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2. Adoption Rate and Trends in Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Ethiopia
- Author:
- Zaide Hailu and Kinde Teshome
- Publication Date:
- 03-2022
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Since 2019 the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture has offered extension advice on conservation agriculture (CA). However, agricultural policy focuses mainly on intensive tillage whereas CA calls for zero or minimum tillage. Policy seems to favour productivity over sustainability, with CA adoption remaining low. Supply-side constraints include lack of access to high-quality inputs, credit, and machinery. Demand-side constraints include risk aversion and competition for crop residues needed for mulching from requirements for fuel and feed. Women farmers like CA because it does not require draft animals. However, some women in male-headed households report a shift of labour responsibilities to women.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Labor Issues, Conservation, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ethiopia
3. Gender-Responsive Budgeting in Agriculture in Ethiopia
- Author:
- Nuru Hussen, Ermias Mengistu, and Bedaso Taye
- Publication Date:
- 12-2021
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The gender division of labor in Ethiopia hinders women smallholders’ efforts to improve productivity to close the gap with men’s farms. There is substantial evidence that where women have access to the same inputs and training as men, they can close that gap. The government’s national development plan identifies agriculture as the main driver of rapid and inclusive growth. The plan seeks to increase women’s participation in agriculture to 50 percent of all participants. But this can only happen with proper implementation of gender-responsive budgeting (GRB). Ethiopia has ratified a number of international conventions and agreements on women’s rights that have guided development of national laws and policies. Nonetheless, the national budgetary process is not yet gender responsive, and the country faces other challenges. Low awareness of gender issues, limited technical skill in mainstreaming gender issues and GRB, lack of adequate resources, and poor enforcement mechanisms are major constraints. A majority of women do not participate in decision-making or express their needs during public meetings because of sociocultural barriers that elevate the role of males. Women are usually not invited to meetings and discussions that concern them, under the assumption that men can convey any relevant messages. But information does not consistently get passed to women farmers owing to the erroneous perception that “women do not farm.” Women’s low levels of literacy and limited exposure to information and support by development practitioners also contribute to the problem. As a result, women are often unable to exercise their rights during program design and implementation. If agriculture is to lead inclusive development, gender and rural development policies need updating. In addition, achieving high-quality agricultural public spending will require a conducive policy environment and a budget process that promotes the participation and well-being of women and girls as well as men and boys.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Labor Issues, Farming, and Gender
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ethiopia
4. Agricultural Insurance in Burkina Faso: Challenges and Perspectives
- Author:
- William Dick and Andrea Stoppa
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Burkina Faso has made important progress in finding appropriate solutions for agricultural risk management. In recent years significant experience has been gathered, and the growing interest in agricultural insurance is encouraging the various actors to develop new initiatives. This report argues that key stakeholders should now agree on strategic decisions and pursue a coordinated and comprehensive approach.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Environment, Science and Technology, and Rural
- Political Geography:
- Africa, West Africa, and Burkina Faso
5. Closing the Divide in Malawi: How to Reduce Inequality and Increase Prosperity for all
- Author:
- Clare Coffey, Jessica Hamer, and Chiara Mariotti
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Inequality between the richest and the rest in Malawi continues to rise, with poverty remaining extreme and endemic. Climate change is compounding the challenges, with recent droughts and floods likely to have worsened poverty, resulting in one in three Malawians relying on humanitarian assistance in 2016. Economic inequality threatens to undermine the hard-fought and important progress on some aspects of human development in Malawi. This report presents a vision, roadmap and policy recommendations for a more inclusive, equitable and prosperous Malawi. It shows that inequality is not inevitable but the result of policy choices made by those with power. Breaking out of slow and unequal growth requires government, development partners and institutions to work for all, especially for those living at the margins, rather than serving powerful vested interests.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Gender Issues, Inequality, and Tax Systems
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Malawi
6. Resilience in Burkina Faso: Impact evaluation of the ‘Resilience, Food security and Nutrition’ project
- Author:
- Robert Fuller and Alexia Pretari
- Publication Date:
- 05-2018
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The Resilience, Food Security and Nutrition Project (Projet de Resilience, Securite Alimentaire et Nutritionnelle, PRSAN) was carried out in the North and Centre-North regions of Burkina Faso between 2013 and 2017 by Oxfam and Christian Aid, together with two implementing partners, the Alliance Technique d’Assistance au Developpement (ATAD) and the Office de Developpement des Eglises Evangeliques (ODE). The project was aimed at enabling particularly vulnerable households to increase their resilience and improve their food security and nutritional situation. Project activities included supporting households in crop production, market gardening, processing and household businesses, providing awareness-raising on good nutritional practices, carrying out community-level disaster assessments and establishing early-warning committees, and distributing livestock and cash transfers. The Effectiveness Review was aimed at evaluating the success of this project in enabling participants to build their resilience to shocks, stresses and uncertainty. This report is part of Oxfam’s Effectiveness Review Series.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Gender Issues, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Burkina Faso
7. Resilience in Zambia: Impact evaluation of the ‘Citizen Participation in Adaptation to Climate Change’ project
