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62. Dutch Supermarket Supply Chains: Ending the Human Suffering Behind our Food
- Author:
- Anouk Franck and Ioan Nemes
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Inequality is rampant across the global economy, and the agro-food sector is no exception. At the top, big supermarkets and other corporate food giants dominate global food markets, allowing them to squeeze value from vast supply chains that span the globe, while at the bottom the bargaining power of small-scale farmers and workers has been steadily eroded in many of the countries from which Dutch supermarkets and others from around the world source. The result is widespread human suffering among the women and men producing our food.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Markets, Food, Farming, and Supply
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Denmark
63. Towards a Socially Responsible Aquaculture Stewardship Council
- Author:
- Sake Kruk and Henk Peters
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is a certification initiative which aims to promote responsible aquaculture. Oxfam regards ASC as an initiative to transform the sector, but there is a need for urgent improvements on social aspects such as fair contracts for farmers, decent labor rights in the industry, and effective and transparent stakeholder consultation including farmers, workers, communities, and civil society. Currently, smallholder farmers are effectively excluded from certification, the burden of change is put on farmers rather than shared throughout the chain, and the quality and effectiveness of social impact assessments are lacking. This paper presents several recommendations on how ASC should address these issues, so that it can truly claim to promote social responsibility.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Maritime Commerce, Sustainability, and Supply Chains
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
64. To eliminate deforestation in South America, reduce differences in regulations across regions and actors
- Author:
- R. Garrett, E.F. Lambin, and Y. le Polain de Waroux
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University (ISID)
- Abstract:
- Effective deforestation regulations are implemented in places with high conservation value and low opportunity costs. Restrictive deforestation regulations drive away large-scale farms that rely on forest clearing. Increasing regulations do not slow down agricultural expansion, suggesting that large farms avoiding regulations are replaced by smaller farms. Increasing deforestation restrictions makes production costlier, causing major importers to shift to cheaper, less-regulated areas. This shift is partially compensated by rising domestic consumption, and by increasing demand from quality-driven importers.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Regulation, Conservation, and Forest
- Political Geography:
- South America
65. Why northern Ghana lags behind in Ghana’s growth and poverty reduction success
- Author:
- John Baptist D. Jatoe, Ramatu Al-Hassan, and Bamidele Adekunle
- Publication Date:
- 12-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- African Economic Research Consortium (AERC)
- Abstract:
- Ghana’s post adjustment growth and poverty reduction performance has been hailed as impressive, albeit with spatial disparities in the distribution of welfare, especially between the north and south of the country. Researchers generally agree that economic growth does not always reduce poverty. Indeed, the effectiveness of growth in reducing poverty depends on the level of inequality in the population. Growth that increases inequality may not reduce poverty; growth that does not change inequality (distribution-neutral growth) and growth that reduces inequality (pro-poor growth) result in poverty reduction. Policy makers can promote pro-poor growth by empowering the poor to participate in growth directly. Policy makers can focus on interventions that improve productivity in smallholder agriculture, particularly export crops, increasing employment of semi-skilled or unskilled labour, promoting technology adoption, increasing access to production assets, as well as effective participation in input and product markets. Also, increasing public spending on social services and infrastructure made possible by redistribution of the benefits of growth benefits the poor, indirectly.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Economics, Poverty, Labor Issues, Economic Growth, Labor Policies, Economic Policy, and Macroeconomics
- Political Geography:
- Africa and Ghana
66. Drought Adaptation and Resilience in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Michael Brüntrup and Daniel Tsegai
- Publication Date:
- 01-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
- Abstract:
