R4D Lesotho

Addressing the balance of burden in AIDS research programme consortium (ABBA RPC). Annual report, project year 3, June 2008 - May 2009

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:20:00 GMT

Miscellaneous ABBA 2009 86 pp. The report summarizes information on outputs produced so far, the impact of the research programme to date, progress towards outputs and impact of key themes, and lessons learnt.

Informal Land Delivery Processes in African Cities. R8076 Project Report.

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:03:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Carole Rakodi 2006 15 pp. The aim of this study was to improve understanding of contemporary informal land delivery processes in six African cities and their relationships with formal land administrative systems. The cities used were: Eldoret, Kenya; Enugu, Nigeria; Gaborone, Botswana; Kampala, Uganda; Lusaka, Zambia; and Maseru, Lesotho.

In each city, a city-level analysis was complemented by detailed studies in three informal settlements a peripheral developing area, a partly consolidated area in which active subdivision and development was still under way, and a consolidated inner city area with a relatively high density, where pressures on land might be expected to produce a higher level of problems and disputes. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used, drawing on both secondary sources and primary data collection. In each of the case study settlements, a sample survey of plotholders was carried out using a structured questionnaire. The survey was complemented by key informant interviews and a series of focus group discussions. Finally, each team enlisted the services of a lawyer to provide background on the legal system, land law and court cases.

Programme for the Enhancement of Research Information - PERii - 2008 Annual Report and Country Coordinators Reports

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:43:00 GMT

Miscellaneous 2009 INASP, Oxford, UK, 15 + 51 pp.

Following a brief description of the PERii goal, purpose and outputs, the work conducted in the following areas, listing the key achievements for 2008, is described: Country partnerships and coordination; ICT Training; Information delivery: access to international research; Publishing support; and Library development. The final parts of the report cover the INASP management and coordination, progress against Log Frame OVIs; and work plans for 2009.

Appendix 1 consists of the Country Coordinators Reports for Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cuba, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe. After a brief introduction, each report covers management and funding in 2008, activities in 2008, achievements and challenges, sustainability, and an overview of plans for 2009.

The use of Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) initiatives to open up access to education in the context of high HIV and AIDS prevalence rates: the case of Lesotho.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:29:00 GMT

Miscellaneous T. Nyabanyaba 2008 SOFIE Opening Up Access Series No 4, SOFIE, London, ISBN 978-1-906648-03-9, 30 pp. This paper describes the extent of the national HIV and AIDS epidemic in Lesotho and identifies and analyses key Open, Distance and Flexible Learning (ODFL) initiatives currently being implemented to increase access to education including those for vulnerable young people including those affected by HIV and AIDS. The paper draws on documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews conducted with stakeholders from government departments and non-governmental organisations involved in HIV and AIDS and in the Non-Formal Education Sector. Despite the high priority attached to education and a national response to HIV and AIDS by the Lesotho Government, a key finding of the analysis is the extent of the challenges presented by the HIV pandemic and of the internal inefficiencies within the education system, leading to high drop out rates, high repetition rates and low completion rates. Several initiatives in the non-formal education sector and those drawing on ODFL are described for their possibilities to open up access to education and address the growing HIV and AIDS pandemic. In conclusion, the paper argues for the possibilities of ODFL to improve efficiency rates in Lesotho and open up access to out-of-school youths, thus taking up the opportunity for the window of hope.

SOFIE Newsletter Issue 1.

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:21:00 GMT

Miscellaneous Pridmore, P. 2007 SOFIE project newsletter, Issue 1, 6 pp. The SOFIE research project aims to increase access to education and learning for young people living in high HIV prevalence areas in Malawi and Lesotho, by developing a new, more flexible model of education that uses open, distance and flexible learning (ODFL) to complement and enrich conventional schooling. This inaugural newsletter provides information on recent and forthcoming project activities in different countries and announces research outputs. It will be published at intervals and updated regularly on the project website (www.ioe.ac.uk/sofie).

