Suchergebnisse

Metadata only record ; This section identifies institutions and individuals involved in dispute settlement. Within the village setting and nationwide, individual Gambians have become particularly well-known as skillful mediators and peace-keepers. The skills, characteristics and motivations of individuals shape settlement processes and outcomes. These skillful mediators can determine how laws become adapted to, or do not adapt to, new situations. Whether a conflict is resolved or left to fester is often contingent upon the presence (or absence) of a strong leader. Across all interviews conducted for this study, there seems to be a consensus on the skills of a strong leader. A strong leader must possess: knowledge of tradition, knowledge of traditional ways of solving disputes, knowledge of the laws of the new military government and the former government, reasonableness, recognition of people's position in society, knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and knowledge of local languages. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; For all the emphasis given to community-based approaches within recent environment and development policy debates, results in practice have often been disappointing both from the perspectives of implementing agencies, and of certain sections of the 'communities' concerned. This article suggests that among many possible reasons, key problems relate to shortcomings in the underlying assumptions about 'community', 'environment', and the relationships between them which inform current approaches. An alternative perspective, forwarded here, starts from the politics of resource access and control among diverse social actors, and sees patterns of environmental change as the outcomes of negotiation, or contestation, between social actors who may have very different priorities. As the authors go on to show, the notion of 'environmental entitlements' encapsulates this shift in perspective. Specifying people's entitlements and the ways they are shaped by diverse institutions offers a useful approach to the analysis of situations with which community-based sustainable development attempts to engage. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; This report summarizes consultations held with West African governmental and non-governmental actors regarding the role of agriculture in medium- and long-term development in West Africa and the impact of agricultural innovation on societal development. Objectives of the consultations included debate of the issues regarding agricultural biotechnology; the need to preserve biodiversity and protect the species and germplasm of local crop varieties; the socio-economic impact of biotechnology on economically vulnerable producers; fear of producers' long-term dependency for seed on international companies; and safety measures that would need to be followed in utilizing agricultural biotechnology.

Metadata only record ; Cette etude s'articule autour de deux objectifs essentials: i) l'tablissement d'un tat des lieux des organisations d'leveurs dans quatre pays sahliens (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger et Sngal) et ii) l'identification des besoins des communauts pastorales en matire de renforcement des capacits institutionnelles. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; This research seeks to understand how both institutions and farm household in the arid Shel-Soudan (SS) Region, West Africa can together use seasonal precipitation forecasting influenced by ENSO to improve the rain-fed agricultural production systems of farm households and thus the security of their livelihoods. The research also identifies and recommends points of entry and appropriate modalities for introducing scientific predictions into the region in ways that positively affect quality of life and environmental sustainability. The dynamic interconnection of climate, ecosystem, land use and economic strategies in the SS, where agricultural production systems center around rain-fed cultivation of staple crops and are characterized by a low level of technological development, has been well documented. Under any circumstances, agriculture in the SS is an inherently high-risk low-return endeavor. Burkina Faso was chosen as the SS country in which to focus research activities because it encompasses several agro ecological zones characteristic of the region; its climate, like that of the SS Region, has been linked to El Nio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon; it has a strong national research organization and university; the research team members have directly relevant experience there and collaborative relationships. The research objectives include: 1. Determining the state of the art in seasonal precipitation forecasting in SS relating to possibilities in terms of lead times, accuracy, and presentation of forecasts the various kinds of institutions and groups; 2. Developing a better understanding of the information systems of relevant institutions and non governmental organizations (NGO) to determine how best to introduce weather forecasts in their programmatic planning and implementation; 3. Assessing how scientific forecasts can be introduced in ways that improve livelihood security among farm households living in different agro-ecological zones and engaged in different survival strategies; 4. Conducting a workshop in Burkino Faso to present and refine research results, and facilitate flow of information among relevant institutions and representatives of farming communities; and extrapolating research results to the rest of the SS.

Metadata only record ; The main objective of this study was to assess the extent to which decentralization policy reforms create favorable conditions for reducing poverty and consolidating democracy. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; The document is a synthesis of December 1996 work on the evolution of the management of pastoral conflicts. The document presents results of studies of the cases of Senegal, Niger, and Mali from a preceding workshop, the proposition or the organization of communities for the equitable utilization of resources, the new state measures (real estate legislation) and the ways of preventing and resolving conflicts between rural communities. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; This article addresses the question of whether the amnagement/gestion de terroir approach, as it is currently being promoted by government and development organizations in the French-speaking countries of Sahelian West Africa, is compatible with the realists that agro-pastoralists in those countries face day-to-day. It is particularly concerned with three characteristics of life in the Sahel that have important implications for how agrarian populations manage resources, and whether the terroir approach, which aims ostensibly to increase the effectiveness of local-level natural resource management, addresses or fails to address these characteristics. First, the Sahel is characterized by considerable agro-ecological diversity and socio-economic differentiation. Second, Sahelian populations are often very mobile as a result of their efforts to deal with changing opportunities and constraints that affect their pursuit of a livelihood. And, third, Sahelian populations commonly use multiple strategies for risk management, including, but certainly not limited to, those which focus on the terroir villageois.

