Suchergebnisse

Metadata only record ; This research seeks to better understand how both institutions and farm households in the arid Sahel-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. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

The intended audience of the Directed Readings Series includes researchers, development practitioners, environmental activists, government officials, and educators who do not have a specialized training in Natural Resource Management but who, nonetheless, are involved in such management and would like to enhance their knowledge on the topic.

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.

Innovation platforms have emerged as a way of enhancing the resilience of agricultural and food systems in the face of environmental change. Consequently, a great deal of theoretical reflection and empirical research have been devoted to the goal of understanding the factors that enhance and constrain their functionality. In this article, we further examine this enquiry by applying the concept of institutional embeddedness, understood as encompassing elements of platform design, structure, and functions as well as aspects of the broader historical, political, and social context to which platforms are connected. We present a case study of sub-national platforms established in three districts of the climatically-stressed Upper West Region of Ghana and charged with facilitating climate change responses at the local level and channelling community priorities into national climate change policy. A different kind of organization−the traditional chief council, the agricultural extension service, and a local NGO−was chosen by members to convene and coordinate the platform in each district. We examine platform members' accounts of the platform formation and selection of facilitating agent, their vision for platform roles, and their understandings of platform agenda and impacts. We analyse these narratives through the lens of institutional embeddedness, as expressed mostly, but not solely, by the choice of facilitating agents. We illustrate how the organizational position − and related vested interests − of facilitating agents contribute to shaping platform agendas, functions, and outcomes. This process hinges on the deployment of legitimacy claims, which may appeal to cultural tradition, technical expertise, community engagement, and dominant scientific narratives on climate change. Iinstitutional embeddedness is thereby shown to be a critical aspect of agency in multi-actor processes, contributing to framing local understandings of the climate change and to channelling collective efforts towards select response strategies. In conclusion, we stress that the institutional identity of facilitating agents and their relationship to members of the platform and to powerholders in the broader context provides a useful diagnostic lens to analyse the processes that shape the platform's ability to achieve its goals.

This paper analyzes the role of institutional factors in the adoption and implementation of land management technologies with carbon sequestration potential among rural communities of the Sudan-Sahel region. ; Available in SANREM office, FS

Agricultural land reforms are crucial to promote investments in sustainable land management and food production amidst accelerating urbanization and increasing population growth. However, notable gaps remain in the literature regarding how land reforms designed at the national level are implemented in localized contexts, especially as they interplay with customary tenure regimes. Adopting an institutional bricolage perspective, we explore interactions between local tenure arrangements and government land reforms and the resulting implications for food production in rural Mali. We show that specific market-based land tenure arrangements in the study area emerged from a combination of urbanization pressures and government-designed land reform. We find that tenure security is linked to agricultural investment decisions, as also documented by previous studies. We likewise show that anxieties and ambiguities stemming from state-mandated land registration foster the emergence of monetized forms of access to collective land. These new market-based systems drive greater out- migration of productive community members, leading to labour shortages and weakening the social cohesion and mutual support systems upon which the most vulnerable depend. The findings show that top-down land reforms in rural Mali lead to disruptions of the social fabric, along with re-organizations of tenure systems to accommodate social norms and priorities. We illustrate how, in the context of centralized policy making with limited local consultation, community members resist cooperating and creatively search for alternatives to achieve their social goals. Empirical investigations of socio-institutional challenges such as land tenure arrangements are critical for effective scaling of agricultural innovations and sustainable food production.