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761. 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

762. Sustainable Solutions to Water Supply in Kenya

Author:
Ian Goodrich and Simeon Ogamba
Publication Date:
06-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
The Kenya Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Resilience and Governance Programme is built upon a theory of change which emphasizes empowerment, rights and the ability of citizens – particularly women – to develop and implement their own strategies for better access to services to improve health and quality of life. The programme’s approach holds that the best-placed actors to deliver improved water and sanitation are the country’s government, civil society and private sector, who are held accountable by the citizens they serve in promoting the quality and sustainability of services. The programme addresses water and sanitation challenges in urban and rural settlements of Kenya, strengthening the capacity of county governments, water-user associations and water utility companies to provide safe, sustainable services; developing and piloting innovative solutions; and working with other civil society partners to call for policy changes that address the needs of the most vulnerable people. This document particularly focuses on the question of whether water ATMs are a sustainable solution to water supply.
Topic:
Water, Infrastructure, Innovation, and Sustainability
Political Geography:
Kenya and Africa

763. 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

764. Cash Cropping and Care: How Cash Crop Development is Changing Gender Relations and Unpaid Care Work in Oromia, Ethiopia

Author:
Franziska Mager, Martin Walsh, and Fiona Remnant
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world and prone to both natural and man-made disasters. More than three-quarters of the population live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. Women are particularly vulnerable, lacking access to and control over land and other resources, and facing harmful social norms. Oxfam has worked in Ethiopia for many years, including on interventions to support smallholder production and marketing and to promote women’s economic empowerment. One of these was the Coffee Value Chain project, in Oromia regional state, and the subject of this report. The report examines quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the project, and its findings underline the importance of understanding the wider context in which gender and care relations are both reproduced and negotiated.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Poverty, Economic Inequality, and Empowerment
Political Geography:
Kenya and Africa

765. Multidimensional Impact Evaluation

Author:
Bilal Malaeb and Eustace Uzor
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA)
Abstract:
Ending (extreme) poverty in all of its forms everywhere around the world continues to dominate the International Development Agenda (UN 2015). However, while poverty is declining in much of the developing world, data from the World Development Report (WDR) Conflict, Security, and Development reveal that fragile and conflict-affected states are lagging behind. The report points out that ‘Poverty rates are 20 percentage points higher in countries affected by repeated cycles of violence over the last three decades. Indeed, with the worlds extreme poor over represented in fragile and conflict-affected ,some authors argue that violent conflict is development in reverse
Topic:
Economics, Gender Issues, Poverty, United Nations, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Economic Development
Political Geography:
Africa, North Uganda, and Global Focus

766. Electrification in Nigeria: Challenges and Way Forward

Author:
Chukwuka Onyekwena, Joseph Ishaku, and Precious Chukwuemelie Akanonu
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA)
Abstract:
Although electricity has been generated in commercial quantities in Nigeria for over a century, the rate of electricity infrastructure development in the county is low and power supply remains inadequate. Prior to reforms, the central challenges of the Nigerian power sector was the vertically integrated monopoly of government in power generation, transmission and distribution. While the reforms was successful in privatizing the generation and distribution segments of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), the overbearing problems in the sector persists –with privatization only changing the dimensions of the challenges. Financing remain a major problem across all the segments of the NESI partly due to non-cost reflective tariff. Yet each segment of the NESI also faces its unique challenges. The generation segment is riffed with the problems of energy security and inefficiencies in other segments. The challenges in the transmission segment lies in the lack of modern transmission lines and equipment, gross mismanagement, poor maintenance of available infrastructure and inefficient grid design. Distribution companies face the problem of huge Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collection (ATC&C) losses.
Topic:
Economics, Privatization, Infrastructure, Finance, Electricity, Economic Development, Financial Institutions, and Financial Services
Political Geography:
Africa and Nigeria

