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National REDD+ Strategy Development and Implementation Process in Tanzania. Mid Term Review. Final Report
Posted: 15 May 2013 09:02:12 GMT
The Norwegian Government funded REDD+ project portfolio in Tanzania is creating significant positive results across Tanzania. Along with the research project on climate change and a selection of pilot projects, the REDD+ Policy Project is helping lay the foundation for Tanzania’s future REDD activities. The mid-term review was carried out during March 2013, by independent consultants, Nordeco. The findings, opinions and conclusions in the mid-term review reports are those of the consultants. Project partners have been given the opportunity to respond to the draft mid-term review report in writing. -
Doing good by doing well? Statoil in Sub-Saharan Africa
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:53 GMT
This report, commissioned by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), examines Statoil’s exploration and production activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular how Statoil understands and acts in order to develop its social license to operate. This is assessed along three main avenues: (1) how Statoil understands its wider role and impact in the societies where it operates; (2) how Statoil develops this by means of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices; and (3) how much revenues Statoil generates to the benefit of the countries in question. The focus is on three countries where Statoil is an important actor, or is positioning itself to become one: Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania. What is Statoil’s footprint in these countries? -
'Mucupuki' Revisited: Assessing the Implications of PARP/A in Central Mozambique 2008-2011
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:50 GMT
This is the final report in a series of six studies to monitor and evaluate Mozambique’s Poverty Reduction Strategies PARP/A (2006-2012). The series focuses on three different areas in the country, including the District of Buzi in the central province of Sofala. Despite severe structural political and economic constraints, people in Buzi have seen small improvements in their socio-economic conditions between 2008 and 2011. In addition to their own hard work, the proximity to the city of Beira is a major reason for the advances made. Rather than counting on economic growth to ‘trickle down’, the government should remove constraints related to agriculture and income and facilitate rural-urban interaction. -
Assessing the Implications of PARPA II in Maputo 2007-2010
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:47 GMT
This brief presents the main conclusions from the fifth in a series of six studies monitoring and evaluating Mozambique’s poverty reduction strategy PARPA II, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. It analyses the constitution and dynamics of poverty and well-being in four bairros in the capital city Maputo, by revisiting the same communities and households three years after a first baseline-study conducted in 2007. - The study finds that improvements having taken place in Maputo between 2007-2010 in the areas of poverty reduction, education, health, water, electricity, sanitation etc. seem – ironically – to have brought further challenges to central and municipal government in the form of increasing demands for employment, income, social security and political accountability. -
Assessing the Implications of PARP/A in Central Mozambique 2008-2011
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:45 GMT
In a series of six studies, the local implications of Mozambique’s Poverty Reduction Strategies PARP/A (2006-2014) have been monitored and evaluated by focusing on the district of Murrupula, the city of Maputo and the district of Buzi. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data, each site has been visited twice with a three-year interval. This brief sums up the main findings from the revisit to the district of Buzi in 2011. - Despite severe structural political and economic constraints, people in the District of Buzi in central Mozambique have seen small but important improvements in their socio-economic conditions between 2008 and 2011. In addition to their own hard work, the proximity to the city of Beira is a major reason for the advances made. Rather than counting on economic growth to ‘trickle down’, the government should remove constraints related to agriculture and income and facilitate rural-urban interaction. -
Assessing Mozambique’s PARP/A 2006-2011: Local perspectives
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:42 GMT
Six years of impressive economic growth and classical poverty reduction policies in Mozambique have demonstrated the limited extent to which this has ‘trickled down’ to the local level – with the country falling on the Human Development Index and poverty reduction having come to a complete halt. Important progress has been made in public administration, physical infrastructure, education and health, but deep structural changes will be necessary in order to generate employment and income and reach the 55 percent of all Mozambicans who remain poor. -
Providing development aid to Africa : comparing South Africa with China, India and Brazil
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:38 GMT
South Africa’s planned development aid agency, South African Development Partnership Agency, is expected to be established in 2013. This provides a good opportunity to assess South Africas current role as provider of development aid to other African countries. This will be assessed against traditional development aid from the north (the OECD countries), but primarily South Africa’s evolving aid policies and practices will be compared to those of the other main South powers – China, India and Brazil. They have all in recent years rapidly expanded their development aid projects in Africa. -
