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01.01.2022
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01.03.2022
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01.04.2022
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01.06.2022
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(Journal Article) Exploring the complex relationships between food loss and waste, climate change, and the environment to support informed sustainable food system transformation decisions with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa
01.12.2022
Food loss and waste (FLW) reduction is key to transforming food systems to deliver food security, while responding to climate change and reducing other environmental impacts. Food production and postharvest systems differ with location, reflecting the diversity of agroecological and socio-economic environments and the drivers influencing them. The interactions between drivers and environments, practices and products influence food systems and their greenhouse gas emissions and other related environmental impacts. These factors also influence the level of food loss during or after harvest, or food waste at retail or consumer level. This think-piece examines the relationships between climatic change, the environment, and FLW within a broader food systems framework. We use the case study of maize in Malawi to explore these relationships. This analysis unpacks the issues and suggests an approach for supporting decision-makers in making a more informed assessment of how to reduce FLW, taking into account the complexity of food systems, their multiple drivers of change, diverse stakeholder interests/influence, and the need to operate with very incomplete knowledge. -
(Journal Article) Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW): A multifaceted approach to poverty alleviation at scale
01.06.2022
How did the Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project reach over 23,000 smallholder farmers in northern Ghana and achieve impact? This case study describes the project’s multifaceted approach to poverty reduction, which combined adaptive management and a comprehensive communications strategy to work toward poverty alleviation at scale. With an initial focus primarily on improved nutrition and food security, the project evolved to include a greater emphasis on women’s economic empowerment and leadership. Group formation was an important strategy for providing services at scale, including increased access to market linkages, agronomic information and practices, and financial services. -
(Journal Article) Strengthening behaviour change communication in western Nepal: how can we do better?
01.10.2015
The Government of Nepal aims to achieve full water and sanitation coverage by 2017. The bilateral Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Western Nepal (RWSSP-WN) works with local governments in 14 districts, aiming to declare them open defecation free. This behaviour change communications evaluation explored how to improve RWSSP-WN’s present practices to reach the diverse target population in the Terai districts, where more than 1 million people still defecate in the open. The study reviewed RWSSP-WN’s present behaviour change triggering tools and related communications strategies. Our findings suggest that availability of subsidies seems to change how people think about sanitation and tends to eliminate willingness to pay for a latrine. We recommended strong advocacy for a no-subsidy policy, and more attention paid to alternative financing options with targeted support to the poorest of the poor. The present behaviour change triggering tools do work as intended, but there is a need to develop pre-triggering and post-triggering strategies to increase the overall impact. The pre-triggering strategy would ensure that potential barriers to change are identified and addressed before the actual triggering event, and that the key stakeholders are prepared for the actual triggering event. The post-triggering strategy is needed to continue motivating households to change via messages that tap into the drivers of change, addressing also the barriers which may keep each household from changing behaviour. This paper provides a number of recommendations applicable for those working with local governments and communities to increase the scope and scale of behaviour change triggering. -
(Journal Article) Assessing emotional motivators for handwashing with soap in emergencies: results from three Asian countries
01.01.2019
This paper examines how emotional motivators can be used to promote handwashing with soap (HWWS) among mothers affected by an emergency. The impact of using emotional motivators along with other behaviour determinants for behaviour change in development settings has been well documented; however there is limited evidence for the use of motives for HWWS in emergency contexts. Oxfam, in partnership with Unilever’s Lifebuoy soap and Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Office (CSO), collected data in three countries affected by crises – Nepal (2015), Pakistan (2014), and the Philippines (2015) – to determine motivating factors and barriers around HWWS among mothers. Methods used for the assessment included household survey, structured observation, key informant interview, focus group discussion, and behavioural trials. Post-emergency handwashing knowledge and practice was also measured along with the most effective communication channels to reach the target group. The findings reveal that all mothers were motivated by affiliation and nurture; additionally, in Nepal and Pakistan mothers were motivated by purity and mothers in the Philippines were motivated by handwashing drivers related to shame. Barriers to HWWS in emergencies relate to socio-cultural beliefs and the absence of handwashing hardware. -