Fostering Trust and Transparency in Governance: Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment. Annual Report, March 2006 to April 2007

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:15:00 GMT

Miscellaneous International Records Management Trust 2007 International Records Management Trust, 39 pp. This project addresses an issue that has significant implications for development in the electronic environment: the absence, in most developing countries, of the infrastructure and capacity needed to manage the records input to or generated by ICT applications and the lack of a strategy for developing solutions.

This report details activities carried out in 2006-2007. It covers activities as set out in Stages 1,2 and 4 of the project plan. These are:

Stage One (Activities 1 to 3): Inception phase: appoint research team, design and development of research methodology and data collection toolkit, conduct a two-day stakeholder meeting and two-day training workshop, hold a Steering Committee meeting. (February to June 2006)

Stage Two (Activity 4): Conduct case studies (eight in six African countries). (June/July 2006 to May 2007)

Stage Three (Activities 5 and 6): Exchange and compare findings via video conference and conduct two case studies in Asia (June to September 2007), hold annual Steering Committee meeting (May/June 2007), facilitate DFID Output to Purpose Review (April to June 2007).

Stage Four (Activities 7 to 9): Develop route map and indicators, plan good practice/training materials (October 2007 to January 2008); develop good practice guidance materials (January to March 2008), create four training modules (October 2007 to March 2008).

The report includes progress set against the project Logframe, and a list of people consulted.

Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in the Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment. Lesotho Case Study: Personnel Records.

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Miscellaneous International Records Management Trust 2006 International Records Management Trust, 40 pp. This Case Study report is based on a visit to Lesotho by Michael Hoyle and Dr Justus Wamukoya in July 2006. The main body of the report detail the findings, summary and recommendations, while appendices present information on people consulted, and background information on topics including government reform, electronic governance initiatives, state archives and record management.

The Government of Lesotho is undertaking major reforms in the public sector that include introducing computerised systems aimed at improving slow and manual information handling, eliminating the loss of vital information and improving work flow. Lesotho is also moving forward to enhance its ICT capacity and to develop its e- Government capability. In this environment, strategies for managing electronic records and digital information need to be developed to ensure that important evidence is preserved and government actions are transparent over time. This study considers the manual systems and the development of electronic record-keeping as they relate to human resources and payroll in the public service of Lesotho.

Steering Committee Meeting, 10 July 2008

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:19:00 GMT

Miscellaneous International Records Management Trust 2008 International Records Management Trust, 5 + 13 pp. A final videoconference of the project Steering Committee was held on 10 July 2008, with representatives from London, Washington and Dar-es-Salaam. Documents attached are the agenda and papers discussed, and notes of the meeting. Papers included: notes from a Stakeholders Meeting in South Africa; Development of the Training Modules; and Recordkeeping Performance Indicators. An update was also given on Sierra Leone and Botswana Case Studies. The meeting notes include brief summaries on discussions on these papers, and some overall conclusions and recommendations for next steps to be taken.

Steering Committee Meeting, 8 November 2007.

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:06:00 GMT

Miscellaneous International Records Management Trust 2007 International Records Management Trust, 4 + 13 pp. A videoconference of the project Steering Committee was held on 8 November 2007, with representatives from Washington, London, Pretoria and Dar-es-Salaam. Documents attached are the agenda and papers discussed, and notes of the meeting. Papers include: Key Issues Arising from the Case Studies and Stakeholders' Meeting; Educators' Forum and the Development of the Guidance Material, Training Modules and Route Map; Records Management Performance Indicators; and Records Management Performance Indicators. Case studies were held in a number of African countries. The meeting notes include brief summaries on discussions on these papers.

Steering Committee Meeting, 19 December 2006

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:54:00 GMT

Miscellaneous International Records Management Trust 2006 International Records Management Trust, 17 + 4 pp. A videoconference of the project Steering Committee was held on 19 December 2006, with representatives in Washington, London, Pretoria and Dar-es-Salaam. Documents attached are the agenda and papers discussed, and notes of the meeting. Papers include an overview of the project, case study summary reports from Lesotho, Ghana and Tanzania, key issues from the case studies, and how to make the findings meaningful. The meeting notes include brief summaries on discussions on these papers.