- Drought is one of the most damaging natural hazards. Various studies rank it first among all natural hazards by seriousness of impacts such as the loss of life and livelihoods, economic losses and the adverse social and ecosystem effects. In many instances, drought can be a major factor in local conflicts, as well as internal and international migration – these negative effects of drought often persist long after the precipitation returns to normal levels. The causes of droughts are essentially natural, but climate change increases the drought severity, frequency, duration, and spatial extent. The impacts of droughts are also strongly exacerbated by anthropological activities, such as deforestation, overgrazing, soil degradation, and water mismanagement. In turn, the consequences of these activities are also exacerbated by drought, which creates a vicious cycle of ecological degradation and human misery. A reactive approach to droughts is still prevalent in many countries, even though emergency funding is costly, less effective and does not address the long-term causes of vulnerability and lack of sustainability. There is an urgent need to move forward with a paradigm shift from “crisis” to “risk” management, adopting a proactive approach based on the principles of risk reduction and prevention. There is a whole set of effective measures that need to be implemented to increase resilience to drought and minimise its effects. Monitoring and early warning systems along with assessments of the hot spots of vulnerable populations and regions, as well as investments in risk-mitigating measures are the first line of defence. These actions need to become an integral part of national drought policies. Moreover, the full cyclical phenomenon of droughts should be at the core of the drought management plans to take full advantage of the drought preparedness measures. All “drought-relevant” sectors including agriculture, food security, the environment, meteorology, water, energy and tourism have to be included in the drought policy development process and preparedness plans.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Migration, Natural Disasters, and Economy
- Political Geography:
- Germany and Global
67. Missing Out on Small is Beautiful: The EU’s Failure to Deliver on Policy Commitments to Support Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Jan Mayrhofer and Hanna Saarinen
- Publication Date:
- 06-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- With the world on the brink of an unprecedented four famines, donor countries must urgently step up efforts to tackle the structural causes of hunger and poverty. Food security and sustainable agriculture are among the European Union’s key priorities for development cooperation. The EU is committed to long-term solutions, including empowering smallholders, in particular women, and supporting environmentally sustainable approaches in agriculture. In practice, however, its development aid to the agricultural sector does not live up to its commitments. An Oxfam analysis of more than 7,500 EU-funded projects reveals a significant lack of transparency in reporting, casting doubt on the accountability of the EU’s aid. Based on the reported data, only a small portion of the EU’s agricultural development aid complies with the aim of targeting small-scale producers and women. Funding is also biased towards industrial and export crops and countries of strategic interest, at the expense of smallholders and countries most in need.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Regional Cooperation, Food, and European Union
- Political Geography:
- Europe
68. Pathways to Deforestation-Free Food: Developing Supply Chains Free of Deforestation and Exploitation in the Food and Beverage Sector
- Author:
- Aditi Sen
- Publication Date:
- 09-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Hidden in the food we buy every day, from chocolate to ice cream, are commodities like palm oil and soy that are driving deforestation across the world. From Indonesia to the Peruvian Amazon, vast areas of carbon-rich forest are being cleared to produce these agricultural commodities, contributing to climate change and social conflict. Several food and beverage companies have made commitments over the last few years to tackle deforestation in their supply chains. This paper analyses how the world’s ten biggest food and beverage companies – which were challenged to improve their environmental and social policies as part of Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign – are implementing their commitments to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. It argues that while this is a significant step forward, these companies must now implement their promises. They must translate policies into practice and strengthen their efforts to protect the rights and livelihoods of the communities and indigenous peoples on the frontlines of defending the world’s forests to achieve real change.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Climate Change, Indigenous, and Supply Chains
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
69. 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
70. Mapping nomad-farmer conflict in Afghanistan
- Author:
- Antonio Giustozzi
- Publication Date:
- 07-2017
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
- Abstract:
- In December 2016, the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) launched a European Union-funded project, ‘A three-pronged research effort into essential areas of Natural Resource Management (NRM), Food Zone policy, ground water, and the shifting interests of stakeholders in the conflict opposing sedentary and nomad populations,’ that includes a component about nomad-farmer conflict. The project will unfold over a period of three years and is organised in stages. Project fieldwork involves a total of 16 case studies spread around Afghanistan, of which seven saw a first wave of fieldwork carried out during the first stage. It also includes interviews with government officials, community leaders and other conflict observers, both in Kabul and in the provinces. This brief summarises the preliminary findings of stage one, drawn from the seven case studies. Follow-up work will include not only nine more cases studies and the bulk of interviews with conflict observers, but also additional interviews in the seven case studies that feed into this preliminary briefing.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Conflict, Rural, Farming, and Nomad
