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• (Article) Impact of COVID-19 on livestock exports from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

  01.06.2021
  Somalia has a significant place in the livestock sector in the Horn of Africa; livestock trade and export is one of the key economic contributors. Most of the livestock trade happens with the Middle East, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia being one of its biggest importers. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to both massive loss of life and huge economic losses as the result of measures to contain the virus. In June 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took the decision to restrict the number of pilgrims for the annual Hajj. Impacts resulted in a decline in income from the seasonal Hajj of 80 per cent, though domestically prices of livestock remained stable and local markets were used for livestock sales. This paper, besides highlighting the effects, provides recommendations which could inform strategic planning, humanitarian aid, and resilience building for the livestock value chain in Somalia and the Horn of Africa

• (Article) Assessment of low-cost, non-electrically powered chlorination devices for gravity-driven membrane water kiosks in eastern Uganda

  01.04.2021
  Recontamination during transport and storage is a common challenge of water supply in low-income settings, especially if water is collected manually. Chlorination is a strategy to reduce recontamination. We assessed seven low-cost, non-electrically powered chlorination devices in gravity-driven membrane filtration (GDM) kiosks in eastern Uganda: one floater, two in-line dosers, three end-line dosers (tap-attached), and one manual dispenser. The evaluation criteria were dosing consistency, user-friendliness, ease of maintenance, local supply chain, and cost. Achieving an adequate chlorine dosage (∼2 mg/L at the tap and ≥ 0.2 mg/L after 24 h of storage in a container) was challenging. The T-chlorinator was the most promising option for GDM kiosks: it achieved correct dosage (CD, 1.5–2.5 mg/L) with a probability of 90 per cent, was easy to use and maintain, economical, and can be made from locally available materials. The other in-line option, the chlorine-dosing bucket (40 per cent CD) still needs design improvements. The end-line options AkvoTur (67 per cent CD) and AquatabsFlo® (57 per cent CD) are easy to install and operate at the tap, but can be easily damaged in the GDM set-up. The Venturi doser (52 per cent CD) did not perform satisfactorily with flow rates > 6 L/min. The chlorine dispenser (52 per cent CD) was robust and user-friendly, but can only be recommended if users comply with chlorinating the water themselves. Establishing a sustainable supply chain for chlorine products was challenging. Where solid chlorine tablets were locally rarely available, the costs of liquid chlorine options were high (27–162 per cent of the water price).

• (Article) Integrating sanitation and climate change adaptation: lessons learned from case studies of WaterAid’s work in four countries

  01.04.2021
  The links between climate change and sanitation are frequently overlooked in the WASH sector. This paper examines experiences of WaterAid in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, India, and Madagascar where there was some consideration of the impacts of climate change on sanitation. Climate resilience was often not considered explicitly, however, with work instead framed around weather-related threats that are now increasingly frequent and severe. In these case studies, sanitation and climate integration involved adapting on-site sanitation hardware to physical impacts on infrastructure, while some social aspects of climate resilience were also considered. Integration took place primarily at the project level, while climate change consideration seemed absent from wider planning and decision-making. Aside from these case studies, most of WaterAid’s sanitation work does not seem to incorporate climate change. It is recommended that climate resilience is integrated into each stage of sanitation programming, with a more systematic consideration of its potential impacts.

• (Article) Unravelling context: a formative photovoice study of Indian youth perspectives of sanitation and hygiene practices

  01.01.2021
  Water, sanitation, and hygiene are issues of substantial public health importance. Community-based participatory research approaches such as photovoice can help explore and identify determinants that influence sanitation and hygiene-related behaviours. This study aimed to use photovoice as part of the formative research process to increase understanding of youth’s perceptions of the cultural and contextual factors that influence sanitation and hygiene-related behaviours in Thirumalaikodi, India. First, a school was recruited using convenience sampling; next, 10 participants were purposively selected to participate in an information meeting, seven photo discussion sessions, and one wrap-up session over a three-week period. In each photo discussion session, participant groups selected one ‘trigger’ photograph, and through a structured discussion using SHOWED mnemonic questions (a series of questions that ask participants to describe and reflect upon a chosen photograph), generated a new understanding of issues related to water, sanitation, and hygiene. All sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis was used to analyse photo discussion session text. Findings revealed that factors such as social structure, education, and culture influence behaviours that determine the sanitary conditions of an individual’s private and public spaces. Furthermore, participants described how descriptive norms generated practices (e.g. littering) that were reinforced and maintained by limited access to waste management systems, attitudinal indifference, and generational beliefs. Findings yielded an in-depth understanding of youth’s perceptions of the cultural and contextual factors that influence sanitation and hygiene-related behaviours. This study also contributes to the advancement of participatory applications in formative research and intervention adaptation processes.