Southern African Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD) Research Programme (SRP)

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:27:00 GMT

Current

The Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD) is a regional network of disabled peoples organisations (DPOs) whose main objective is to represent the collective voice and aspirations of disabled people in Southern Africa. SAFOD's works to promote the rights of people with disabilities, and enhance their lives and livelihoods through raising wider public awareness on their living conditions, facilitating greater access to needed services, and capacity and institutional building of DPOs .

SAFOD has been working to establish a Disability Research Programme called the SAFOD Research Programme (SRP). The strategic purpose of the SRP is to build the capacity of SAFOD and its member organizations to design, drive, own and to use research to influence policy and practice that is responsive to the particular needs and interests of disabled people in SAFOD member countries.

The main objective of this disability research programme is to build capacity in SAFOD to support disabled people's organisations (DPOs) to undertake research and use its findings to influence policy and practice that is responsive to the needs of disabled peoples in Southern Africa. SAFOD and its member organisations develop increased capacity to undertake, use and own research; design and deliver effective research programme; achieve policy engagement through dissemination and communication of research findings

In 2008-2009, DPOs trained in generic research skills and database management; training ongoing in 2009-10.

By early 2009, 5 pilot studies were completed (Literature Review, Disability Policy Audit in 4 countries, DPOs' Needs Assessment, and HIV/AIDS & Reproductive Health).

Changing Lives: Making Research Real

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Changing Lives, a collaborative project between DFID Research and InterPress Service (IPS), a press agency that covers the global South, uncovers a hotbed of the kind of exciting stories that the media are itching to tell

Young Aids Migrants in Southern Africa: Dissemination

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:43:00 GMT

Completed To work with NGOs and communities to develop practical strategies for the support of young aids migrants and to disseminate these strategies internationally through the development of a training manual.

Action-learning on community-based workers as a mechanism for pro-poor service delivery

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current The project is addressing the poor linkages between micro level (community) and meso level (local government and district service providers), which is resulting in minimal services reaching poor and vulnerable people, and disempowerment of poor people in relation to government systems. In practice, through much of Africa the only service which consistently reaches the village, and in some cases urban communities, is primary schools. Without increasing the reach and effect of many services, it is highly unlikely that there will be significant impacts on poverty reduction. The only way this can be done in a climate of reducing public expenditure is to change the paradigm of service delivery. One way this could be done is to develop community-based models such as community worker/volunteers, as in community health workers, paravets, or barefoot doctors, community agriculture facilitators, community business advisors, village-based home-based care workers for HIV/AIDS, or community forestry workers. So far, however, this concept, while succeeding in limited instances, has not made significant impacts on the public service. There are many questions about the best way of remunerating community workers, how they should be trained, selected, supported, etc. They could potentially become a major mechanism for service delivery, particularly within the current paradigm of decentralised and privatised services, but this has significant implications for the government and NGO policy and practice. To develop revised approaches to the use of community-based workers project, building on existing experience in-country, national and four country workshops, and visits to third countries. Good practice in application of community-based worker systems documented and shared including mechanisms, opportunities, constraints and policy issues.

Common framework for community-based worker models developed and documented, with suggestions for good practice in different sectors.

Pilots for community-based worker systems designed and implemented or existing practice modified.

Results of pilots mainstreamed into CBW implementation in at least 2 partner countries.

Information on CBW systems and policy implications widely disseminated and debated in S/E Africa.

Fostering Trust and Transparency in Governance: Investigating and Addressing the Requirements for Building Integrity in Public Sector Information Systems in the ICT Environment

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Current This project addresses an issue that has significant implications for development in the electronic environment: the absence, in most developing countries, of the infrastructure and capacity needed to manage the records input to or generated by ICT applications and the lack of a strategy for developing solutions. The project will investigate the implications of this problem and define a strategy for addressing it, drawing on and adapting emerging international good practice. The deliverables for this project, from the fundamental policies and accountability frameworks to the capacity building materials, to the assessment tools and techniques, will help place governments in a position to address these issues, and in so doing, contribute to the achievement of development goals, including the reduction of poverty and the protection of rights and entitlements.