- Author:
- Robert Fuller and Jonathan Lain
- Publication Date:
- 05-2018
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The ‘Citizen Participation in Adaptation to Climate Change’ (CPACC) project aimed to build the resilience of farming households to climate shocks, through promoting conservation farming techniques and livelihood diversification, and through supporting disaster-planning activities and early-warning systems at the community level. This Effectiveness Review used a quasi-experimental approach to assess the impact of the project among households whose members directly participated in the project activities, in one of the three districts where the project was carried out. The results provide evidence that the project had a positive effect on the resilience of participant households, particularly through the community-level disaster preparedness activities. There is also evidence that the project had a positive impact on the adoption of conservation farming techniques, on the area of land cultivated, and on yields. However, the project does not appear to have had the positive effects it sought on engagement in non-agricultural income-generating activities, nor on participation in savings groups. There is no indication that the project had had a positive impact on households’ overall material welfare by the time of the survey.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Disaster Relief, Environment, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Zambia
8. Tuzamurane Pineapple Cooperative, Rwanda: Empowering Small-Scale Farmers to Benefit from the Global Market
- Author:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This case study looks at the positive example of the Tuzamurane Cooperative in Rwanda, which has enabled women farmers to access the lucrative international export market for dried pineapple. The combination of a community-focused business model and a positive relationship with an ethical distributor has enabled these farmers to move out of poverty, with benefits for the wider community.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Poverty, Rural, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Rwanda
9. Taking a Fresh Approach: Enabling Local Producers to Meet Rising Demand in West Africa’s Dairy Sector
- Author:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Poverty is widespread among the small-scale farmers and workers who produce and process our food, in an industry worth billions of dollars. Oxfam’s new campaign highlights the systemic inequality and human suffering in food supply chains – and shows how action by supermarkets, governments, small-scale farmers and workers could lead to a decent and dignified standard of living for millions of people. This case study describes the challenges facing small-scale milk producers across West Africa. Despite growth in demand for dairy products, they face significant inequalities in accessing their markets, including lack of government investment and competition from cheap imports of powdered milk from Europe. However, there are opportunities for change in the dairy sector, which could see small-scale producers gain a greater share of revenue from milk production. This paper offers recommendations for government and market interventions to support the development of local markets and help smallholders earn a decent living.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Food, Inequality, Local, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Africa and West Africa
10. Sahrawi Livelihoods in Algeria: Building Self-sufficiency
- Author:
- Philippe Massebiau and Mohamed Ouchene
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Case Study
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Over 40 years ago, Oxfam began working with Sahrawi refugees living in extremely harsh conditions in camps in the Saharan desert of western Algeria, who had fled their homes as a result of ongoing disputes over territory in Western Sahara. Since then, the Sahrawi refugees have been largely dependent on humanitarian aid from a number of agencies, but increasing needs and an uncertain funding future have meant that the agencies are having to adapt their programme approaches. Oxfam has met these new challenges by combining the existing aid with new resilience-building activities, supporting the community to lead self-sufficient and fulfilling lives in the arid desert environment.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Humanitarian Aid, Refugees, and Resilience
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Algeria
11. Finance for a Fruitful Future: Dutch Aid for Agriculture 2005-2015
- Author:
- Hugo Hooijer and Madelon Meijer
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Dutch oofficial development assistance (ODA) for agriculture has been on the rise in the last five years. However, it remains unclear whether Dutch ODA expenditures on agriculture are reaching female smallholder farmers. Empowering smallholders, especially women, is a proven solution for reducing hunger and poverty. This is particularly true of the rural poor, who are the worst affected by the impacts of climate change. This paper calls on the Dutch government to combine a strong ODA budget for agriculture with a solid strategy for resolving hunger by 2030, to scale up climate finance for adaptations in the agricultural sector, and to supply improved data on the impact of agricultural investments for each target group and gender.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Gender Issues, Poverty, Sustainable Development Goals, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Africa
12. Working in Partnership With Others: Facilitating Changes in Livelihoods in Rwanda
- Author:
- Ian Goodrich
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The programme has four main objectives: Employment and value chain development. Enhancing the enabling environment for agricultural markets and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Strengthening citizen participation in government decision making related to the agriculture sector. Strengthening women’s economic leadership. This document focuses on these areas and how the programme has addressed the government’s ban on the use of plastic bags, which created an obstacle for small-scale producers.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Gender Issues, Governance, Leadership, Participation, and Value Chains
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Rwanda
13. Turning Water into Wellbeing: How an Irrigation Scheme Changed Lives in a Zimbabwean Dryland
- Author:
- Solomon Mombeshora and Martin Walsh