• (Article) Boosting financial inclusion through social assistance reform: evidence-based approach in selecting a payment system

  01.12.2020
  Digitizing social assistance for the poor has been proven to increase financial inclusion. The Indonesian Government initiated reform for non-cash social assistance disbursement in 2016. Evidence-based policy approach is an effective technique for informing the government on appropriate new regulations. A pilot project involving 4,295 participants was conducted to evaluate the following payment systems: debit card, mobile money, QR code (quick response), and NFC (near field communication). Beneficiaries utilized the funds for cash withdrawals and food purchases at bank agents. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the analysis. The government decided to use debit card with multiple wallet features. A new regulation was made to support the implementation in 2017, and by the end of 2019, the government provided more than 12 million new savings accounts to the poor. Potential future improvements are proposed for the sustainability of the solution, which include a disbursement providers’ revenue model, broader financial services involvement, bank agents’ inventory system, and optimizing the latest innovations.

• (Article) A global assessment of budgeting and financing for WASH in schools

  01.10.2020
  The aim of this review is to assess the literature (published and grey) on capital and recurrent costs of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in Schools (WinS) facilities and services. The review presents life-cycle costs (e.g. consumables, repair, support, and maintenance) of WinS services and assesses the practical costing exercises and tools currently available for WinS. Furthermore, this review characterizes the typical costs and financial sources for WASH services in (primary) schools and explores the different financial mechanisms available to meet school-level WASH financing gaps.

• (Article) Assessing high-profile public messaging for sanitation behaviour change: evidence from a mobile phone survey in India

  01.10.2020
  The UN Sustainable Development Goals call for the elimination of open defecation by 2030. Assessing global progress will require learning from India’s sanitation efforts because of its ambitious program of high-profile behavior change messaging to tackle open defecation, and because open defecation is widespread in India. In 2014, the Prime Minister announced a policy called the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), which aimed to eliminate open defecation by 2019. However, the 2015–16 National Family Health Survey –4 found that about 55% of rural and 11% of urban Indian households lack a toilet or latrine. To assess the extent of public awareness of the SBM, we use a mobile phone survey to ask about people’s knowledge of the existence and purpose of the SBM. We report representative estimates of awareness of the SBM among adults in Delhi (2016), Uttar Pradesh (2016), Mumbai (2016–17), Rajasthan (2016–17), Bihar (2018), Jharkhand (2018), and Maharashtra (2018). While much of the SBM’s activities took place in its last two years, we find that, at the time of the survey, no more than one-third of adults in any state are aware that the SBM intends to promote toilet and latrine use. Awareness was particularly low in Uttar Pradesh, where one in eight people who defecates in the open worldwide lives. While the SBM was very active in constructing latrines, the lack of awareness we find suggests that the SBM was less successful in raising the awareness required for large-scale behavior change in promoting latrine use.

• (Article) A call to action: organizational, professional, and personal change for gender transformative WASH programming

  01.07.2020
  The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets aimed at improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are also an opportunity for the transformation of gender norms. To facilitate this transformation, this paper makes a call to action for global and national efforts for organizational, professional, and personal change. Several NGOs are leading a process towards a more reflective and transformative approach. This paper presents a number of examples – from headquarters, and others from country offices and research institutes – of the changes under way to support a stronger connection between the ‘outer faces’ of WASH professionals in the sector and the individual, personal inner spaces. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for personal and organizational change.