This will require the development of a comprehensive and appropriate infrastructure for managing paper and electronic records surrounded by effective management and governance structures. The project has identified stakeholders who collectively can offer insight into assessment, accountability and the facility to measure both compliance and progress, all of which are aspects of building and sustaining an effective infrastructure. The fundamental driver of this proposal is the recognition that governments in developing countries are attempting to move to the electronic environment without taking account of the implications for managing records as evidence.

Project outputs include:

a methodology for tracing information flows and related record keeping requirements in support of core government functions
a route map for moving from a paper-based to an electronic information environment in a safe and secure manner
definition of capacities needed to support this move
core guidance materials for use in public sector agencies
core capacity building materials
building a public service culture where records and information management are valued as a basis for analysis, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation, and service provision.

The project plan makes the following assumptions:

Strong ownership of the design and delivery of the project is essential if the outputs are to be relevant and well used; ownership of the findings and the political will to implement them is essential.
Solutions must be developed in relation to real situations and needs. The deliverables must be applicable to a wide range of development environments.
A partnership between the demand side (senior public sector stakeholders) and the supply side (records professionals) is essential for identifying meaningful solutions.
The records profession can redirect its focus to contribute effectively to public sector development.

Establishment of satellite ICOSAMP systems and improved migrant pest reporting network

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Migrant pests annually plague the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, where it is estimated that the agricultural activities of about 67% of the population region are at risk from these pests. Countries affected are: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. SARCCUS (the Southern African Regional Commission for the Conservation and Utilisation of Soil), together with its related Migrant Pest Subcommittee, was disbanded in 1997 and the mandates incorporated into SADC. However, delays with the re-establishing of the Migrant Pest subcommittee meant that a serious 'gap' existed with respect to the communication and co-ordination of migrant pest management. The main migrant pests which threaten food crops in SADC are three species of locusts namely the brown locust, African migratory locust, and red locust; Red-billed Quelea birds, and a moth caterpillar - the African armyworm. As these pests are able to freely traverse political boundaries, preventive control before they become a serious problem is the major management technique. It is therefore important to know the current distribution and scale of infestation, especially in the case of armyworm where the sudden appearance, rapid development and disappearance of the insect calls for quick action. Active communication and co-operation between neighbouring countries is vitally important with regard to management and control strategies. The Information Core for Southern African Migrant Pests (ICOSAMP) project, under the leadership of ARC-PPRI in South Africa has, since its inception in January 2000, successfully addressed this problem by establishing a migrant pest information network in southern Africa. Monthly migrant pest situation reports in the form of Bulletins and maps are sent to decision makers in national Ministries of Agriculture and Plant Protection Departments, to assist them with forecasting of impending invasions or outbreaks. ICOSAMP has already contributed to cross-border communication with respect to provision of early warning of migrant pest outbreaks, and this in itself has assisted decision makers in affected countries to implement additional monitoring activities. ICOSAMP has also provided valuable data for the validation of models of two other DFID funded projects (Quelea and Brown Locust). Both of the above contribute to the alleviation of poverty by providing organisational, national, and regional decision makers with essential 'tools' to improve their forecasting abilities, and to implement timely control strategies to protect the food security in their country and the region as a whole. The expansion of the ICOSAMP system through 12 'country-specific' satellite stations in SADC, as well as improved data collection, will add value to a system that is already operating successfully. Strategies developed to improve forecasting and reduce the impact of migrant pests in semi-arid cropping systems, for benefit of poor people, and the promotion of strategies developed to improve forecasting and reduce the impact of migrant pests in semi-arid cropping systems, for benefit of poor people. Except for the handover of ownership to SADC, the other outputs will be completed by May 2005. As a result of the satellite country-systems and the related improved data input and retrieval, the goal of the project has been achieved. Up to date migrant pest distribution information has assisted decision makers in SADC to forecast impending pest invasions or outbreaks, thereby reducing the impact of migrant pests on the food security of the region. Existing ICOSAMP databases maintained and updated.
Country-specific databases programmed.

