Publications on Eldis August/September
A preliminary assessment of energy and ecosystem resilience in ten African countries. Community based technology solutions: adapting to climate change. A review of tools for incorporating community knowledge, preferences, and values into decision making in natural resources management. The Key Steps in establishing Participatory Forest Management: a field manual to guide practitioners in Ethiopia. Climate Witness community toolkit. Planning for change: guidelines for national programmes on sustainable consumption and production Innovation system approach to agricultural development: policy implications for agricultural extension delivery in Nigeria. Resurrecting the vestiges of a developmental state in Malawi? Reflections and lessons from the 2005/2006 fertilizer subsidy program. Cities farming for the future: urban agriculture for green and productive cities. Chain-wide learning for inclusive agrifood market development: a guide to multi-stakeholder processes for linking small-scale producers to modern markets
By FFSNET
1. A preliminary assessment of energy and ecosystem resilience in ten African countries
2. Community based technology solutions: adapting to climate
change
3. A review of tools for incorporating community knowledge,
preferences, and values into decision making in natural resources
management
4. The Key Steps in establishing Participatory Forest Management: a
field manual to guide practitioners in Ethiopia
5. Climate Witness community toolkit
6. Planning for change: guidelines for national programmes on
sustainable consumption and production
7. Innovation system approach to agricultural development: policy
implications for agricultural extension delivery in Nigeria
8. Resurrecting the vestiges of a developmental state in Malawi?
Reflections and lessons from the 2005/2006 fertilizer subsidy
program
9. Cities farming for the future: urban agriculture for green and
productive cities
10. Chain-wide learning for inclusive agrifood market development:
a guide to multi-stakeholder processes for linking small-scale
producers to modern markets
1. A preliminary assessment of energy and ecosystem resilience in
ten African countries
Authors: Connor,H. ; Mqadi,L. ; Mukheibir,P.
Produced by: HELIO International (2007)
Africa is vulnerable to climate change on two fronts: firstly,
because of existing vulnerabilities and secondly, due to capacity
limitations for disaster mitigation and inability to adapt to
climate change. There is an urgent need to ensure that activities
centring on adaptation to climate change and sustainable energy
development are increased and maintained so as to generate
sustainable livelihoods.
This paper is a preliminary attempt to identify points of
vulnerability as they relate to climate change-related events and
sketch out what changes are needed - both politically and
programmatically - to increase resilience. It explores the current
state of vulnerability and details potential for adaptation.
Results are presented summarising the key vulnerabilities for eight
sub-Saharan countries: Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
It is argued that energy development for Africa in a changing
climate will require greater emphasis on small-scale, decentralised
and diversified supply and increased distribution to households and
enterprises alike. A diversified and distributed energy mix is
identified as the best insurance policy against climate change.
However, it is argued that adaptation of energy policies and
systems is only part of the solution; building up the resiliency of
local populations and energy systems is equally important.
Key priorities identified for policy are:
* harness the value of indigenous knowledge to plan and achieve
resilience
* mobilise adequate and stable financial resources
* mainstream adaptation and resilience in the development process
* develop policies to institutionalise and mobilise "social capital"
The authors conclude that, despite the obstacles facing Africa,
hope is not lost. They identify a number of positive
characteristics upon which successful programmes can and should be
built, including:
* culturally, Africa has strong social networks, which serve an
important function in educating communities, disseminating
information and serving as substitutes for collateral in
micro-loans
* as primary collectors and users of biomass and water, women are well-placed to monitor and manage resources, spur innovation on adaptive techniques and experiment with new management approaches
* Africa's decades-long experience coping with poverty that may be its strongest resource. By its collective survival, the region has shown itself to be adaptive and resilient despite enormous obstacles.
Available online at:
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2. Community based technology solutions: adapting to climate
change
Authors: Thorne,S.; Kantor,B.; Hossain,I.
