably the most practical course that I took - the results chains that I spun off for the funding requests really impressed the government types and will provide the Lennox Island ecotourism programme with good guidance in the years ahead. 

So, remember, when you see an e-mail offering an opportunity from an alumni or other source, seize the day as it just may well lead towards one of the best experiences ever!
 

Building Capacity with Rural Women in Ontario
John Gaudi, Lisa Hayles, Amisha Modi

A research project exploring capacity building for community-based organizations (CBO's) employed three students in Rural Planning this past summer. John Gaudi, Lisa Hayles, Amisha Modi (SRP&D) along with Catherine Reid (RES) worked for the summer months to review the literature of capacity building and identify the components of "capacity" for community based organizations. 

The Ontario Women's Directorate, (a provincial government agency) which funds many organizations supporting women and their families entered into a partnership with Women and Rural Economic Development (WRED), a provincial non-profit based in Stratford to conduct the research. The goal was to document how 's supporting women's economic empowerment can strengthen their organizational capacities and make the most of their existing resources. The project's steering committee identified close to 50 CBO's which are concerned with the advancement and economic development of women in Ontario including rural, urban, native and Francophone organizations. In-depth interviews were conducted by the students with 29 of these 's in order to understand their needs and practices in terms of organizational development. 

As research assistants, the students were responsible for creating a draft literature review and contributed to an interview guide to be used in discussions with the staff of selected CBO's. They also prepared an annotated bibliography on various aspects of organizational development for community based groups. 
One of the most surprising findings of the research was the importance of non-formal aspects of capacity to the health and strength of these organizations. Ms. Hayles commented, "Over and over again, the organizations I spoke with mentioned how invaluable they found the skills and expertise of their staff and board...they rarely mentioned training materials, books...it was really a question of learning by doing." 

Gianne Broughton, the research co-ordinator contracted by WRED and a SRP&D grad (Class of '91) will write up the final report which will document the needs, practices, successes and failures which relate to the building of organizational capacity of community-based organizations. The report will provide a "snapshot" of what some organizations are doing, describe any resources, training or tools the CBO'S used as well as and record any gaps in needs and tools. 

The research findings and literature review will provide input into the design for the proposed phase two of the project which involves the development of a partnership "consortium" composed of funding organizations and community groups. 

Ms. Modi noted that the team approach to the research ensured that both frustrations (tape recorders that s ped working during interviews!) and successes were shared. She continued, "We learned a great deal about conducting applied qualitative research which will be invaluable whether we chose to do a thesis or major paper." 
 

Intercultural Communication in the Canadian Planning Profession
Jennifer Ball
In her research, Jennifer Ball has brought together two seemingly unrelated areas, that of intercultural communication and that of the Canadian planning profession. While unconventional, this union comes at a time of increasing globalization, and therefore of intensified intercultural interactions. The study is of particular relevance to planners working in increasingly diverse local and international settings. The major paper is entitled, "Intercultural Communication: Its Role in the Canadian Planning Profession". 

This paper explores the awareness and use of intercultural communication skills within the planning profession in Ontario. Case studies, from Kensington Market in Toronto and from Wellesley Township, provide examples of interactions between culture and the planning processes in both urban and rural contexts. These highlight the role culture can play in situations of potential conflict and then draw out specific skills needed in planning situations in an international context. The study shows that cultural and ethnic diversity are local and global realities which planners must learn to work with and begin to view as positive resources in generating creative alternatives. This requires both personal awareness and sensitivity toward differences in others. 

Planners need also to be prepared, through the acquisition of intercultural communication skills, to more effectively participate in their local and global environment. It is Jennifer's contention that planners, whether domestic or international, as part of their skill set, need to be equipped with skills in intercultural communication. Ultimately, their ability to communicate effectively between and across cultures will play a significant role in enhancing their overall effectiveness and that of the profession in the coming future. 
 

International Topics

Environmental Entitlements and Institutional Arrangements for Forest Resource Use in Nepal
Andrew Spezowka

In May 1999, Andrew Spezowka set off to Nepal for his research on "Environmental Entitlements and Institutional Arrangements for Forest Resource Use".   After an inspiring flight over the Himalayas and six weeks of language training, Andrew has settled in Ilam, in Eastern Nepal near the border with Darjeeling, India. 