Existing ICOSAMP system upgraded.
Satellite ICOSAMP country-specific systems designed, constructed and installed for each member country.

Training provided on country-specific systems and ICOSAMP co-ordinating facilities.

Marketing of ICOSAMP via information posters and leaflets, and published articles.

Transfer of ownership of the ICOSAMP system to the SADC FANR Directorate to be incorporated into the proposed 'SADC Agricultural Information System' (AIS). Five outputs were planned for the project:
*Existing ICOSAMP databases maintained and updated;
*Satellite systems developed;
*Training provided on country systems;
*Public awareness of ICOSAMP, and
*Transfer of ownership to SADC-FANR.

Databases. The ICOSAMP database now contains more than 2,500 records of migrant pest control operations undertaken in the SADC region since the inception of the database in 2001. During this project, 450 armyworm, 425 Locust, and 611 Quelea records were added to the database - a significantly higher number than in the first phase of the project (2001-2003). The ICOSAMP gazetteer contains more than 680 entries.

Satellite systems. Twelve SADC country systems (Angola, Botswana, DR of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe), one system for the IRLCO-CSA (International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa), and one Co-ordinator's system were developed. This development included the construction of country-specific GIS maps and databases, and provision of new computer hardware and software for each country collaborator. Two systems were translated into Portuguese (Angola and Mozambique), and one into French (DR of Congo). Three User Manuals, one Computer Set-up Manual, and one Co-ordinator's Manual were written. The ICOSAMP website (http://icosamp.ecoport.org) was regularly updated, and 22 ICOSAMP Monthly Bulletins were disseminated.

Training. Personalised and individual training sessions (4 days) were given to each of the country collaborators in South Africa.

Public Awareness. Provision was made in the project for the printing of migrant pest posters and leaflets for each country. However, due to the late start of the project and the intensive training sessions, this has been postponed to after the completion date of the project.

Transfer of ownership. The objective was to hand over ownership of ICOSAMP at the end of March 2005 to the SADC-FANR Directorate, now based in Botswana. However, during a visit of the co-ordinator to the SADC offices in February 2005, it was clearly evident that this will not transpire. Not only is SADC undergoing MAJOR restructuring of offices and staff, but some international donors have already withdrawn funding from SADC. This means that there is no capacity or funding to run ICOSAMP from the SADC offices in Botswana. The current co-ordinator has agreed to keep ICOSAMP 'alive' under the mantle of the ARC until such time that SADC is capable of taking ownership.

Determinants of crop yields and household investment behaviour among small farm household in Southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Developmental problems: Low and unsustainable yields in small-farm agriculture, contributing to insecurity of food supply. Both donor and many recipient countries (including several in the Southern Africa region) have indicated a desire to reduce poverty via the route of sustainable agricultural intensification, but to date no studies exist either on the policy and institutional determinants of intensification, or of the effects of intensification on poverty. To explain reasons for differences in investment behaviour and crop yields.

By assessing the impact of specified policies and institutions (research, extension, credit and input subsidy on the incentive to increase yield and adopt sustainable agricultural practices in four African countries, to better understand the policy and institutional requirements for effective management of natural resources. Impact of various institutional and policy initiatives on yields, agricultural incomes and poverty estimated.

Recommendations for improving policy impact on agriculture developed and promoted.