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Middle East
71. Employment from Mining and Agricultural Investments: How Much Myth, How Much Reality?
- Author:
- Kaitlin Y. Cordes, Olle Östensson, and Perrine Toledano
- Publication Date:
- 07-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
- Abstract:
- Employment creation is often seen as a key benefit of investment in natural resources. However, this benefit sometimes falls short: job estimates may be inflated, governmental policies may fail to maximize employment generation, and, in some cases, investments may lead to net livelihood losses. A more thorough examination of employment tied to mining and agricultural investments is thus useful for assessing whether and how employment from natural resource investments contributes to sustainable economic development—a particularly timely topic as countries consider how they will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, International Affairs, and Economic Growth
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
72. Transforming Sub Saharan Africa Agriculture
- Author:
- Jamal Saghir and Hans Hoogeveen
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University (ISID)
- Abstract:
- Across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) agriculture is a dominant sector in the economies of most countries accounting for between 30 to 40 percent of gross domestic product, and the sector is a leading source of jobs for over two-thirds of Africa’s population. And yet, though it has the potential to be an agricultural power, a combination of low productivity and an inadequate policy framework make SSA the world’s most food-insecure region. Over the last 40 years it has also been steadily losing its share of the global agricultural market. With less than 10% of SSA’s population, Thailand exports more food products than all SSA countries combined, and Brazil’s food exports are now 150% higher than those of SSA, although levels were similar in the 1980s. The “Green Revolution” that transformed tropical agriculture in Asia and Latin America largely bypassed Africa, with total factor productivity growth in agriculture lagging behind that of other regions in the world (Evenson and Gollin 2003) 1 . Two main factors are responsible. First, little land on the continent is irrigated. Only two percent of Africa’s renewable water resources are used, compared to a global average of five percent. Of the 183 million hectares of cultivated land in SSA, 95 percent is rain-fed and less than 5 percent benefits from some sort of agricultural water management practice—by far the lowest irrigation development rate of any region in the world. Moreover, of the 7.1 million hectares equipped with irrigation equipment, only 5.3 million are currently operational. Second, modern inputs and technological processes are grossly underutilized. Africa has, by far, the lowest rate of improved seed and fertilizer use of any region— a rate that has remained virtually constant for the last 40 years—and the lowest level of mechanization in the world. In consequence, African farmers have the lowest farm productivity; their grain yields only one-half of those achieved by Asian or Latin American farmers.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Poverty, and Economy
- Political Geography:
- Africa
73. Briefing Note on Fieldwork in Kandahar Province, December 2015 – January 2016: Opium Poppy and Rural Livelihoods
- Author:
- Paul Fishstein
- Publication Date:
- 04-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
- Abstract:
- This briefing note provides initial observations from fieldwork conducted between 14 December 2015 and 8 January 2016 in ten field sites within Arghandab, Panjwai, and Zharai Districts of Kandahar Province. In 2014/15, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC),farmers in Kandahar Province cultivated 21,020 hectare of opium poppy, the third largest area after Helmand and Farah, notwithstanding an estimated 38 percent decrease in cultivated area from 2013/14.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Rural, Drugs, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Middle East
74. Moving with the Times: How Opium Poppy Cultivation has Adapted to the Changing Environment in Afghanistan
- Author:
- David Mansfield and Paul Fishstein
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)
- Abstract:
- This “watching brief” has described a number of trends with respect to agriculture, land settlement, and opium poppy in several areas of Afghanistan. It highlights two separate but highly related issues. First, what will be farmers’ response to changes in technology and agro-economic conditions? While cost-reducing technology such as solar-powered tubewells may allow the cultivation of crops with lower returns than that of opium poppy, will farmers choose to grow these crops or will they stay with poppy? Will they even look to cultivate a second crop of opium poppy in May as some reports from the field suggest? Second, while the new technology has allowed the expansion of agricultural production to former desert areas and supported livelihoods for marginalised households, given Afghanistan’s tenuous water resources (leaving aside climate change) and population growth rate, how sustainable is an agriculture that continues to deplete groundwater resources by allowing their use on an essentially “free” basis?