Evaluation of Norway’s Bilateral Agricultural Support to Food Security
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:34 GMT
The purpose of this evaluation was “to assess to what extent Norwegian funds for agriculture have contributed to food security, with a view to get recommendations for future support”. The period under evaluation was 2005-2011. The evaluation focused on four aspects (clusters): 1. Contribution to food security. 2. Monitoring, evaluation and documentation. 3. Sustainability and scaling-up. 4. Financial analysis. The programmes under review were chosen in accordance with the selection criteria outlined in the terms of reference (ToR), reflecting the project size, as well as the size of the agreement partner implementing projects classified as OECD/DAC 311 (agriculture) and DAC 410 (general environmental protection). -
Evaluation of NDF's progress under the climate mandate
Posted: 14 May 2013 09:02:29 GMT
Background: In 2009 the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) was given a new mandate to provide financing to projects addressing the challenges posed by climate change. At the same time, NDF was given grants as a new financing instrument. Based on an assessment carried out by the NDF staff in early 2011, NDF’s Board decided to undertake an independent evaluation of NDF’s work under the climate mandate. The main objective for this evaluation should be to provide NDF with an independent assessment of the Fund’s activities during the first two years of operation under the climate and development mandate. The evaluation should focus on reviewing, assessing and validating the progress so far in achieving the objectives set out in the May 2009 Board paper “Future NDF Operations: An Outline for 2009-2011”, and identifying any other strategic choices that NDF should address in view of the changes in the international development co-operation and climate change agenda. -
Human energy requirements in Jatropha oil production for rural electrification in Tanzania
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:31 GMT
Mini-grids connecting households to a generator can be a solution for providing rural communities in developing countries with electricity. Substituting diesel with locally produced Jatropha oil can improve economic and environmental sustainability of rural electrification. Jatropha is known as a labor intensive crop, but little is known about how inclusion of human energy input will affect the energy balance of production of Jatropha oil. In this study we investigate human labor requirements in rural electrification with Jatropha oil. Jatropha in this study in Tanzania was grown as living fences and provided multiple benefits. An energy flow chart of generation of electricity from Jatropha oil is presented, and it is shown that human energy expenditure in production of Jatropha oil is small relative to the overall energy in the system. - Open access peer reviewed article. -
Inequality watch
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:28 GMT
This report is a contribution to the development policy debate. It shows that it is a too narrow approach to limit the targets of development policy to growth or to lifting a population above an artificial poverty line. A clear prioritization of power and resources is needed. The report gives a thorough analysis of inequality and development in Bolivia, El Salvador, South Africa, and Mozambique. - The report gives recommendations to Norwegian development policy. -
Generosity and social distance in dictator game field experiments with and without a face
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:25 GMT
Field experiments combining dictator games with stated preference questions are used to elicit within subject and between subject sharing behavior with known family members and anonymous villager. A simple theoretical model incorporating social preferences, social distance and interdependent preferences is developed. The results show that generosity in form of probability of giving and amounts given are much lower towards anonymous villagers than to known family members. The probability of giving to the spouse is positively correlated with probability of giving to anonymous villager. Husbands and wives receiving positive amounts from their spouses (without knowing), were also more likely to give positive amounts to their spouses than those that received nothing from their spouses. Receiving positive amounts from spouse was uncorrelated with giving behavior towards anonymous villager. -
Links between Tenure Security and Food Security: Evidence from Ethiopia
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:21 GMT
The study uses five rounds of household panel data from Tigray, Ethiopia, collected 1998–2010 to assess the impacts of a land registration and certification program that aimed to strengthen tenure security and how it has contributed to increased food availability and thus food security in this food-deficit region. Our first survey took place just a year before the intervention (the land certification program). Our panel data in combination with the “years of certificate ownership” variable allow us to assess the dynamic impacts on food (calorie) availability of strengthened tenure security. Anthropometric data also allow us to assess potential child nutrition impacts of the reform 8-12 years after its implementation. Results show that land certification appears to have contributed to enhanced calorie availability, and more so for female-headed households, either through enhanced land rental market participation or increased investment and productivity on owner-operated land. -