Forecasting outbreaks of the brown locust in southern Africa

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed There have been only five seasons in the last 50 years when no brown locust control was required, in the relatively restricted outbreak areas of the pest in the Karoo region of South Africa and Namibia. As a result, mean annual expenditure on control is high, with more than £10 million spent since 1985, and over £1.3 million in 1996 alone, to prevent swarms spreading over nearly 7 million square kilometres of land, and threatening crop and pasture production in eight countries in southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe). Less than 5% of the total land area in the brown locust invasion areas can be classified as arable, and whereas in the past demand for food was met by growth in arable land, for the past ten years increased agricultural production has been almost entirely dependent on increased yields. Between 46% and 74% of the population in countries affected by the brown locust live in rural areas, and since on average only 0.3 hectares of arable land are available per person, improvements to livelihoods and food security depend on better access to benefits from increased crop yields, including reduction in the impact of migrant pests on crop and pasture production. Smallholders in marginal semi-arid farming areas are often most vulnerable to the risks represented by locusts, since they have fewer options for mitigating the impact of damage to staple crops, other than abandoning the land and moving to urban areas. In addition, since locust outbreaks are often associated with major climatic fluctuations, such as the occurrence of droughts, they pose a significant additional threat to food security, in rural areas that may already be vulnerable to production shocks. The current brown locust control strategy relies on emergency control measures once farmers report swarms, leading to high costs both in terms of the deployment of pesticides, equipment and manpower resources; and environmentally, since broad spectrum insecticides have to be used over wide areas. In addition, there are a growing number of absentee farmers in the Karoo region, resulting in a breakdown of the traditional reporting and control network. There is, therefore, an urgent need to move away from the current emergency control measures, to a sustainable and environmentally sound preventive control strategy that would contribute to safeguarding agriculture and pasture production in southern Africa. To improve the forecasting of outbreaks of the brown locust in southern Africa by identifying the relationships between environmental factors and processes and changes in brown locust population numbers and distribution. The majority of the population in countries affected by the Brown Locust live in rural areas and, since on average only 0.3 hectares of arable land are available per person, improvements to livelihoods and food security depend on better access to benefits from increased crop yields, including reductions in the impact of migrant pests on crop and pasture production. Since locust outbreaks are often associated with major climatic fluctuations such as the occurrence of droughts, they pose a significant additional threat to food security in rural areas that may already be vulnerable to production shocks. Individual farmers or farming communities are totally unable to protect their crops when adult swarms comprising tens of millions of locusts per square kilometre land in their fields. Current Brown Locust management is based on the principle that populations developing in the outbreak area must be controlled before highly mobiles swarms of adults can form and invade surrounding agricultural areas. This control strategy depends on timely predictions of where and when gregarising populations are developing, and a flexible control infrastructure that can increase and reduce its capacity in response to forecasted outbreak developments. The research project has made good progress in improving understanding of the relationships between environmental factors and locust population developments. The outputs of the project will contribute to the development of timely and reliable forecasting strategies for Brown Locusts to prevent swarms developing and escaping from the outbreak area and invading and damaging crops and pasture-land. The research will also facilitate the move away from the current emergency control situation to an informed strategy for the advanced planning of survey and control campaigns. As a result, locust control will be able to move away from the present emergency response to reports from farmers when swarms invade their land, to a more cost-effective and environmentally sound preventative control strategy whereby locust outbreaks are located earlier in the breeding season. The improved knowledge and methodologies resulting from this project will also help strengthen international collaboration in preventing Brown Locust swarms from invading agricultural areas in affected countries. Project outputs will contribute to improvements in South Africa's operational forecasting of changes in Brown Locust populations as a basis for planning control campaigns. A classification of spatial and temporal patterns of brown locust popuation fluctuations.

Identification of seasonal changes in vegetation conditions.

Identification of seasonal changes in key weather variables (eg: temperature, rainfall, windfields).

Production of case studies of historic brown locust population developments.

Definition of outbreak localities and timings. The spatial and temporal patterns of Brown Locust population fluctuations were classified by analyses of historical records and existing data.

The seasonal changes in vegetation conditions were identified through analyses of satellite imagery.

The seasonal changes in key weather variables were also identified using satellite imagery.

Case studies of historic Brown Locust population developments were produced based on archived reports.

Outbreak localities and timings were also defined via a synthesis of other analyses and data.