(Journal Article) Improving management of manually emptied pit latrine waste in Nairobi’s urban informal settlements
01.01.2022
Sanergy has offered reliable, non-sewered sanitation services in Nairobi, Kenya through the implementation of container-based, urine-diverting dry toilets. However, there remains a large volume of untreated faecal waste in urban informal settlements due to poorly managed pit latrines. With limited space in the settlements to bury old pits and dig new ones, management of faecal sludge requires manual pit emptying and safe discharge. Sanergy piloted the Mtaa Fresh project in the settlement of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, establishing a waste transfer station where manual pit emptiers could safely and reliably dispose of pit latrine contents. The most important factors in the successful implementation of this station were, first, the relationship established between Sanergy and the pit emptiers and, second, Sanergy’s commitment to iterating as new insights emerged. The relationship with the emptiers impacted the location, design, and adoption of the site, and aided in the formalization of a pit emptiers’ community-based organization. The commitment to iterating enabled Sanergy to respond to learnings gained from the emptiers. Additional factors that ensured the success of Mtaa Fresh included the implementation of full-time staff, security when the site is closed, support from local authorities, and an expansion to improve management of faecal sludge and trash. Improvements trialled during the expansion aim to minimize operation and maintenance costs, but sustainability will still rely on government support and external funding. -
(Journal Article) Why do some behaviours change more easily than others? Water-use behaviour interventions in rural Nepal
01.10.2015
Water-sector development is inevitably based on changes in people’s behaviour. We analyse why some types of domestic water-use behaviours change more easily than others. Our case study is a water supply and sanitation intervention in remote and rural Nepal. We found that collective opportunities, degree of individual freedom, and individual incentives influenced the ease of the promoted behaviour changes. The enhanced individual opportunities, incentives, and collective tolerance enabled behaviour changes that were regarded as beneficial by the people themselves, whereas the existing social traditions in our case-study context often restricted those changes. Often, the individual agency and the collective traditions confronted one another. We suggest that this study can provide a design for predicting possible opportunities and challenges regarding behaviour changes in field operations, and for enhancing joint operation of individual and collective capabilities at local levels in the development intervention context. -
(Journal Article) Sustainable management of water utility in Samoa through services improvement with Okinawa Water Bureaus
01.04.2022
This study examines how Samoa improved the capacity of Samoa Water Authority (SWA) by implementing integrated cooperation with water utilities in Okinawa Prefecture, and hardware and software development to reduce the high non-revenue water (NRW) ratio and improve water supply quality and inadequate water pressure. Standard operation procedures were formulated to enhance the capacity of SWA. The cooperation method adopted continuous on-the-job training with a bottom-up approach. Consequently, the NRW ratio was reduced from 68 per cent to 36 per cent and water supply with proper pressure was achieved in the targeted area. The quality of the tap water, in which many coliform bacteria were detected before the cooperation, achieved 100 per cent compliance with standards. The cooperation evidenced that improving water services can help users’ understanding of tariff payments, although the water tariff increased for most consumers due to a shift from fixed to metered tariff. -
(Journal Article) Building resilience to crisis through digital financial services with a gender lens
01.03.2022
The vulnerability of populations with limited resources and either in or at risk of poverty to a myriad of crises continues to increase. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the inadequate resilience to crisis that such populations hold, and the rising prevalence of climatic variation is an existential risk factor that will continue to rise. In Mozambique, most livelihoods depend on natural resources and there is a high threat of extreme climate-related events. By drawing lessons from the Financial Services Deepening Mozambique (FSDMoç) programme, we highlight ways in which greater resilience has been built among fragile populations through innovative uses of digital financial services (DFS), and how resilience has been built with an explicit gender lens in order to mitigate existing inequalities. Lessons are drawn in relation to challenges faced and their application to wider programming. -
(Journal 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. -
(Journal Article) Sustainability of youth self-employment schemes in Central Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia
01.06.2022
