FutureGenerations

This article, published in Himalaya, examines the community forestry and private plantation practices of the Apatani people of Arunachal Pradesh, India. It then highlights conservation solutions unique to the Apatani. Learn about new approaches to forestry and ancient traditions of co-planting bamboo with blue pine.

Future Generations Autumn 2009 newsletter features articles on:

• Reducing child mortality in Afghanistan
• Kitchen gardens raising women's empowerment in Northeast India
• New Pendeba Society in Tibet, China
• Connecting students through DimDim
• Alumni News: Women's Photovoice
• Kresge Planning Grant for Green Campus

Development, in today's context, should be sustainable, something to which the common man can relate, and lead to a future which they can own.  Arunachal Pradesh in the North East of India has a relative advantage as a late starter in the development arena.  It can still learn from the mistakes of other regions which have fallen prey to to a skewed perception of development.  Under this context, how can sustainable development be brought about in the face of fast depleting natural resources and tendency of the community to depend on somebody high up or powerful to initiate th

Why has the $2.3 trillion dollars spent by the West over the past four decades not had more of an impact in promoting health and decreasing poverty?

The economist William Easterly addresses this issue in his provocative new book, The White Man's Burden. His view is that we need to abandon the grandiose plans of the Planners and that we begin to develop new and effective ways for supporting those people he calls Searchers -- those who are working at the grassroots level and who are experimenting and learning by trial and error to solve local problems of poverty and health.