Metadata only record ; Pour mieux consolider les acquis consensuels pour la gestion alternative des conflits, il nous parat essentiel de matriser un certain nombre de facteurs ayant trait au "partage" des gommeraies entre autres: ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; This book describes the valuable contribution that urban agriculture is making to food security and urban sanitation in the cities of West and Central. It also presents a strategy for launching a multi-stakeholder network on urban agriculture, and does so with input and support from producers; NGOs; national, regional, and international research institutions; donors; and policymakers and government officials at both the municipal and national levels.

Metadata only record ; Though poorly developed from a methodological standpoint, stakeholder analysis (SA) now belongs to the long list of virtues and catchwords reigning over the field of development. Much to its credit, the method travels well across disciplinary and theoretical boundaries. It is so eclectic as to stretch across the political spectrum and fit in with most of what it encounters, be it informed by participatory methodology or not (Burgoyne 1994: 205, Grimble and Wellard 1997: 182). SA is currently used in fields ranging from political science to policy development and international relations. The concept and related methodology have made significant inroads into poverty reduction studies and applied research pertaining to issues of sustainable livelihood, community-based natural resource and conflict management (Ramrez 1999). It is also part of World Bank thinking on participation methodology since about 1993 (MacArthur 1997a: 5). ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; La prvention et la gestion des conflits en Afrique prsentent des ressemblances et des spcifiques lies au contexte gographique, historique, conomique et social. Il est apparu donc souhaitable de confronter les diverses expriences en la matire. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; Les diffrents systmes d'exploitation rpondent la crise environnementale en restreignant leur interdpendance, allant parfois jusqu' la supprimer et transformer leurs rapports en conflits dclars ou pas. L'interfrence tend remplacer des relations plus ou moins harmonieuses mais complmentaires en relations rendues concurrentielles par la pluriactivit encourage par de nombreux dveloppeurs. Si sectoriellement cette politique se justifie, les consquences se rpercutent sous la forme d'une dchirure entre groupes sociaux. L'volution conomique des rapports d'exploitation dans le delta intrieur de Niger durant ces vingt dernires annes le reflte bien. Une pression accrue sur les ressource naturelles disponible gnre des tensions parfois explosives au sein d'un mme systme d'exploitation et ce type de conflit est majoritaire. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Metadata only record ; As human population and material consumption increase in coming decades, scarcities of natural resources will increase in some regions. Will societies be able to adapt? The present article builds on three key insights derived, in part, from "new growth theory" in economics. First, ideas are a factor of economic production; second, not only can ideas for new technologies contribute to production, so can ideas for new and reformed institutions; and, third, the generation and dissemination of productive ideas is endogenous, not just to the economic system, but also to the broader social system that includes a society's politics and culture. The article argues, therefore, that to understand the determinants of social adaptation to scarcity, analysts should focus on the society's ability to supply enough ideas, or "ingenuity." As scarcity worsens, some poor societies will face a widening "ingenuity gap" between their need for and their supply of ingenuity. Most importantly, their supply of social ingenuity (in the form of new and reformed institutions) will be vulnerable to stresses generated by the very scarcities the ingenuity is needed to solve. Scarcity often causes intense rivalries among interest groups and elite factions that impede the development and delivery of institutional solutions to resource problems. A society with a serious and chronic ingenuity gap will face declining social well-being and perhaps civil turmoil.

Metadata only record ; This book is a collection of papers presented at a workshop titled 'Listening to the people: social aspects of dryland management,' held in Nairobi, Kenya, 14-18 December 1993. The event was organized by the Desertification Control Programme Activity Centre of UNEP to develop a better understanding of community participation and bottom-up development. A primary goal of the workshop was to formulate recommendations of what needs to be done to achieve sustainable development in the drylands. A prerequisite for the success of any intervention affecting a local community is that the planners recognize the institutions, systems of indigenous knowledge and management structures that already exist. The papers and discussions of the workshop analyse the experiences of over three decades of attempts by governments, donor agencies and non-governmental organizations to promote economic development in the drylands of developing countries. Six sections of the book cover: (1) the social dimensions and concepts of desertification; (2) participatory approaches and methods related to development of the drylands; (3) social aspects of dryland management; (4) indigenous knowledge; (5) gender issues in natural resource management; and (6) the importance of government policies in dryland management. (CAB Abstracts)