Unbundling Land Administrative Reform: Demand for Second Stage Land Certification in Ethiopia
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:18 GMT
Ethiopia has implemented one of the largest, fastest and cheapest land registration and certification reforms in Africa. While there have been evidences of positive impacts of this land reform in terms of increased investment, land productivity and land rental market activities, the government is now piloting another round of land registration and certification that involves GPS measurement and computer registration. This ‘Second Stage land registration’ is expected to replace the registration from the first round that used field markings in combination with memory of the neighbors to identify plot borders. We use panel data from 600 households in two regions (Oromia and SNNP) to investigate household perceptions and demand for such a Second Stage reform. This study revealed a relatively low demand and WTP for Second Stage certificates. Households who attended a meeting on land registration are more interested and willing to pay for Second Stage certificate. -
Amazing maize in Malawi: Input subsidies, factor productivity and land use intensification
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:14 GMT
This paper uses three years of household farm plot panel data (2006-2009), covering six districts in central and southern Malawi to assess factor productivity and farming system development under the input subsidy program. All farm plots of the households were measured with GPS. Maize production intensified in this period as maize area shares of the total farm size were reduced while input use intensity and yields increased. Yields of improved maize were significantly (+323 kg/ha) higher than for local maize. Improved maize seeds were used on only half of the maize plots that received subsidized fertilizer causing fertilizer use inefficiency. -
Land tenure in Tigray: How large is the gender bias?
Posted: 07 May 2013 09:02:11 GMT
This study finds that female-headed households have 23% smaller owned landholdings and 54% smaller operational landholdings. Differences in characteristics such as age, labor, oxen and previous divorce explain less than half the differences in landholding sizes, while the remaining can be attributed to differences in returns to these characteristics. This indicates that there is a gender bias in access to land, even after land reforms that intended to strengthen women’s rights. The main policy recommendation is to further gender-sensitize the land certification process, strengthen women’s opportunities to cultivate their land and continue the process of securing women’s tenure rights. -
In our image: Norway’s Role in the Global Hydropower Industry
Posted: 14 Apr 2013 09:02:37 GMT
This report presents the scope of Norwegian state and public actors involved in hydropower internationally, including publicly-owned Statkraft and the state development finance institution Norfund. It presents cases and experiences from Norwegian projects in Africa, Latin-America and Asia. -
Good governance: key to local government in implementing REDD
Posted: 12 Apr 2013 09:02:42 GMT
Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are responsible for the provision of wide-ranging public services including environmental protection, forest conservation and development incentives, among others. But the key challenge for such incentives is governance. In 2010, having realized the potential role of LGAs and the key challenge in front, the research project titled “The role of local government in implementing REDD” was kick started. It aims to assess the current role of LAGs in relation to forest conservation and governance of “Reduced Emissions from Deforestations and Forest Degradation” (REDD) initiative in Tanzania. - Output from the Norwegian funded Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (CCIAM) Programme in Tanzania. -
Finding ways to build REDD+
Posted: 12 Apr 2013 09:02:39 GMT
Cutting down forests contributes to climate change. REDD+ is an international program which tries to tackle this practice, and Tanzania is part of the process. Universities like SUA are assisting in this and asking themselves “How best should REDD+ be built to ensure for sustainable development?”. The project “REDD Architecture in Tanzania: Assessment of REDD options for Livelihood Security and Sustainable Development” is looking at different ways of managing forest in Tanzania, and how it would work to add the REDD+ structure on top of these management systems. - Output from the Norwegian funded Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (CCIAM) Programme in Tanzania. -
Anthropogenic and natural influence on disease prevalence at the human-livestock-wildlife interface in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania
Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:02:44 GMT
Human activities in ecosystems interfere with natural processes and cause habitat fragmentation and loss. This restricts wildlife movement consequently reducing the gene flow and genetic diversity. Increased human encroachment on wildlife habitat compromises immunity and disturbs host-pathogen relationships resulting in disease outbreaks in naïve populations. The Serengeti ecosystem is a useful area to study interactions between disease, human factors and wildlife because it has some of the largest wildlife populations in Africa and areas surrounding the ecosystem hold some of the highest livestock populations in Tanzania which can interact freely with wildlife in some areas. PhD dissertation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2012 -
