Tomás Lindemann, FAO expert, Rural Institutions Service, SDAR, FAO: "The Thematic Groups of the Network could exercise an important lobbying function in relation to the Ministries of Finance and Interior in order to channel resources towards rural populations in the context of a growing trend towards decentralization."

In this interview, Tomás Lindemann, FAO expert, Rural Institutions Service, SDAR, FAO, explains the concept of decentralization in recent years, the current state of these processes, and their importance in the agricultural sector, and at the same time he underlines the need to involve civil society in this field.

What is decentralization?

It is the process by which governments transfer capacities from the central government to subordinate units at the regional level. Decentralization, as it is understood today, implies a transition from the sectorial management of natural resources to a management which is steadily more territorially based. The literature on this topic identifies three levels that have ruled the concept since the 1980s:

--Deconcentration, the least elaborate form of decentralization, is the process by which the central government transfers a responsibility to managers located on the periphery but under the control of the centre.

--Delegation, which would have a more advanced character, is the transfer of responsibilities to paranational organizations or bodies of the civil society for the execution of certain specified tasks.

--Devolution, which is the most advanced form, consists of a transfer from the central government to the local governments, granting full autonomy in decision making and auditorship over the use of acquired resources. This latter concept in English is defined as "accountability" (rendering accounts), which, in devolution, pertains to local civil society, who democratically elect their representatives.

Why is decentralization necessary in the agricultural sector?

Decentralization has, firstly, advantages for the more efficient management of natural resources and for agricultural productivity at the local level, inasmuch as it transfers the responsibility of both to the local institutions that find themselves closer to the populations in charge of executing this use of natural resources. In the jargon of rural development, we usually speak of the "principle of subsidiaries", which holds that the efficiency of institutions is a function of their proximity to the beneficiary society.

Secondly, decentralization is closely linked to democratization, since election by popular vote extends even to the local levels. Previously, many mayors were appointed by the central government. The processes of decentralization which unfolded for example in Latin America during the 1990s give rise to new laws for election of local authorities through voting and this is also having a political impact of momentous significance. Productivity and democratization are two concepts that have much to do with just and equitable rural development, with food security and with the reduction of poverty.

Are the processes of decentralization in Asia and Africa in such an advanced state as in Latin America?

This varies from one country to another. In India, for example, we have the Panchayat or community councils, predating English colonization, which have a strong influence on rural development at the local level in the country. In the Philippines, in addition to the local authorities similar to those of Latin America, there are the traditional local authorities, called barangay, which had vast responsibilities during the land reform implemented by the government of Corazon Aquino. In the case of China, although new decentralization has been attempted, the instruments of democracy were not available, and this illustrates the importance that decentralized management can have in assuring that the most important advances of civilization arrive to the most remote communities. The entire country, for example, is crossed by paved roads constructed on the basis of community work organized from local institutions.

In the case of Africa, I am afraid that one of the most important obstacles to decentralization is the competition and conflict of interests that arise between the governmental authorities and the traditional tribal chiefs. A major challenge that confronts decentralization in Africa is the respect by and the democratization of tribal structures.

What conditions are necessary in a country to be able to implement a process of decentralization?

During the Technical Consultation on Decentralization in Rome in December 1997, at the FAO headquarters, with the assistance of the World Bank, the IFAD, GTZ and other partners, it was insisted that one of the most important elements for successful decentralization was the existence of a strong central government, with a clear vision of the national plan of action. The second condition is that the decentralization itself be conceived as a transversal process, which cuts horizontally through the different sectors related to regional and local development. This means that decentralization has a breaking-up effect on the sectors, changing from a sectorial to a territorial management of natural resources. To take the example to the field of the arts, we can say that sectorial management of resources, like music, has a duration in time. The rhythm of this dance is often marked from the centre, obligating the local populations to dance to a rhythm which is not their own. Territorial management, on the other hand, is more like painting, as it occurs in space. With this, the marks left by this type of management are far more enduring over time. But the idea is not to invalidate the role of sectorial management; in many cases, the sectorial national priorities should prevail over local ones.