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Science and Technology, Water, Drugs, and Farming
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan and Middle East
75. In Search of a New Balance between Agricultural Trade and Development in the Euro-Mediterranean
- Author:
- Marko Lovec
- Publication Date:
- 11-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- IEMed/EuroMeSCo
- Abstract:
- The recent food security crisis has shed light on the importance of agricultural development in the South Mediterranean countries. An ‘urban bias’ and ‘trade liberalisation’ policies have resulted in growing dependence on imports, narrow specialisations and unsustainable production practices. The Euro-Mediterranean integration process has put trade liberalisation in the centre of attention, while the progress in agriculture has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the challenges faced by agro-food systems in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries, with specific attention to the role of the Euro-Mediterranean integration and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. The paper also reviews relevant economic and environmental data in selected South and East Mediterranean countries.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Development, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Europe
76. Toward SDG 2: Food Security and Urbanization in the Global South
- Author:
- David Celis Parra, Krista Dinsmore, Nicole Fassina, and Charlene Keizer
- Publication Date:
- 08-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
- Abstract:
- Urban food insecurity is distinct from that experienced in rural areas and must be addressed through a different set of policies. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2 recommends that governments aim to improve food security and nutrition over the next 15 years in response to the global challenge of fostering sustainability.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, Humanitarian Aid, United Nations, and Food Security
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
77. Democratic Change and Forest Governance in the Asia Pacific: Implications for Myanmar
- Author:
- Stephen McCarthy
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- While signs of democratization in a country may raise hopes of better natural resource governance, especially of forests, evidence from the Asia Pacific region in countries such as Indonesia and Cambodia demonstrates no significant relationship between a country's transition toward democracy and better forestry governance. Myanmar's transition to democracy is unlikely to counter this trend. Deeply vested interests operate within democratizing countries that outweigh the support inside governments or civil society for improving forestry conservation. Incumbents also stand to benefit directly from initiatives that promote free trade and further investment in the forestry sector at the expense of the environment and the most vulnerable in society. International organizations returning to Myanmar must fine-tune their policies to accommodate the local political economy of deforestation and should engage with elements on the periphery, dissenting voices inside the government, and a broad range of local civil society organizations. Failure to do so may exacerbate current trends and lead to future conflicts in the already volatile cease-fire areas.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Civil Society, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Southeast Asia
78. More Inclusive Decision-making Processes in Foreign Land Leasing: Policy Insights from Kenya
- Author:
- DAVID JAKINDA OTIENO
- Publication Date:
- 02-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
- Abstract:
- Foreign land leases could help developing countries to acquire foreign direct investments (FDIs), including technical expertise and income necessary for economic transformation. A lack of local stakeholder consultation and involvement in the design of land leases leads to the rejection or disruption of such leases by local communities and wastes investors' resources due to disruptions. Local public stakeholders in Kenya are willing to accept and participate in leases, provided they include certain provisions: that leases do not exceed 15 years; are renewable subject to mutual negotiations; offer formal employment to landowners' household members; and provide adequate monetary compensation for the leased land. Effective and transparent management of land leases requires the formation of management committees comprising local stakeholders such as youth, women and land experts. To enhance lease transparency, regular consultative meetings should be held, negotiation records must be shared with local community members and landowners should receive direct payment, rather than being paid through intermediaries.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Development, Economics, Poverty, and Food
- Political Geography:
- Kenya and Africa
79. Reversal in Progress on World Hunger Likely as Climate Change Threatens Food Security
- Author:
- Tim Gore
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- New evidence of how climate change could damage food security is presented in a major new scientific report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, Energy Policy, and Food
80. Hot and Hungry: How to stop climate change derailing the fight against hunger
- Author:
- Anna Ratcliff
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Oxfam Publishing
- Abstract:
- Hunger is not and need never be inevitable. However climate change threatens to put back the fight to eradicate it by decades – and our global food system is woefully unprepared to cope with the challenge.
- Topic:
- Security, Agriculture, Climate Change, Development, and Food