• (Article) Providing municipal faecal sludge management services: lessons from Bangladesh

  01.07.2020
  Faecal sludge management (FSM) is a rising priority in the WASH sector, and governments and development agencies are increasing their investments in faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs). In Bangladesh there are plans to build 100 FSTPs in secondary municipalities. However, lessons from past experiences are not widely understood or considered. This article aims to fill that gap, shedding light on the drivers of success and challenges in the provision of municipal FSM services, analysing the cases of older FSTPs in four secondary towns in Bangladesh. Only one of these plants was fully operational, one was not operating, and two were partially operational. A challenge identified was that the faecal sludge treatment plants were not part of an integral and well-thought-out plan considering the whole sanitation service chain. Unbalanced partnerships between stakeholders was a crucial barrier to the long-term success of FSTPs, as it hindered the empowerment of the municipal governments to take ownership of FSM service provision. The financing and technical capacities of the municipalities were another barrier, which was covered by NGOs in the most successful plant. The study suggests that future investment in FSM services in secondary towns in Bangladesh and similar contexts should 1) put municipalities in the driving seat, 2) ensure adequate financing, 3) consider the whole sanitation service chain, and 4) strengthen the capacities of the local actors to deliver FSM services.

• (Article) Being realistic about the contribution of private businesses to public nutrition objectives

  01.06.2020
  This article concerns the role of the state and the private sector in addressing Sustainable Development Goal 2, which is to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. We critique the ‘food environment’ focusing on the strategies and policies of the public and private sectors which shape agri-food production and consumption. We use evidence from studies in South Asia to suggest more realism about the contribution of major businesses to public nutrition objectives. We conclude that business policies are dynamic, and for most firms and in many markets, there are genuine challenges in reaching the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ of consumers with nutritious foods. For policy-makers there should be no assumption that public and private sector objectives are aligned. Policy recommendations include stronger direct intervention such as through taxation, subsidies, regulatory incentives, and controls on advertising and distribution with appropriate monitoring and sanction mechanisms, and indirect interventions to facilitate the pro-nutrition operations of small and medium size enterprises.

• (Article) Global assessment of grant-funded, market-based sanitation development projects

  01.07.2020
  Evidence on the performance of market-based sanitation (MBS) interventions is needed to support renewed focus on using them to deliver sanitation services at scale. We conducted a comprehensive review of WASH grant-funding since 1980 to identify household sanitation supply projects using an MBS approach, assessed project characteristics and outcomes (population impacted), and reviewed project strategies against three key factors for scaling MBS (customer and business finance; availability and viability of local entrepreneurs; appropriate toilet product and business models). For a subset with higher outcomes, we assessed project strategies more fully against nine MBS strategies considered good practice, and the programme’s ability to leverage household investment. Of 103 sanitation supply projects in eight global databases, 49 qualified as MBS and occurred in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South/Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Cumulatively, 27.6 million people, nearly all rural, gained access to basic sanitation via markets across these projects. ‘Large-scale’ MBS projects exceeding 50,000 people gaining basic sanitation (n = 27) compared with those that did not (n = 22) were longer and significantly more likely to address all three key factors (74 per cent vs. 41 per cent; p = 0.019), but on average applied only six of nine good practice strategies. Outcomes and programme leverage were higher in South/Southeast Asia than in sub-Saharan Africa. However, African projects tended to have shorter duration, fewer reached ‘large-scale’, and rarely employed a sales and marketing strategy. We discuss implications for improving the design and performance of MBS interventions globally and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

• (Article) Addressing women’s needs in water access for economic use: the case of Wukro town, Ethiopia

  01.07.2020
  In urban areas where water is not adequately supplied, women’s efforts to make a living out of water-intensive businesses face many challenges. The study examined how small-scale businesses run by women in Wukro town, Ethiopia are impacted by inadequate supply of water, and what coping strategies are employed. The lived experiences of women involved in small-scale water-intensive businesses, such as traditional beer brewing and coffee shops, were examined. In addition to these women, the perspectives and experiences of selected key informants as well as the officers at the local water utility have been assessed. Whether or not these women secure support from the social networks in their neighbourhood has also been considered. The study revealed that the unreliable supply of water in the town has impacted women involved in small business. It was indicated that some women manage to do well either by borrowing water from neighbours or purchasing from providers. In contrast, others who run businesses in rented houses with limited social networks expressed that they are struggling. Suggestions are made for the water utility to revise its working guidelines related to the provision of water services and to implement a gendered perspective in water management practices.