Supported by a CIDA research grant, and an Arthur D. Latornell Graduate Scholarship and Travel Award, Andrew is collaborating with the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) and its Nepali NGO partners to examine how socially-differientated actors access and control non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in state and community forests, and how these in turn maintain rural livelihoods.  Drawing on the work of Nobel Economist Amartya Sen, environmental entitlements refer to alternate sets of benefits derived from environmental goods and services over which people have legitimate effective command and which are instrumental in achieving well-being.  Placed in the context of NFTPs, environmental entitlements are mediated by formal and nonformal institutions which shape the context to competing claims to land, forest resources and development benefits.  Andrew's research is focussing on how community entitlements to NTFPs, and the institutional arrangements through which these entitlements are mediated, can in turn enhance people's capability, in other words, what people can do or be with their entitlements.  Interest in NTFPs (which includes medicinal and aromatic plants, resins, and other non-timber products) is growing as a result of the recognition of their economic value in Nepal.  Current estimates of yearly production vary from US$ 20 million to US$ 28 million, with about 100 traders handling approximately 42,000 tons of NTFP gathered by a multitude of village collectors.  The challenge is not only to manage NTFP resources sustainably but also to keep economic benefits derived from local natural resources within local communities. 

Outside of his research, Andrew is eating a lot of dhaal bhaat, tending his chickens, rooster, cat and, goat, plus hiking, painting, and catching up on the works of Pablo Neruda, G. Marquez, and Jeanette Winterson.  The Himalayas are a highly recommended venue for these pursuits.  To remind himself of Guelph, Andrew takes a seven hour motorcycle ride to the house of fellow SRP&D researcher, Lillian Thomas and her husband Alex.  Their daughter Madeleine, a quick student of Nepali, is a constant source of inspiration.
 

Researching the Impact of Market Crisis at the Grassroots in India
by Carolyn Switzer

On June 7, 1998, after a gruelling 36 hours in transit, I stepped off the Malaysian Airlines 737 into the 46-degree dry heat of Delhi. With 14 other Canadians by my side to cushion the culture shock, I immersed myself in the sights and sounds of India, and prepared for the rigors of conducting research in a completely different environment. 

My first nine weeks in India were spent participating in the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute’s Summer Programme. The programme began in Delhi in early June, where the weather soon forced us to retreat to the Himalayan foothills. Three weeks were spent in Almora, Uttar Pradesh, followed by three weeks in the far south, Kerala.  The programme exposed us to a wide variety of experiences, ranging from lectures on India’s environment and development; to seeing the sun rise and set over the southernmost tip of the subcontinent, where the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal meet.

The Shastri Programme served as an excellent orientation to the diverse culture and environment of India. In September I began a six-month internship with Dr. Vandana Shiva at the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in Delhi. My research was conducted with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), U of G’s Centre for International Programmes and SRP&D’s International Field Studies Grant.

The RFSTE is highly responsive to current events of political, economic and ecological importance to India. As such, I was assigned the task of investigating a tragedy that had occurred in northern India in the summer of 1998. In August, northern India experienced an outbreak of “dropsy”, a potentially fatal condition caused by the deliberate adulteration of domestic mustard oil with toxic argemone seed. The tragedy resulted in the wide-scale re-evaluation of India’s policies governing food safety, agricultural priorities and regulated markets. Industry representatives and the media speculated that this crisis and the subsequent policy changes would have significant impacts on the production decisions of farmers’ growing mustard, on informal sector mustard oil processors, and on the availability and affordability of culturally appropriate edible oils. Also, the crisis event occurred as the international community increased it’s pressure on India to deregulate and liberalize it’s agricultural commodities market.

In order to examine the impact of this crisis event on farmers, I conducted two case studies, one in Rajasthan and the other in Uttar Pradesh, the two largest mustard producing states in India. I conducted approximately 95 questionnaires with farmers of various sized land holdings in both case studies in order to better understand the factors that influence their production decisions. Also, with the help of several NGO’s in Delhi, I conducted over 30 interviews with mustard oil consumers in low income communities and key informants in the edible oil sector. I am in the process of developing a simple political economy model of the impact of the crisis event in the edible oil sector.