Water Scarcity in Bangladesh. Transboundary Rivers, Conflict and Cooperation
Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:02:20 GMT
It is often assumed that transboundary water systems are potential sources of conflict that can exacerbate political, social, and economic tensions and cause disputes concerning the distribution, use and management of water. While some scholars conclude that water wars are inevitable, others claim that engagement over water issues can serve to build peaceful cooperation, as its necessity is taken as common ground between states. Water stress can thus be seen not only as a potential source of conflict, but as an opportunity for cooperation. This report presents the results of a collaborative and multidisciplinary effort by a team of researchers from Norway and South Asia, approaching the issue of water scarcity in Bangladesh with a view not only to conduct research on river water availability, but also to help promote awareness and knowledge-sharing on river water management in the region. -
Moving women out of poverty through the development of small fish processing enterprises in Malawi
Posted: 26 Mar 2013 09:02:17 GMT
Malawi is one of the countries in Africa which is highly dependent on fish as a source of animal protein. Malawi produces about 70,000 tons of fish annually from its lakes, rivers and swamps. The fishing industry supports the livelihoods of 1.5 mill people in Malawi and contributes about 4% to the national GDP. With funding from the Norwegian MFA through the Lake Chilwa Climate Change Adaptation Programme, pilot value addition and fish marketing activities targeted at women groups were implemented in three sites. Self selected women groups were formed and trained in group dynamics, business management and fish processing. Experts introduced solar dryers and improved smoking kilns to the groups and conducted collaborative activities to demonstrate how adoption of these technologies could increase women incomes through production of high quality fish that could be sold to market outlets country wide at a higher price. -
Corruption in land administration: Roles for donors to minimise the problem
Posted: 23 Mar 2013 09:02:21 GMT
Land issues have been rising up the agenda of policy makers due to rapid urbanisation and high food prices. Yet, land administration is one of the most corrupt government activities. How should international donors respond? The first priority is to support domestic governments in improving land administration and anti-corruption processes in general. In addition, donors should undertake explicit analysis of the political economy of land, reduce the impact of their own projects on land administration corruption, help increase transparency and exploit international connections. -
Stolen Apes - The illicit trade in Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Bonobos and Orangutans
Posted: 08 Mar 2013 09:00:08 GMT
The illegal trade in wildlife makes up one part of the multi-billion dollar business that is environmental crime and is increasingly being perpetrated at the cost of the poor and vulnerable. To date, conservation efforts have failed the great apes. Year after year, conferences and seminars celebrate a “renewed” engagement to save the great apes, which leaves the participants, as well as the public, with a feel-good sense of optimism. Then, year after year, we are surprised that conservation efforts barely affect the race towards extinction. -
Elephants in the Dust - The African Elephant Crisis
Posted: 08 Mar 2013 09:00:02 GMT
The African elephant is facing the greatest crisis in decades. Reports of mass elephant killings in the media illustrate the situation across many African elephant range States. Surges in poaching, the illegal ivory trade and accelerating habitat and range loss have put African elephant populations at risk. This Rapid Response Assessment provides an overview of the status of elephants, poaching and illegal ivory trafficking along the entire ivory trade supply chain. Findings presented here were obtained from a range of sources, including The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme, the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), the IUCN/SSC African Ele phant Specialist Group (AfESG), the African and Asian Ele phant Database, the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), expert consultations and a range of other sources. -
The role of indigenous knowledge and perceptions of pastoral communities on traditional grazing management in north-western Tanzania
Posted: 28 Feb 2013 09:08:23 GMT
Traditional forage conservation, locally known as “ngitiliâ€, which involves retaining an area of standing vegetation from the beginning of rainy season and opening it up for grazing at the peak of dry season, has become an important strategy for rangeland rehabilitation in the north-western semi-arid part of Tanzania. The present study assessed the current rangeland management practices, the role of indigenous knowledge on ngitili conservation and perceptions of agropastoralists on communal resources management. Data were collected from a total of 10 villages of Shinyanga rural and Meatu district. Interviewed agro-pastoralists claimed that, unequal sharing of benefits accrued from communal resources and poor management of communal ngitili lead to the preference of private ngitili to communal ones. The contribution of indigenous knowledge of Sukuma people lead to the success of ngitili conservation. However, the sustainability of this vital local knowledge is questionable. -
Urban governance of climate change and health: A literature review
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 09:01:14 GMT