• (Article) Are ceramic water filters effective in preventing diarrhoea and acute malnutrition among under-five children in Sudan?

  01.07.2020
  Access to safe drinking-water at home is essential during the outpatient treatment of children with acute malnutrition due to their increased vulnerability to infections and disease. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ceramic water filters with safe storage in preventing diarrhoea and acute malnutrition among under-five children in Kassala state, Sudan. It was designed as an open-label randomized controlled trial, comparing two study groups. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and direct observations, then processed and analysed using Epi Info 7.2.0.1. Use of water filters is a potential predictor of number of diarrhoea episodes per child (P < 0.001). The intervention group had a lower diarrhoea occurrence (P < 0.001), better monthly average weight gain (P = 0.012) and average mid-upper arm circumference increase (P = 0.001), and lower prevalence of acute malnutrition at the end of the study (P = 0.001) compared with the control group. Ceramic water filters with safe storage can be effective in preventing diarrhoea and acute malnutrition, and beneficial to children admitted to Community Management of Acute Malnutrition programmes in Kassala state. More research is needed to understand the pathways to achieving these outcomes. Other WASH interventions may be needed to interrupt the primary vectors of diarrhoea disease transmission in this setting.

• (Article) Fostering smallholder investment and innovation through inclusive financial services

  01.03.2020
  This article provides a framework, with supporting examples, for addressing finance for smallholder investment for innovation. Smallholder households function in interconnected ‘systems’ radiating outwards from the household unit: livelihoods, agricultural market systems, community and society, and infrastructure and policy. An inclusive livelihoods model analyses what would need to be true for uptake of innovations by women, men, and youth, and what financial and non-financial products are needed. ‘Customer centric’ integrated value chain financing solutions are tailored to smallholder market segments along eight pathways for growth. A roadmap for facilitating innovation and change using priority pathways, yet grounded in proven financial and development principles, is recommended. Tools and approaches include: value chain facilitation and capacity development – aggregation, market linkages, and private–public partnerships; financial tools – transaction-based financing, flexible products, and risk mitigators; and innovations in service delivery – digital and ICT applications.

• (Article) Family, territory, nation: post-neoliberal agroecological scaling in Nicaragua

  01.12.2016
  Agroecological scaling-up, as the words suggest, is best achieved as a process constructed ‘from below’. How then to understand the political dimension of agroecological scaling, if not also as a popular process of democratization of food systems? This article explores the political and social dimensions of the Nicaraguan process of agroecological scaling, using the frame of food sovereignty, or the right of peoples and nations to define, build, and defend their own food system. As part of the ALBA alliance of Latin American countries, Nicaragua’s government positions itself to the political left of many of the more neoliberal governments in the region. Post-neoliberalism provides a historical context for the repositioning of the state in regard to peasant and family agriculture, rural education, and social economies. As agroecological knowledge is re-produced, shared and multiplied, agroecological organizational structures become essential to scaling-out and scaling-up processes. We discuss the role of the state in determining the popular diffusion of agroecological methods and thinking across the Nicaraguan countryside.

• (Article) Increasing small-scale farmer access to climate services

  01.12.2016
  A key part of increasing small-scale farmer resilience to both climate variation and longer term climate change, both now amplified by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions derived from the burning of fossil fuels, is to strengthen farmers’ adaptive capacity. Implicit in definitions of adaptive capacity is an increased ability to anticipate risk of shocks and stresses through forecasting and knowing how to respond to these forecasts. Understanding forecasts of future weather and climate conditions and applying this understanding, together with other complementary technical knowledge, to a range of decisions about on-farm operations will then build climate resilience. Farmer responses suggest that an initial rationale of a 10–20 per cent increase in output is valid and that increasing forecast effectiveness through combining seasonal and 7-day or 5-day forecasts, together with a focus on agroecological agriculture, may result in an even stronger impact. Long-term forecasts developed through applied climate models that can guide community-based resilience planning and farmer-generated data, e.g. through use of rain gauges, also increase their ability to make resilience-building decisions. Understanding local knowledge and local indicators are important parts of the process, providing a knowledge framework that works for farmers, indicating which decisions are likely to be enhanced by scientific forecasts and adding local context. Increasing access to climate services works particularly well when combined with agroecological advisory services, which deliver greater resilience and productivity compared with conventional, input-intensive methods.