Working with Dr. Vandana Shiva, was one of the highlights of my time in India. Her experience in the international development community provided me with new insight into applied development theory and the dynamics of international partnerships. 

While in Delhi I briefly studied Hindi, thrived on masala dosas, chai and Indian sweets, and learned to love Hindi movies. My modes of transportation, including rickshaws, local buses, trains, motorcycles, bicycles, camels, elephants, donkey carts and dug out canoes, were as diverse as the food I sampled and the people I met.  In total, I spent ten unforgettable months in India and crossed the sub-continent six times. With assorted friends and family, I travelled through eleven states, reaching as far as Darjeeling in the east, Kanya Kumari in the south, Almora in the north and Bombay in the west. To SRP&D newcomers, I highly recommend conducting research in India.
 

Studying Housing Improvement in the Phillipines
Ashley Bristowe

Ashley Bristowe received the Asia Pacific Foundation travel grant to undertake research in the Philippines. The project spanned October 1997 to January 1998 and focussed on the factors that impact on when and by what means people will improve their housing. This research was carried out in Cainta, a municipality in Metro Manila, and Ashley stayed with a host family of two parents, eight children, two grandparents, and six birds for her period in the field. You can only imagine the daily laundry load. The host site of Igorot Village was composed of longtime settlers in the area of Igorot background, a minority in the Manila area. Igorot Village has a strong local history of mutual support and community development, and the community had a variety of housing. In total ten weeks were spent in the field. Whoo-hoo! 
 

Responsible Travel Internship Gives Insight on Global Relations
Michelle Crossfield
Global Exchange in San Francisco, California is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing global awareness among the North American public, while building international partnerships around the world. The Global Exchange objectives are achieved through several program areas, including Reality Tours, the Fair Trade Program, and Public Education and Campaigns. 

Michelle Crossfield, a Canadian stream SRP&D student, undertook an internship at Global Exchange. She was attracted to the organization because of its commitment to increasing North Americans' awareness of international issues such as poverty, homelessness, and unemployment, and its commitment to demonstrating the relevancy of those issues n North America. Despite being in the Canadian stream, Michelle is still very interested in international concerns and recognizes that in many instances the two are really not separable. 

Michelle interned within Reality Tours, a program that organizes socially responsible tours to various destination including Cuba, Mexico, Indonesia, India, and South Africa. These tours examine various issues facing the particular country, such as the conflict in Northern Ireland, land struggles in Brazil, and human rights in Guatemala. Michelle was mainly involved in the research for a proposed tour, the development of a marketing plan for a new tour, the creation of the outreach materials, and the maintenance of client contact. 

Michelle's internship at Global Exchange was helpful in developing skills and knowledge that will be valuable for work in the non-profit sector. She was able to gain hands-on experience in the areas of marketing and media relations, non-profit funding and budgeting, volunteer management, and of course, with socially responsible travel and tourism issues. 
 

Drama as an Agricultural Extension Tool in Uganda
Jean Munro

In October 1997, Jean Munro set off to South Western Uganda in East Africa for her research on the Appropriateness and Effectiveness of Drama as an Agriculture Extension Tool. She worked with CIAT, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture and ICRAF, the International Center for Research on Agroforestry as well as a women's group called the Abekundire Women's Group. The research was funded by the Environmental Capacity Enhancement Project. 

She evaluated a 1996 project on Drama as a Technology Transfer Tool by looking at indigenous knowledge systems. The role of drama in Ugandan culture, farmer's views of various extension tools and the impact that one play had on four rural communities. Although there were numerous faults in the specific project evaluated, drama did prove do be an innovative solution to the current poor extension service in Uganda. Overall it proved to be a viable and appropriate extension tool. The results from the evaluation interested other International Agriculture Research Centers and Jean was able to visit several research centers in Eastern Africa to discuss and present the results of her work. 
 