Produced by: SouthSouthNorth (2007)
Adaptation to the impacts of climate change will require
considerable innovation and cooperation, and technology could hold the key to
this process. However, in much of the developing world, technologies fail to
operate optimally because of inadequate assessment of the location or due
to the lack of available capacity where the technology is transferred. This
manual introduces The SSN Technology Receptivity Programme Framework as a
means of aiding facilitators and leaders to successfully initiate the most
appropriate technological solutions for communities in need.
The framework advocates an approach which considers not just the
hardware of the technology or the machinery it involves, but also the people
and processes involved in applying it- the so-called "software" and "orgware" of
the technology (i.e. the capacity and processes involved in the use of
the technology and the ownership and institutional arrangements of
the organisation or community where the technology will be employed).
What is needed, it is argued, is an all-embracing and comprehensive
definition of technology that includes the institutions and the processes
necessary to deliver, finance, receive, operate, and maintain the
hardware.
The paper describes discrete steps to help communities cope with
the impacts of climate change, some of which will run concurrently and others
separately, depending on the specific requirements of each individual project.
The framework is something sufficiently general to be easily applied
without the need for a methodical application of the steps, but is also
rigorous to act as the practical or process component of achieving sustainable
development.
Technology receptivity inputs highlighted include:
* focus and time spent in Project Development Teams (PDTs) on the
issue of how the beneficiary community of the project can achieve ownership of
project outcomes
* adequate time spent on identification and then the careful prioritisation of possible technologies for specific adaptation projects
* regular involvement and active participation by representatives of the community in the activities and functions of the PDTs to help facilitate the necessary reception of the technology within the community.
By helping project teams apply Technology Receptivity principles
and tools, the manual aims to promote ownership of adaptation technologies by
communities themselves.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=37629&em=070808&sub=man
3. A review of tools for incorporating community knowledge,
preferences, and values into decision making in natural resources management
Authors: Lyman,T.; de Jong,W.; Sheil,D
Produced by: Ecology and Society (2007)
A number of tools are available to elicit the knowledge, values,
and preferences of communities. This paper provides a review of a
selection of participatory tools in the analysis, synthesis, and decision making
related to natural resource management and policy. A framework for analysis
is established by identifying a set of criteria for evaluating each
tool.
The paper provides a brief description of each tool; an evaluation
and comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of all the tools
examined; and how well they can be adapted to diverse contexts.
Key lessons learned are given providing guidelines for better
tool selection.The tools assessed include:
* Bayesian belief networks and system dynamic modelling tools,
discourse-based valuation,
* the 4Rs framework,
* participatory mapping,
* scoring or the Pebble Distribution Method,
* future scenarios,
* spidergrams,
* venn diagrams,
* who counts matrices
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=38067&em=070808&sub=man
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4. The Key Steps in establishing Participatory Forest Management: a
field manual to guide practitioners in Ethiopia
Produced by: Farm Africa (2007)
Participatory Forest Management (PFM) describes systems in which
communities (forest users and managers) and government services (forest
departments) work together to define rights of forest resource use, identify and
develop forest management responsibilities, and agree on how forest benefits will
be shared.
This manual describes the key elements of PFM in the Ethiopian
context. It is aimed at both community forest managers and forestry professionals
and can be used as a training manual and field guide.
A series of illustrated guide sheets enables easy and quick
reference to specific steps and topics in the PFM process. The guide sheets
include:
* a step-by-step guide to PFM
* advice and assistance in the identification of relevant stakeholders
* options for forest management institutions - their establishment and support
* options for technical field methods involved in the three key
stages of PFM - investigation, negotiation & implementation
* templates for key documents on PFM including the PFRA data forms and report format, the forest management plan and the forest management agreement.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=38344&em=070808&sub=man
5. Climate Witness community toolkit
Produced by: WWF South Pacific programme (2007)
The South Pacific region is among the most vulnerable to the
effects of climate change. With an almost complete reliance on natural
resources for subsistence living and economic development, the changes occurring
in sea levels, weather and rainfall patterns will have an enormous impact
on local communities. This toolkit was developed to help local communities
in the Pacific region identify and participate in appropriate adaptation
measures. It seeks to provide facilitators with a clear sense of process in the
collection of information specific to the impacts of climate change and in
developing appropriate community responses.