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Climate change is putting increasing stress on the livelihoods of people living in the world’s drylands. Smallholder irrigation has long been seen as a means of improving food security in areas with unpredictable rainfall, and is now being promoted as part of climate change adaptation strategies. The Ruti Irrigation Scheme in Zimbabwe was begun by Oxfam in 2009 with these objectives in mind. This report examines the findings of two evaluations of the project and shows that the irrigation scheme has had more significant social and economic impacts than those measured by a quantitative study alone. However, the positive impacts for wellbeing have not been as extensive as originally hoped – having been affected by extreme weather events and the decision to reserve scarce water for use by sugar estates further downstream. This suggests that while smallholder irrigation schemes can provide important local benefits, these are threatened not only by the usual difficulties associated with their implementation, but also by the greater challenges posed by climate change and the resource conflicts that are being exacerbated as a result. These are problems which require significant changes in policy and practice at catchment-wide, national, and international levels.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Water, Famine, Infrastructure, and Food Security
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Zimbabwe
14. Financing Women Farmers: The need to Increase and Redirect Agriculture and Climate Adaptation Resources
- Author:
- Rebecca Pearl-Martinez
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Oxfam analysis finds that governments and donors are failing to provide women farmers with relevant and adequate support for farming and adapting to climate change. Oxfam conducted research on government and donor investments in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. It found that funding in these countries is significantly lower than commitments that have been made, and there is little evidence of resources and technical assistance reaching women farmers. Resources are being diverted to priorities other than smallholder farmers, and for the most part governments lack the capacity to deliver funding to them. This paper presents the findings along with recommendations for governments.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Gender Issues, Women, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Africa, Middle East, Philippines, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Ghana
15. Everything Except the Soil: Understanding Wild Food Consumption During the Lean Season in South Sudan
- Author:
- Hilary Dragicevic
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Research Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Wild plants are a critical part of the regular South Sudanese diet and become even more important during the lean season. This paper explores seasonal consumption patterns and recent significant changes in those patterns in Panyijar County, Unity State during the acute food crisis in 2017. It provides information on local preferences and health perceptions of wild foods, and reconsiders the idea that wild food consumption is primarily a coping strategy.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, and Food Security
- Political Geography:
- Africa and South Sudan
16. Is There a Role for Mobiles to Support Sustainable Agriculture in Africa?
- Author:
- Batchelor Simon, Scott Nigel, Valverde Alvaro, Manfre Cristina, and Edwards David
- Publication Date:
- 07-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- This paper from the Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on ICTs for Sustainability (ICT4S 2014) reviews findings from detailed consultation with 50 global experts in Agriculture and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). The study explores how ICTs (particularly mobile phones) could be used to accelerate the uptake of sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper develops a detailed conceptual model, built around the smallholder farmer, for understanding the flow of information through the agriculture sector.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Human Rights, Human Welfare, and Science and Technology
- Political Geography:
- Africa
17. Moral Hazard? 'Mega' public-private partnerships in African agriculture
- Author:
- Robin Willoughby
- Publication Date:
- 09-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- After decades of underinvestment in agriculture, African governments are rightly looking at how best to mobilize funding for the sector. Donors in turn are keen to reverse a trend of neglect and to support initiatives that are simultaneously likely to enhance productivity, improve livelihoods and increase private sector investment. Private investors, concurrently, are looking for new consumer markets and production opportunities in Africa.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Food, Famine, and Foreign Direct Investment
- Political Geography:
- Africa
18. We No Longer Share the Land: Agricultural change, land, and violence in Darfur
- Publication Date:
- 04-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Small-scale traditional agriculture provides the foundation of economic, political, and social life in Sudan's Darfur region. Traditionally, it included shifting crop cultivation and agro-pastoral livestock herding, with different ethnic groups specializing in each activity. Under this system, rights over land were not exclusive; various overlapping rights prevailed, and land use was not permanent. These arrangements allowed for the exchange of production inputs (manure for fertilizer, crop residues for animal feed), and permitted the different ethnic groups to coexist peacefully to their mutual advantage.
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Agriculture, Climate Change, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Sudan
19. Who Wants to Farm? Youth Aspirations, Opportunities and Rising Food Prices
- Author:
- Jennifer Leavy and Naomi Hossain
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Who wants to farm? In an era of land grabs and environmental uncertainty, improving smallholder productivity has become a higher priority on the poverty and food security agenda in development, focusing attention on the next generation of farmers. Yet emerging evidence about the material realities and social norms and desires of young people in developing countries indicates a reasonably widespread withdrawal from work on the land as an emerging norm. While de-agrarianisation is not new, policymakers are correct to be concerned about a withdrawal from the sector: smallholder productivity growth, and agricultural transformation more broadly, depend in part on the extent to which capable, skilled young people can be retained or attracted to farming, and on policies that support that retention. So who wants to farm, and under what conditions? Where are economic, environmental and social conditions favourable to active recruitment by educated young people into farming? What policy and programmatic conditions are creating attractive opportunities in farming or agro-food industry livelihoods?
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Latin America