• (Article) Market-based strategies to upscale organic fertilizer use in Nepal to achieve productivity, resilience, and the SDGs

  01.12.2016
  Nepal’s current Agricultural Development Strategy recognizes the need to increase the levels of soil organic matter for productive and sustainable agriculture, and the important role commercial organic fertilizers can play in that process. It advocates for a gradual shift from chemical intensive to more sustainable farming systems; i.e. application of organic as well as balanced inorganic fertilizers to enable sustained levels of production without degrading the soil and environment. To date there has been limited use of commercial organic fertilizers in Nepal. However, recent research has confirmed that semi-organic fertilizer regimes increase yield and enterprises producing organic fertilizers and other soil improvers can be viable. Research has also shown that farmers will use such products if the quality and availability can be assured. This article analyses the situation in Nepal and proposes market-based strategies for policy makers to address the quality and availability issues so that organic matter markets can drive a transition to more productive, sustainable (agroecological), and inclusive agriculture, and thereby enable progress towards agriculture, nutrition, and poverty targets in the SDGs.

• (Article) Supporting the development of democratic and locally controlled small-scale enterprises based on non-wood forest products in Burkina Faso

  01.12.2016
  Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are an essential part of traditional livelihoods and culture in the drylands of West Africa. They are an important part of agriculture and food systems and remain popular with rural people and recently urbanized populations. Communities generally have free access to communal forest resources, and NWFPs are already an alternative source of income for rural households, especially for women, as they are one of the few resources that women can access, manage, and control. Yet, while residents have access to a large number of trees, the value chains are underdeveloped in terms of potential production levels, end markets, and supporting services. Additionally, the threats of deforestation and degradation are becoming ever more present. TREE AID developed a series of initiatives to help rural populations take fuller advantage of opportunities for commercial trade in tree products while empowering these communities to protect and manage the forests they use and develop their potential to contribute to livelihood needs and well-being. This article focuses on TREE AID’s work in the development of locally controlled Village Tree Enterprises based on NWFPs and in building stronger, decentralized forest governance in Burkina Faso. The approach has the potential to be applied more widely and scaled-out to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• (Article) Beekeeping for nutrition and income generation in the arid/semi-arid Laikipia region of Kenya

  01.02.2016
  The non-government organization Bees Abroad aims to alleviate poverty by training local community groups in honeybee husbandry worldwide. The benefits extend well beyond just honey. Studies have shown that pollination is greatly improved, and bee husbandry can be partnered with tree planting and growing more diverse crops. Wax, which is often lost through selling buckets of raw honeycomb, can be the basis for value-added products, providing additional income for basic needs. There is good evidence that honey has nutritional and probiotic constituents, and can be used for both food and drink. An example from Kenya describes how mobile phone-based banking facilitates trading in semi-refined and refined honey, and other hive products, even in isolated communities.

• (Article) Developing greener food value chains: environmentally friendly tomato post-harvest operations in four cities

  01.02.2016
  The main aim of the study was to attempt to better understand environmentally friendly tomato post-harvest operations provided by micro- and small-scale farmers and traders in the context of bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) peri-urban and urban areas of four major cities: Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Nairobi (Kenya), Tunis (Tunisia), and Cairo (Egypt). The study was initiated with an in-depth literature review and was followed by in-country, unstructured, informal, one-to-one interviews with a random number of micro- and small-scale farmers and traders and pictographic observations of table tomato post-harvest operations. The findings of the study provided a sample of practices and ‘innovations’ in post-harvest operations that used prevalently recycled post-harvest equipment, sparingly used natural resources, such as water, and powered operations using only energy of human origin. The findings ranged from the use of home-made sand filters for water purification, to large green leaves for ‘refrigeration’, to recycled paint buckets being used as ‘solar ovens’. Waste was averted continually and if it did occur waste was recycled. The findings of the study contributed to increasing knowledge and consequently provided for a better understanding of practices that can potentially contribute to developing more environmentally friendly (greener) food value chains.