Establishment of an information core for southern African migrant pests (ICOSAMP)

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed Migrant pests such as armyworm, locusts and red-billed quelea annually plague the southern African region that comprises the member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). These pests are a naturally occurring phenomenon, but pose a major threat to food security and natural resources if they are not controlled. More than 60% of the population of the SADC region is dependent on subsistence agriculture and the subsequent food production. With no growth in arable land area anticipated, the demand for food will be entirely dependent on increased agricultural yields. Many of the SADC countries have a below average per capita income, the majority of which is derived from agriculture, making them vulnerable to impoverishment as a result of an agricultural adversity. Migratory pests, exhibiting a high mobility, are able to freely traverse the political boundaries of southern Africa. Active co-operation between neighbouring countries with regard to management and control of these pests is therefore of vital importance. The output of this project should improve co-operation and communication among SADC member countries, and hence lead to early warning of impending migrant pest outbreaks, and the resultant improved food security. To establish an internet based migrant pest information centre for the SADC region, which will provide a platform for technical co-operation and sharing of research information, establish a network of control operators, and standardise the regional reporting system. ICOSAMP has re-established a migrant pest information centre and developed a regional co-operation between information officers in SADC. This network regularly provides up-to-date migrant pest distribution information to assist decision makers in neighbouring countries to forecast impending invasions or outbreaks, thereby reducing the impact of migrant pests on the food security of the region. Monthly ICOSAMP Bulletins are distributed to collaborators who in turn forward these to their superiors. In the case of Lesotho, this commitment has resulted in the re-instatement of their armyworm monitoring system, previously fallen away with the disintegration of the SARRCUS migratory pest network. What makes this achievement all the more impressive is that Lesotho has not experienced a significant migrant pest problem for many years - their commitment is therefore almost entirely an expression of commitment to the other SADC countries. The collaborators expressed the view very strongly that ICOSAMP was of great value to them in meeting their primary responsibilities. Information databases on migrant pests in outer Africa created and readily available.

Automatic system for acquiring and updating migrant pest information designed, constructed and operational.

Quarterly migrant pest bulletins issued. ICOSAMP is structured around three main outputs, each with related activities:
*Information databases (migrant pest distribution, bibliography, SADC contacts)
*Automated information system (GIS maps and interface, MS Access, email, website)
*Monthly ICOSAMP Migrant Pest Bulletins.

Two workshops were held to:
*Determine the outputs of the system as required by the SADC collaborators, establish a standardised reporting system, and set up reporting dates (May 2001),
*Present the prototype system to collaborators, provide individual training, evaluate the system, and establish future goals and sustainability (May 2002).

GIS and database system:
The computer based information system has two main inter-dependent sections, a relational database (MS Access 2000) and a geographical information system or GIS (Arcview 3.2x). The system is driven through a GIS interface where buttons and menus allow the input of pest and related ecological data into the database as well as additions to a bibliography and gazetteer. Monthly maps of all three pest groups (locusts, armyworm and quelea birds) are constructed with ease, and spatial layers of environmental data can be added. The interface provides rapid access to data collected since the initiation of ICOSAMP, facilitates the construction of maps, and produces a standardised format for the monthly bulletin. Tables of information can be exported into Excel, Dbase or text format.

More than 750 detailed records of migrant pest control operations are stored in the database, and the bibliography currently contains 2073 records (brown locust, red locust, and quelea). A gazetteer provides grid information for more than 447 locations, and can easily be expanded and updated.

Website:
The ICOSAMP website, hosted by EcoPort in Rome, is operational and can be viewed at http://icosamp.ecoport.org. Contents to date include a summary of the project, contact information of collaborators, current monthly Bulletin and map, archived Bulletins and maps, a summary of the first workshop, a bibliography, and an internet mapper. The website is regularly updated and expanded. Access to the global information EcoPort website http://www.ecoport.org is available from the ICOSAMP main page.

Bulletins:
15 Bulletins (ICOSAMP News) have been issued to date. These are disseminated via email or fax, and also posted on the website.