Climate change creates additional threats to existing health problems in developing countries. Among the most likely health problems due to climate change are increased incidences of water and vector-borne diseases due to more frequent flooding and higher temperature in such countries. A wide literature exist that documents and discusses the effects of climate change on health. This working paper reviews the literature on climate change and health with a particular focus on identifying the literature that discusses the governance aspects in linking climate change adaptation and mitigation to health in urban areas in developing countries. -
The Norwegian People's Aid, oil and development. A review of Oil for the Common Good (2007-2011)
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 09:01:11 GMT
The NPA has since 2007 implemented an Oil for the Common Good programme (OCG) with funding from Norad’s Oil for Development programme. The main purpose is to contribute to strengthening democratic control and participation in decision-making processes in petroleum producing countries. Competence building activities have been a major focus in the programme. This review was commissioned by the NPA. The main purpose is to assess the implementation of the programme with a particular focus on achievements and results in relation to objectives; the strengths and weaknesses; and the main challenges facing the programme. The assessment also addresses the relations between the programme and the NPA strategy and the country programmes in the country concerned, and provide recommendations for the next phase. -
Certified integrity? Forest certification and anti-corruption
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 09:01:08 GMT
Forest certification schemes regulate forest exploitation and trade across many countries. In the absence of a multilateral agreement on limiting deforestation, they provide rules to balance the social, economic and ecological values of forest resources. Expansion of these schemes into tropical countries that display poor governance and high levels of corruption has raised questions about these schemes’ performance in such contexts. Referring to the case of the Forest Stewardship Council – a global forestry certification system – the authors looked at whether forest certification schemes can address corruption issues. While forest certification is not primarily geared towards detecting and preventing corruption, they may have some anti-corruption effects in countries where corruption is sporadic but not systemic. This is due to their role in documenting forest management practices and applying third-party monitoring. -
Agricultural Trade between Bangladesh and India: An Analysis of Trends, Trading Patterns and Determinants
Posted: 10 Feb 2013 09:01:05 GMT
The paper analyses the indices of trends and patterns of India-Bangladesh bilateral agriculture trade, and estimates the short and long-run elasticities of the determinants of this trade by using descriptive statistics and econometric estimations. It has come up with a number of policy recommendations to stimulate and promote agricultural trade between the two countries, particularly in view of the recent offer of duty-free market access by India to Bangladesh. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Annual report year one, 2011
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:29 GMT
Poverty monitoring and evaluation in Mozambique primarily take place within the framework of the implementation of Mozambique‟s Poverty Reduction Strategy PARP/A, and is informed by quantitative data derived from different types of national surveys and similar studies done by bilateral and multilateral aid organisations. However, by their quantitative nature such surveys do not capture all the dimensions of poverty that are relevant to the design of policies and programmes. While quantitative data yield valuable information about the mapping and profile of poverty over space and time, qualitative data are necessary in order to better understand the dynamics of poverty and the coping strategies of the poor. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year one, 2011. Sub-Report, District of Lago.
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:26 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Lago. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year one, 2011. Sub-Report, District of Majune
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:22 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Majune. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year One, 2011. Sub-Report, District of Cuamba
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:18 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. This is the first Sub-Report on the District of Cuamba. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Annual Report Year Two, 2012, Governance
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:15 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year Two, 2012. Sub-Report, District of Cuamba
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:12 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year Two, 2012. Sub-Report, District of Lago
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:09 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Year Two, 2012. Sub-Report, District of Majune
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:06 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Reality Checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Approach and Methodologies
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:03 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Reality checks in Mozambique. Building better understanding of the dynamics of poverty and well-being. Inception report. Final August 2011.