How can decentralization be implemented in countries lacking the appropriate judicial framework for such processes?

It is true that decentralization requires appropriate laws that generate a suitable environment for such processes to be successful. This is the case, for example, in Bolivia, where the decentralization laws and the popular participation greatly facilitated the process during the 1990s. In the case of Boliva, the entire apparatus of the central government was reorganized so that it was linked more closely to a transversal than a sectorial approach to development, strongly in alignment with the proposals for the human development promoted by the UNDP.

Now, a reverse process may also occur: that of consolidation of institutional capacities from the bottom to the top, regardless of whether an appropriate legal framework exists. In the case of Honduras, where the decentralization law still requires greater elaboration, the FAO manages a project in the district of Lempira Sur, which seeks to guarantee the food security of the local population and the sustainable management of the fragile mountain slopes in the zone. As the beacon for these two objectives, a proposal has been made to reinforce the municipal structure, beginning from the Community Development Councils (CODECO), which represent isolated and remote communities, so that the inhabitants of these communities participate in decision making within the municipality. Above this level, there is an association of towns in Lempira Sur which joins together 11 municipalities and has much more weight negotiating with the national authorities on demands which arise from the bottom. All this, developing since the 1990s, is changing the rules of the game in a gradual but radical way. Furthermore, through these structures, the central government can funnel its resources to the most remote communities. In this way, management of agricultural development based on demand is verified. The results of all of this were seen when, during Hurricane Mitch, the least damaged zone, despite having the most fragile mountainsides of the country, was in fact Lempira Sur. Its population had also accumulated corn reserves that could be channelled to benefit their compatriots in other parts of the country.

Is it necessary to involve civil society in the decentralization processes?

It is of the utmost importance. In addition to the three levels of decentralization mentioned before, there are another two: privatization and strategic alliances. These latter are of paramount importance in an international context of diminishing resources for supplying services at the local level. With the institutional vacuum caused by the structural adjustments begun in the mid-1980s, the ministries responsible for the development of agriculture, forestry and fishing, found their budgets drastically reduced. In Venezuela, to cite one example, the Agriculture Ministry saw its personnel reduced from 30,000 to 2,000 functionaries. In Ecuador, the reduction was 10,000 to 600. At the same time, thanks to decentralization laws, municipalities, civil society organizations (CSOs) and NGOs have gained steadily greater importance. It is fitting to distinguish here between a CSO and an NGO. An NGO is financed with resources outside the local population and therefore the accountability pertains to an outside entity. A CSO is financed by its members, which therefore have the control of the organization. At the same time, with greater and greater momentum, enterprises in the private sector have been emerging to play an ever stronger role in the rural world, stemming from the decline in the governmental subsidies. Businesses begin to assume functions that had traditionally belonged to the ministries. All these partners are present in the local communities, and the great challenge is to link these together to create synergy and thereby avoid the duplication of efforts.

In this sense, what part can the UN System Network play?

The synergy should be promoted both at the local as well as at the national level. It is important for central governments to continue being strong and at this level the Thematic Groups of the Network could provide (they are already doing so on many occasions) a role of bringing together and collecting resources, which can reach the local levels in order to encourage local and agricultural development. The Thematic Groups, facing the virtual disappearance of the ministries of agriculture as well as diminishing resources for rural development, can channel resources and lobby the ministries of the interior and finance to channel these resources to municipalities of the rural sector, so that not everything is concentrated in the largest cities but also reaches remote communities, which normally register the highest indices of food insecurity and environmental degradation.

Another job that could be filled by the Thematic Groups is that of promoting plans to collect the remittances sent home by foreign workers for productive investment. Throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia, today, one of the largest sources of generating currency are these emigrants home remittances. The hope is that the Thematic Groups can design mechanisms to collect these resources and invest them productively. This is a subject that is still hardly explored but of vital importance for the future of rural communities.