A review of land and water management research relevant to the intensification of smallholder farming systems

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Completed A large amount of research has been carried out on the theme of land and water management for better control of erosion, maintenance of soil fertility and improvement of crop production in the semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Many of the results have never been published in recognised international journals and therefore are not available to the general scientific community. The medium-term strategy document for the Agronomy and Cropping Systems Research Programme identifies the need to conduct a review of land and water management research in sub-Saharan Africa, and to make it widely available to UK and African audiences - High priority is assigned to semi-arid production systems by the DFID Research Task Group (Working Paper No.3, October 1993). Improved conservation and use of water resources, and optimisation of land use and cropping patterns a specified cropping systems are given among the purposes of the future strategy for DFID support to semi-arid systems research. To bring together previous and present research findings on land and water management through the study of published and grey literature to be published as an NRI bulletin.
2.)To gather relevant material and place it in the NRI library as a permanent record. Review and bibliography of land and water management relevant ot the itensification of smallholder copping systems in semi-arid easterm and Southern Africa published as an NRI bulletin for wide distribution.

Strategy paper on land and water management for use by NRI/DFID to assist with priority setting in research and development programmes in the region.

Compilation of published and grey literature on land and water management research in the NRI library.

Informal Land Development Processes and Access to Land for the Poor: A comparative study of six African cities

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Awaiting Confirmation of Completion The formal land delivery systems in African cities, based on legal concepts and administrative systems introduced by colonial and post-colonial governments, have proved unable to cope with the demands of rapid urban growth in contexts of extreme poverty and limited state capacity. In practice, most land for urban development, especially that occupied by the poor, is supplied and developed outside state regulatory frameworks. There has been little in-depth research on these informal urban land development processes, often simplistically labelled squatting, despite the inefficacy of formal systems and mounting evidence of the importance of secure access to land and housing to the livelihood strategies of poor urban households. Arguably, attempts to devise land administration and delivery systems capable of providing a supply of urban land sufficient to satisfy demand and meet the needs of low income households for secure tenure should build on the success of large scale informal land delivery, as well as addressing its shortcomings. To make this possible, a better understanding is needed of how formal and informal systems operate, interact, and are evolving in African cities. Evidence is emerging that informal systems for delivering, accessing, and developing land are neither chaotic nor anarchic, but are structured by institutions that enable transactions and regulate relations between participants. Inherited formal land administrative systems and their successors are, in theory, governed by formal rules, while traditional tenure systems are regulated by custom or informal, generally unwritten, rules. In urban areas, land transactions and conflicts are structured by hybrid institutions, which are neither strictly formal nor informal. However, the nature of these institutions, their source of legitimacy and the potential implications for urban land policy have not, as yet, been systematically examined and analysed. The main hypothesis of the research is that the success of informal land delivery systems in delivering large quantities of land for urban development can be attributed to their social legitimacy, but the institutions that regulate transactions in the use of land come under pressure during the process of urban development, resulting in change, borrowing from formal rules and/or breakdown. To devise workable land policies and tenure systems, capable of (a) meeting demand for urban land with secure tenure, especially for the poor, (b) avoiding the adverse results of unplanned development and (c) commanding social legitimacy, a better understanding of evolving processes of land development is needed. Better understanding of land development processes in African cities achieved and contributes to improve land policy and management, that increases access to land for the urban poor.

Researchers able to contribute to policy debates at international and national level. (Knowledge gained from research applied in development policy and practice; appropriate capacity built). To analyse the magnitude and characteristics of informal land markets and delivery systems.

To enhance understanding of the nature and dynamics of the institutions that underpin and regulate urban land markets, especially those operating in informal land delivery systems.

To assess the strengths and weaknesses of alternative land delivery mechanisms, especially with respect to the extent to which they enable the poor and other vulnerable groups, especially women, to access land with secure tenure.

To identify and explore the implications for policy, with respect to provision of secure and affordable tenure, accommodating population growth, securing appropriate land use patterns and instituting suitable governance arrangements.

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