Factors in the success of common property resource institutions

Abstract

Collective farming enterprises can provide opportunities for capacity building through shared learning and institutional development, along with improved farming efficiencies to optimize financial social and ecological benefits (see Brunckhorst & Coop, this issue). They do so by sharing and management of knowledge, expertise, responsibility, infrastructure and natural resources. Other capacities and resources such as time, labour, equipment and money are freed up for allocation in other activities or diversification. Common Property Resource (CPR) institutions provide a means of achieving more holistic resource allocation and management for sustainability; however, there is still clear ownership (group or collectively of individuals) of property (any object including land or other resource) in some form that includes certain rights and responsibilities for the individual members of the collective arrangement (see Williamson et al., in Press).