Understanding the adoption of sustainable natural resource management practices and the role of ecological design within the milieu of chronic conflict and political instability: A case study of smallholder households in Nimba County, Liberia

This dissertation is about rural, subsistence-level smallholder households' adoption of sustainable natural resource management (NRM) practices within the milieu of enduring disorder and persistent poverty. Theoretically, a sustainable livelihoods framework served to illuminate the interrelationships between households and biophysical and social landscapes, and the corresponding constraints and opportunities to adoption of NRM practices. The research provides insight into whether and how external assistance can be used more effectively to enable smallholder households to secure their basic needs, promote self-reliance, and adopt sustainable NRM practices as a means of breaking the unending cycle of natural resource degradation and persistent poverty.; This research was accomplished with a case study of 55 individuals from four villages in upper Nimba County, Liberia, who attended an 18-week Integrated Pest Management-Farmer Field School (IPM-FFS). The training included seven low-external input and sustainable agriculture (LEISA) practices and two productive conservation practices. A grounded theory approach with complementary research techniques to incorporate qualitative and quantitative data collection was employed. Respondents completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Photo-documented field observations and interviews with key informants were used to verify and supplement data provided by IPM-FFS participants.; The grounded theories regarding adoption under uncertainty are: (1) potential NRM practices must be compatible with predominant livelihood strategies and address sources of vulnerability; (2) anything that increases a household's exposure to risk---or their perceptions of exposure to risk---will seem less attractive, even if it could potentially provide dependable and lucrative sources of income; and (3) NRM practices will not succeed without a commitment to low input requirements---especially financial requirements---for households to be able to adopt. Appropriate ecological design interventions include: context-specific agro-ecosystem diversity, farmscaping, and the use of home gardens for small-scale experimentation of new NRM practices. The results are applicable to similar socio-political contexts and contribute to the fields of Natural Resource Management and Ecological Design.; Chronic conflict and political instability present a challenge to development initiatives. Providing 'developmental relief' to households and communities is akin to ecosystem recovery following a perturbation. The flux between periods of peak crisis and stability present numerous opportunities for 'developmental relief' interventions beginning with training opportunities in refugee camps.