The toolkit is comprised of a series of participatory activities
which are broken down into segments. These should to be carried out over a
two-day period and include data collection, analysis and the production of
a community action plan. Clear guidelines are provided covering activities to
enable the community participants to determine seasonal trends, community
history and the presence of animals and plants in the community surroundings. In
addition, guidance is given on how participants can select appropriate
actions to address the impact of climate change on their local
community.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=36056&em=070808&sub=man
6. Planning for change: guidelines for national programmes on
sustainable consumption and production
Authors: Matthew,B.
Produced by: United Nations [UN] Environment Programme (2008)
In the context of climate change, it has become clear that our
global community urgently needs to adopt more sustainable life-styles to
both reduce the use of natural resources and CO2 emissions. In accordance with
the "Marrakech process", these guidelines have been developed for
governments and other stakeholders to establish national programmes on sustainable
consumption and production (SCP).
Users are provided with an introduction to SCP and advice,
comprised of ten steps, on how to plan, develop, implement and monitor a national
SCP programme.
A cross-cutting step is incorporated aimed at linking the programme
to existing strategies such as national development plans (e.g.
poverty reduction strategy papers) and national sustainable development strategies.
For monitoring purposes a special focus has been made on the
development and application of indicators to measure progress toward SCP.
In addition, nine country case studies and other examples of good
practice illustrating how governments are implementing SCP programmes around
the world are provided highlighting lesson learned.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=36801&em=070808&sub=man
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7. Innovation system approach to agricultural development: policy
implications for agricultural extension delivery in Nigeria
Authors: Agwu,A., E.; Dimelu,M., U.; Madukwe,M., C.
A sustainable and dynamic approach to agricultural development has
remained of great concern to the Nigerian government and a priority for
discourse in the policy arena. However, past efforts have largely focused on public
research and extension institutions as the sole source of
innovation/knowledge required to trigger development in the agricultural sector.
This paper argues that the emerging reforms and changes in
knowledge structure of agriculture explicitly indicate that the traditional
agricultural research and extension system alone cannot sufficiently address the
challenges of the new trends. It is argued that innovation system approach offers a
holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to innovation and processes,
incorporating emerging reforms and approaches for agricultural development.
The paper begins by reviewing the concept of innovation system, it
then moves on to examine its application to Nigerian agriculture. The authors
concludes that the adoption of the innovation system approach has major
policy implications for extension delivery in Nigeria, and that the
comparative advantage of the approach should be explored.
Key recommendations include:
* government and extension administrators should promote the
adoption of an agricultural innovation system perspective in policy analysis
among stakeholders
* policy makers should identify weak or missing components and linkages within the agricultural innovation systems and to take measures accordingly of innovations being promoted, while extension should build in such policy information into technology packages to the farmers
* policy makers and administrators should entrench linkage mandates into policies establishing the research extension systems and strategies for increasing private sector involvement in development
* government should encourage and promote farmers' and private sector innovation by enacting favourable policies (patenting, reward system), while extension administrators should build capabilities through training to facilitate, analyse and promote farmer innovations
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=38273&em=130808&sub=agric
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8. Resurrecting the vestiges of a developmental state in Malawi?
Reflections and lessons from the 2005/2006 fertilizer subsidy program
Authors: Chinsinga,B.
Produced by: Future Agricultures Consortium (2007)
The 2005/2006 fertiliser subsidy programme is widely cited as the
most significant policy achievement of the Malawian government since the
advent of a democratic political dispensation over a decade ago. This is
especially in view of the fact that the programme was implemented against the
advice of a whole gamut of technical experts and development partners. This
paper explores how the experiences leading to the adoption and successful
implementation of the fertiliser subsidy programme can be exploited as the basis for
churning out a viable framework for a developmental state in Malawi, a
country which is broadly understood as the state that seriously attempts to deploy
its administrative and political resources to the task of economic
development.
