Surviving natural resource decline : exploring gender, class and social capital in Agbanga, Philippines

This case study depicts rural households in one village -- Agbanga -- that rely on a declining natural resource base for their livelihood, against the backdrop of a changing rural economy. The study demonstrates that a complex set of social relations based on resource exchange can be linked to specific resource management strategies which at the same time both (1) ensure the villagers" survival, and (2) impede natural resource preservation or renewal. Villagers in Agbanga rely significantly on social capital, in the form of exchange networks that provide collective benefits for the community. As the modern economy encroaches and population pressures increase, the threat of losing social capital as a source of immediate survival prevents villagers from practicing sustainable natural resource management despite their awareness of the long-term effects. For example, local people across social categories reap short-term benefits from activities such as dynamite fishing. When fishers dock their boats, they give out handfuls of anchovies which recipients can sell, give away, or cook into a dish which can last for several meals. The potential for improving the quality of life in Agbanga begins in understanding the importance of social exchanges -- whether the gift economy, labor-sharing arrangements, or kinship ties -- and how they are threatened by privatization and the market economy and how they encourage maladaptive natural resource management. The potential for sustainable growth in Agbanga, however, lies not in the abatement of social networks, but in their maintenance as a source of mutual concern, and their transformation to a source of strength.