Posted: 09 Feb 2013 09:01:00 GMT
The Swedish Embassy in Maputo and the Swedish International Development Authority (Sida) have decided that there is a need to assess the impact of development and poverty reduction policies ‘from below’, and to regularly consult local populations in order to understand local processes and relationships. A series of five “Reality Checks” will take place in the period 2011-2016, focussing on the dynamics of poverty and well-being with a particular focus on good governance, agriculture/climate and energy that are key sectors in Swedish development cooperation with Mozambique. Each Reality Check will be published in the form of one Main Report and three Sub-Reports from each of the three selected study-sites. -
Mid-Term Review of climate change initiatives in Tanzania
Posted: 29 Jan 2013 09:01:05 GMT
The Norwegian Government funded REDD+ project portfolio in Tanzania is creating significant positive results across the country. Along with the participation of multiple institutions in the nationally anchored research project on climate change, an important foundation for Tanzania’s future REDD activities, is being developed. The mid-term review covered a variety of key REDD issues such as governance and land-tenure issues, incentives for communities to participate in projects, and baseline assessment and participatory carbon monitoring challenges. The mid-term review was carried out during the period June-August 2012, by independent consultants, Deloitte. The findings, opinions and conclusions in the mid-term review reports are those of the consultants. All pilot partners have been given the opportunity to respond to the mid-term review reports in writing. These responses have been made available next to the consultant reports. -
Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: Integrating Local and External Knowledge
Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:01:10 GMT
Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to climate change impacts including sea level rise, invasive species, ocean acidification, changes in rainfall patterns, increased temperatures, and changing hazard regimes including hurricanes, floods and drought. Given high dependencies in Caribbean SIDS on natural resources for livelihoods, a focus on ecosystems and their interaction with people is essential for climate change adaptation. Increasingly, ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approaches are being highlighted as an approach to address climate change impacts. Specifically, EbA encourages the use of local and external knowledge about ecosystems to identify climate change adaptation approaches. This paper critically reviews EbA in Caribbean SIDS, focusing on the need to integrate local and external knowledge. An analysis of current EbA in the Caribbean is undertaken alongside a review of methodologies used to integrate local and external expertise for EbA. -
Agricultural transition: a different logic
Posted: 24 Jan 2013 09:01:06 GMT
The first part of this paper looks into the ways we perceive the world and how it influences the way we mould it; it also looks into the entangled beliefs we cling to. The second part takes a 360 degree overview of the horizon to scan the drivers of a possible storm. It provides viable examples of transitions in different continents and of unviable practices with high environmental and social costs for humankind. The third part presents what is at the heart of this paper: the different logic that can allow a transition towards value at a local level and wealth at a global level. The fourth part is about the transition itself, the proposed steps, those who can make it happen, the policies that facilitate it, and a mechanism that can accompany this transition. -
Inclusive Protected Area Management in the Amazon: The Importance of Social Networks over Ecological Knowledge
Posted: 23 Jan 2013 09:01:03 GMT
In the Amacayacu National Park in Colombia, which partially overlaps with Indigenous territories, several elements of an inclusive protected area management model have been implemented since the 1990s. In particular, a dialogue between scientific researchers, indigenous people and park staff has been promoted for the co-production of biological and cultural knowledge for decision-making. This paper, based on a four-year ethnographic study of the park, shows how knowledge products about different components of the socio-ecosystem neither were efficiently obtained nor were of much importance in park management activities. Rather, the knowledge pertinent to park staff in planning and management is the know-how required for the maintenance and mobilization of multi-scale social-ecological networks. -
The role of indigenous knowledge and perceptions of pastoral communities on traditional grazing management in north-western Tanzania
Posted: 22 Jan 2013 09:00:56 GMT
Traditional forage conservation, locally known as “ngitili”, which involves retaining an area of standing vegetation from the beginning of rainy season and opening it up for grazing at the peak of dry season, has become an important strategy for rangeland rehabilitation in the north-western semi-arid part of Tanzania. The present study assessed the current rangeland management practices, the role of indigenous knowledge on ngitili conservation and perceptions of agropastoralists on communal resources management. Data were collected from a total of 10 villages of Shinyanga rural and Meatu district. Interviewed agro-pastoralists claimed that, unequal sharing of benefits accrued from communal resources and poor management of communal ngitili lead to the preference of private ngitili to communal ones. The contribution of indigenous knowledge of Sukuma people lead to the success of ngitili conservation. However, the sustainability of this vital local knowledge is questionable. -