The author argues that the huge paradox is that the experience with
the democratic political dispensation on the development front has been
generally disappointing. Instead of facilitating tremendous transformation
from conditions of abject poverty to prosperity, the state has found
itself presiding over a period of rampant economic decay and the
progressive weakening of the state machinery to spearhead development, relative
to the authoritarian one-party era.
The following areas are considered:
* the developmental state in perspective
* Malawi's experience with the developmental state
* the context and origins of the 2005/2006 fertiliser subsidy programme
* reactions to the fertiliser subsidy programme
* donors' narratives and perceptions of the fertiliser subsidy programme
* impact of the subsidy programme
The author concludes that there is no doubt that the experiences
with the 2005/2006 fertiliser subsidy could be a precursor for resurrecting
the vestiges of the developmental state in Malawi but it is perhaps too
early to fully project it as such. The potential of these experiences could
be overestimated especially given the unique nature of the politics of
food security in the country, but these experiences nonetheless invoke
some food nor thought.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=38721&em=130808&sub=agric
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9. Cities farming for the future: urban agriculture for green and
productive cities
Authors: Van Veenhuizen,R.
Produced by: RUAF Urban Agriculture Magazine (2006)
The book aims to enhance understanding of the role urban
agriculture can play in promoting inclusive, green and productive cities and provide
ways to facilitate safe and sustainable urban agriculture. The publication
draws on contributions by the International Network on Urban Agriculture and
Food Security (RUAF Foundation) and from others who have collaborated
with RUAF. With an emphasis on practical lessons, it aims to be a valuable
resource for local policymakers, urban planners, organisations of urban farmers,
NGOs and other stakeholders in urban agriculture.
The authors highlight recent progress by many cities on urban
agriculture, through policy changes and the design of adequate programmes
involving various stakeholders from governmental and private sectors. Since 1999, the
RUAF partners have worked to improve access to information on urban
agriculture of local authorities, NGOs, farmer organisations and other
stakeholders, and in enhancing the capacity of such organisations to engage in local
participatory processes of diagnosis and strategic action planning on urban
agriculture.
Issues discussed include the following:
* the importance of involving multiple stakeholders
* integration of agriculture in urban land use planning
* financing and investment for urban agriculture
* gender and the urban agriculture agenda
* local economic development and marketing of urban produced food
* livestock keeping in urbanised areas
* urban aquatic production
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=37244&em=110908&sub=agric
10. Chain-wide learning for inclusive agrifood market development:
a guide to multi-stakeholder processes for linking small-scale producers to
modern markets
Authors: Vermeulen,S.; Woodhill,J.; Proctor,F.
Produced by: International Institute for Environment and Development (2008)
Rapid changes in how food is produced, processed, wholesaled and
retailed affects the entire value chain - from producer to consumer.
Particularly in countries with developing and emerging economies, the pace of
change brings significant challenges for small-scale producers, policy makers and
business.
This guide provides concepts and tools for working with actors
along the entire value chain so that modern markets can be more inclusive of
small-scale producers and entrepreneurs. The authors emphasise the importance
of building effective partnerships between government, business and civil
society organisations - a "three-way deal" that requires joint learning
among different actors.
The guide is intended to provide both a deeper understanding of
institutions and a process for better engagement between different stakeholders,
providing both core concepts and practical guidelines.
Specifically, the guide:
* explains the drivers of change in modern agrifood markets
* provides a framework for analysing how institutions and policies shape the
risks and opportunities for small-scale producers and entrepreneurs
* shows how to design multi-stakeholder processes that help actors from along the chain work together to realise common interests and secure domestic and regional markets inclusive of small-scale producers and entrepreneurs
* offers practical ideas for facilitating workshops and policy dialogues
The guide is designed to be accessible to people with relatively
little facilitation experience or knowledge of participatory tools, as a
recipe to make a start in working with different stakeholders. However, it
may also be of use to more experienced policy-makers, business strategists
and facilitators as a source of inspiration and ideas.
Available online at:
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/?doc=37583&em=180908&sub=man
