Suchergebnisse

AbstractIn the face of governmental failure across the world to effectively tackle the menace of hunger, this paper explores the perceptions of food bank users in Glasgow in Scotland and Ogoniland in Nigeria's Niger Delta. It relies extensively on qualitative data collected in Glasgow and Ogoniland between 2013 and 2016. Results show that although the concept of food bank is more widespread and established in Glasgow than in Ogoniland, both Glaswegians and Ogonis are increasingly becoming dependent on food banks. In Glasgow, food banks have moved from being last, and short‐term, resorts, to becoming permanent means of alleviating hunger. However, the managers of these food banks are clearly unsure about their long‐term sustainability, and this paper argues that the established model of food bank operating in Glasgow should not be replicated in Ogoniland. Instead, using Freire's concept of 'education for critical consciousness', we suggest an alternative model for food banks that shifts the focus from alleviating hunger to tackling the causes of poverty, that is, a shift from dependency to independency. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The literature on fisheries for developing countries often cites inland aquaculture as a promising source of wealth creation for a nation in terms of revenue generation from export products. However, in this paper we argue that inland aquaculture has a greater prospect of success if it focuses on social welfare – i.e. alleviating food insecurity and poverty in coastal fishing communities, particularly those that are experiencing increased and unsustainable fishing pressure on marine fish. Nevertheless, promoting inland aquaculture in coastal areas faces many challenges, including financial, legal, political, environmental, logistical, educational, and attitudinal obstacles. Our study investigates these challenges in two coastal communities in Sierra Leone – Tombo and Goderich – where declining levels of marine fish catches are intensifying efforts to provide alternative or supplementary forms of employment for artisanal fishers, but where knowledge and experience of, and enthusiasm and funding for, inland aquaculture are limited. The research is based on the perceptions of 51 key informant interviewees and 199 survey questionnaire respondents. The main findings of the fieldwork are as follows. (1) Few local fishers were familiar with inland aquaculture and its potential benefits. (2) There were land tenure problems (for example, women were excluded from ownership of land). (3) There was little funding to buy/rent land and equipment. (4) Despite declining fish stocks, respondents were reluctant to take up full-time fish farming because of the easier option of fishing. Our findings suggest that greater uptake of inland aquaculture is more likely if presented to local fishers as a supplementary livelihood activity rather than an alternative occupation to marine capture fishing. Our study reinforces the importance of understanding local fishers' cultures, values, and preferences before introducing a new livelihood activity.

The situation of small-scale coastal fisheries in Sierra Leone is dire, with diminishing fish stocks and fish sizes due to massive industrial fishing and widespread use of banned nets by artisanal fishers. Repeated attempts have been made by fisheries management to improve the situation, but with little or no success. Superficially, it might seem that the two main causes of the problem - foreign industrial fishing and damaging artisanal nets – could be readily dealt with, but closer analysis reveals that tackling these causes is immensely complicated. This is because their roots lie deep in Sierra Leone's history, culture and politics, and any attempt to deal with them could lead to unintended consequences which might make the situation worse not better. Does this mean there is a 'wicked problem' here – i.e. a problem so intractable that it has no practicable solution? This is the issue which the present study addresses. The research is based on extensive fieldwork carried out in two large fishing coastal fishing communities in Sierra Leone (Tombo and Goderich) during April and May 2017 when 200 open-ended questionnaires (SQs) were administered and 51 key informant interviews (KIs) were conducted. The study concludes that the situation faced by small-scale fisheries in these communities meets several, but by no means all, of the criteria of a wicked problem, and that while a definitive solution to the problem is unfeasible, stakeholders could adopt strategies to alleviate its more harmful consequences. ; Until 3 August 2020, this article can be accessed at: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1bEP6,714MZ2eb

This paper explores the perceptions of Ogoni people about their system of inherited leadership in Ogoniland, It focuses on whether the Ogoni people believe that their traditional system of inherited leadership has ameliorated or exacerbated the adverse impact of oil capitalism and political interference on their communities. Fieldwork was carried out in eight communities in Ogoniland in early 2014 when 69 key informant interviews were conducted as well as three focus group discussions. The conclusion reached by the paper is that many Ogoni people believe that the system of inherited leadership has let them down in the face of external threats, and that it is time to reform that system by incorporating into it some contemporary western principles of good governance.