Walking tall: a wildlife conservation success story. South Luangwa Area Management Unit (SLAMU)
Posted: 03 Jan 2013 09:00:53 GMT
Norway and Zambia have been cooperating on wildlife conservation and community development for 27 years. As a result of this partnership and the innovative integrated resource development approach to wildlife conservation and management, South Luangwa National Park (SLNP) is today one of the best managed national game parks in Africa: •Species of wildlife have increased and so has the revenue as a result of effective wildlife protection measures and increased number of tourists •Benefits from tourism and local development can be easily seen in the increased employment and improved livelihood of the local communities surrounding the Park •The number of visitors to the SLNP reached 30,000 in 2011 generating more than USD 2.2 million in revenue. The Park is now able to meet its operational costs •Poaching has been substantially reduced by turning poachers into game scouts and providing support to commercial production and processing of a number of crops using conservation farming methods -
The Emissions Gap Report 2012. A UNEP Synthesis Report.
Posted: 18 Dec 2012 17:43:36 GMT
Fundamental questions in global climate negotiations include: 1.Will the pledges made by countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions be sufficient to achieve the 2.0 degree or 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limits by year 2020 or will there be a gap between the level of ambition and what is expected as a result of the pledges? 2.If a gap exists, in what ways can it bridged? Since 2010, UNEP has been convening experts to answer these questions through the development of the annual emissions gap report. The 2012 report provides the following information: - Update of global greenhouse gas emission estimates, based on a number of different authoritative scientific sources - Overview of national emission levels, both current and projected (2020) consistent with current pledges and other commitments - Estimate of the level of global emissions consistent with the two degree target in 2020, 2030 and 2050 - Update of the assessment of the emissions gap 2020 (contributions by A. Angelsen) -
Can Provision of Household Agricultural Extension Packages Reduce Rural Food Insecurity and Poverty in Tigray?
Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:01:08 GMT
The overall working hypothesis of the paper is that the programme has positive contribution in improving household welfare and reduces the incidence, depth and severity of poverty in study areas. The analysis is based on primary household-level data collected from 959 randomly selected households in three drought prone woredas of Northern Ethiopia in 2009. Findings from the reserch show that the program has a significant impact on poverty reduction through increasing household incomes and consumption and overall family employment. In conclusion, the expansion of household food security package provision has profound and far-reaching socioeconomic impacts on the lives of rural people in the study areas. -
Ecofarm research project - Kordofan region - Sudan
Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:01:05 GMT
Traditional dry-land farming in western Sudan is the main source of livelihood for more than 75% of the population. The objectives of the Ecofarm Research Project (2007-2010) in Kordofan Region were to increase agricultural production and improve food security. Several crop and livestock technologies were tested to verify their suitability. On-station and on-farm trials were carried out to study the effect of seed priming and micro-fertilization on pearl millet, sorghum, groundnut, sesame and cowpea. Results indicate that micro-fertilization and seed priming has the potential to improve productivity and food security. These technologies are simple, with low financial cost, low risk and affordable to resource-poor farmers. Livestock research activities covered on-farm mineral saltlick supplementation trials on lactating goats and cows and strategic supplementary feeding on sheep using cowpea hay. -
Socio-economic conditions in REDD+ pilot areas: A synthesis of five baseline surveys
Posted: 12 Dec 2012 09:01:06 GMT
The project Poverty and sustainable development impacts of REDD+ architecture: Options for equity, growth and the environment (POVSUS-REDD+) was initiated in 2009. It aims to increase the understanding of how institutions can be created to facilitate the implementation of REDD+ at international, national and local levels, and to what extent its implementation will bring about reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, poverty reduction and sustainable development. The project is working in Brazil, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam. In each participating country, REDD+ pilot areas were established to develop insights into how to introduce REDD+ at the local level.
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