Local Governance in Bolivia
Irene Gannitsos
In 1995 the government of Bolivia introduced a package of related reforms aimed at creating a more decentralized, effective and participatory government structure. One of these reforms, the Law of Popular Participation (LPP), devolves financial resources and authority to 311 territorially-based municipalities, with autonomous elected governments. It also establishes legal mechanisms for the direct participation of community organizations in the municipal planning and management process, in the areas of education and health infrastructure, roads, productive technology, and water and sanitation. 

This was the research area of Irene Gannitsos, who spent six months in Pucarani, in the Andean region of the country. She lived with the mayor of the village of 800, and spent time observing planning meetings, interviewing community members and leaders, and generally exploring how the new law would blend conventional administration with indigenous traditions of self rule. 

This is a critical question, because until the LPP, rural communities comprising 42% of the nations population have had no official linkages to the state and little access to its resources. However, there exists a strong system of local governance based on a long-standing tradition of community and ethnic organization. These organizations have been the principal mechanisms for the participation of rural people in national political and economic life. Since they now become the principal actors in the municipal planning process, it is necessary to understand how they operate, how they are affected by the Law and how they, in turn affect the Law's implementation. 

This research studied the fit between the practices and customs of community organizations and the LPPs objectives and processes in one rural municipality consisting of 60 communities. It attempted to identify the factors, at the community level, that affect the municipal planning process. Such information can facilitate the identification of strategies to support the this process and the construction of synergistic relationships between municipal government and rural community organizations. 

After concluding her research, Irene was employed in Bolivia by Strategies for International Development for five months. During this time she worked on an evaluation of a micro-credit program and on the development of municipal strengthening project. This project aimed to introduce participatory planning methodologies for the preparation of five year municipal plans. 
 

Working with SRP&D Diploma Alumni in Pakistan
Tarik Ali Khan
A guard tower on the Great Wall of China, Kazakh and Kirghiz yurts, a Tibetan monastery residence, the foot of a Hunza glacier, and the roof of a bus going down the Karakoram Highway. What do all of these places have in common? They are just some of the places Tarik Ali Khan was fortunate enough to rest his weary head at night during a six-week experiential education program for US high school students in the summer of 1997. Retracing the footsteps of traders, scholars, and pilgrims along the ancient ‘silk route’, the group of twelve students and three leaders traveled overland from Beijing, China to Islamabad, Pakistan. Tarik was one of the leaders. They crossed the Tibetan plateau, Central Asia’s Taklamakan Desert, the Karakoram mountains and the Himalayas before reaching the sweltering plains of Punjab. 

Tarik then began a four month internship with the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) in the mountainous Northern Areas of Pakistan. Tarik and his wife, Sangye, worked closely with SRP&D Mid-Career Program graduates Ghulam Hussain (1996-1997) and Nazir Ahmad (1994-1995) at AKRSP’s Baltistan regional office. They completed a number of research assignments and, more importantly, got a chance to see this large NGO in action. AKRSP has transformed the lives of small landholders in this remote region of Pakistan through small scale infrastructure development, credit facilities and farming extension. After studying AKRSP in SRP&D courses, Tarik says it was great to see the real thing. 

Another work project was a short consultancy for IDRC’s FoodLinks initiative.

Tarik assisted SRP&D alumnus Najeeb Mirza on a project for improved dried apricot production in Northern Pakistan. As research assistant he studied the socioeconomic impacts of the intensive apricot drying season and new technologies on Balti farm households. And Tarik Ali Khan ate a lot of apricots. 

His own research project stems from his work as a former SRP&D Diploma Program Assistant. Tarik studied AKRSP’s development catalysts or social organizers, who mobilize communities within the AKRSP program area. His study includes an analysis of the applicability of the Diploma Program to catalyst learning needs. Interviewing Diploma alumni over endless rounds of chai (tea) was a major highlight of Tarik’s fieldwork. Their hospitality and appreciation for their SRP&D experience was heart-warming. Salaams were expressed to faculty and alumni as well as the wish to be in closer collaboration with SRP&D through more student internships, faculty visits, and even an alumni association in Pakistan! 

But Tarik claims that his best rural development was the birth of his sun, Karim Ali Khan,conceived in Skardu (2500 m) and born in Guelph this summer!