767. Climate Change and Human Rights: The Case of the Ethiopian Famine

Author:
Melissa Rary
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center on Human Rights Education, University of Denver
Abstract:
With effects of climate change becoming more prominent, it is important to examine what climate change will mean in terms of human rights and the impact on the most vulnerable populations. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasizes “increasing frequency of extreme weather events and natural disasters, rising sea-levels, floods, heat waves, droughts, desertification, water shortages, and the spread of tropical and vector-borne diseases” as a few of the many adverse effects resulting from climate change. Moreover, these issues threaten the enjoyment of the most basic rights including right to life, water, food, sanitation, among many others. Ethiopia, a country with over 80% of its population living in multidimensional poverty, is no beginner when it comes to dealing with famines. The Ethiopian Civil war began with a coup d’etat in 1973, which was largely a result of unrest after Emperor Haile Selassie refused to respond to the 1972 famine. In 1984, Ethiopia suffered a worse, more publicized famine, which is said to have killed over a million people. International initiatives were able to secure international aid, but political instability into 1991 led to lower rates of development as compared to its other Sub-Saharan neighbors. In the midst violence, a large sector of the Ethiopian population was lost, and the Ethiopian economy collapsed as a result of the government’s resistance to welcome international aid in rebel-controlled areas. The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia was established in 1991 and was followed by a shift in Ethiopia’s resistance to international aid, ultimately jumpstarting the upwards trend of development.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Human Rights, and Famine
Political Geography:
Africa and Ethiopia

768. Beyond Liberal Peace: Transcending Elite Pacts and Militarized Politics in South Sudan

Author:
Iris Tintswalo Nxumalo
Publication Date:
10-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Social Science Research Council
Abstract:
The ongoing civil war in South Sudan was triggered by factionalism within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), reflecting deep divisions and structural challenges within the South Sudanese elite and the state. Despite regional and international efforts at peacemaking and the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCISS) in August 2015, there remain episodes of conflict. This brief calls for a renewed political process that seeks to address the multiple levels of conflict, true reconciliation, and cooperation through recognition of mutual interests among emerging South Sudanese elites, and between them and the people through greater inclusivity in national dialogues and governance structures.
Topic:
Civil War, Regional Cooperation, Political structure, and Peace
Political Geography:
Africa, Sudan, and South Sudan

769. Peacebuilding Engagement Activities by Resettled African Refugees: Policy Options

Author:
Amanda Coffie
Publication Date:
08-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Social Science Research Council
Abstract:
Resettlement of refugees in third countries of asylum is considered both a protection practice and a durable solution to refugee crises, particularly in protracted refugee situations. Unlike most migrants and particularly irregular migrants, refugees receive protection from their host country, and the road towards citizenship is chartered prior to their arrival. Additionally, policies are in place to facilitate their integration into host societies. For host states located in the global North, resettlement is not just a humanitarian policy, but also includes strategic access to direct and indirect benefits other than those accruing to the resettled refugees. Such benefits may apply to other refugees, the host state, other states, or the international protection regime. Many analysts tend to overlook the strategic use of resettlement as a peacebuilding tool. Recent research findings from Africa and Central America demonstrate refugees’ capacity to contribute to peacebuilding in diverse ways including enhancement of safety and security; participation in political processes; and revitalization of economic, justice, and reconciliation systems.1 The findings also show that the ability of refugees to engage in peacebuilding is often determined by asylum policies of host states and the willingness of peacebuilding actors to engage non-state actors outside of the country where the peace is being built. This policy brief draws attention to some of the peacebuilding engagement activities of African resettled refugees in the global North. It notes that the resettlement of refugees provides host states with the opportunity to fulfill their mandates of the shared responsibility of protection and peacebuilding, without falling into the traps of imposition and interference.
Topic:
Migration, Refugees, Citizenship, and Humanitarian Crisis
Political Geography:
Africa and Global North

770. Local Actors, Conflict Management, and Peacebuilding in Central Nigeria: Insights and Policy Implications

Author:
Jimam T. Lar
Publication Date:
03-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Social Science Research Council
Abstract:
This policy briefing note focuses on the role of local actors1 in conflict man- agement and peacebuilding in central Nigeria, and explores two issues: the problem of intractable conflicts and the potential for local actors to play a role in policy interventions aimed at conflict management. By focusing on local actors and their impact on prospects for peacebuilding in local conflicts, it reveals the need to draw lessons and best practices from local contexts to apply to regional and national conflict management policies and peacebuild- ing processes.
Topic:
Diplomacy, Conflict, Local, and Peace
Political Geography:
Africa and Nigeria