This study examined survival of youth self-employment using primary data. Relevant factors are identified that influence youth’s dropping out of self-employment. The findings of the study indicated that young women-managed small businesses are more likely to survive and be profitable than young men-managed businesses. Youth-managed small businesses with frequent technical support have more chance of long-run survival. Furthermore, attainment of a positive perception of readily available business options is related to the long-term survival of youth self-employment. Finally, small businesses operating according to a business plan with sufficient access to working places have better chances of long-run survival. Consistent multidimensional support before and after entry into self-employment is suggested for effective micro and small enterprise development. -
(Journal Article) Sustainability and long-term impact of community-managed water supply in rural Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia
01.01.2022
How can Community Managed Water Supply (CMWS) become more sustainable? Recent studies in several countries indicate that the sustainability of many CMWS is poor. As a result, their long term impact on village lives is limited. This paper presents the findings of research on the sustainability and long-term impact of a group of CMWS created by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project (RWSSP) in Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia. This project adopted a Community-Based Approach to maximize the sustainability and long-term impact of its CMWS. The research assessed the sustainability of these CMWS a decade after their completion. It used six measures to assess sustainability and examined four long-term impacts. The results are compared with studies from other countries. The influence of Community-Based Approach (CBA) on the results is discussed. Recommendations are made for changes in policies and strategies to improve the sustainability and long term impact of future CMWS in Central Asia and elsewhere. -
(Journal Article) Improving the food security of the extremely poor by linking them to markets
01.03.2015
This article draws lessons from ACDI/VOCA, CARE, and World Vision-implemented food security programmes to answer three questions: how can push/pull activities better integrate the extremely poor into 1) output and 2) input markets? And 3) how can push/pull programme activities help improve intra-household gender dynamics and financial decision-making to improve the food and nutrition security of household members? In output markets the lessons include: 1) that market development and savings group interventions can be implemented by the same officer; and 2) projects should move early to have a private sector provider take over the village savings and loan associations. While there are constraints in the input markets, there are also push strategies for increasing production, including direct delivery of inputs to farmers, vouchers to increase demand, and Farmer Business Group development to increase collective input buying and pull strategies such as linkages with buyers for the selling of products and tapering down subsidies. Intrahousehold gender equitable decision-making can positively impact the food security of the household members. Mixed gender Village Economic and Social Associations are efficient in tackling intra-household decision-making. This allows the provision of flexible and efficient financial services as well as an opportunity to engage husbands and wives in gender-related dialogues. -
(Journal Article) Mobile money: a gateway to achieving financial inclusion in Ghana
01.06.2022
While emerging studies on mobile financial inclusion have focused on the factors driving the adoption of mobile money, little evidence exists on how the service is facilitating the use of formal financial services. Using the World Bank Findex data, we estimate the effect of mobile money adoption on the use of formal accounts, savings, and credit in Ghana. The results of the recursive bivariate probit analysis showed a significant symbiotic relationship between mobile money adoption and the probability of operating a formal account. Mobile money adoption has a positive effect on savings and access to credit but does not affect the avenues to savings and obtaining credit respectively. Mobile money users save in their wallet and obtain microcredit through the mobile money platform but not through formal channels. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that mobile money is the surest financial tool for achieving universal financial inclusion in developing countries. -
(Journal Article) What is cocoa sustainability? Mapping stakeholders’ socio-economic, environmental, and commercial constellations of priorities
01.09.2017
Given growing concerns regarding the chocolate sector’s long-term future, more private-sector, public-sector, and civil-society stakeholders have become involved in initiatives seeking to make cocoa more ‘sustainable’. However, the commercial, socio-economic, and environmental priorities they associate with the omnipresent, yet polysemic term diverge considerably: while transforming the crop into a more viable livelihood for growers is essential for some, others prioritize the crop’s links to global environmental challenges through agroforestry. A third dimension encompasses commercial concerns related to securing supply. The article explores how tensions and synergies manifest in these divergent understandings of what cocoa sustainability is and is to entail, which diverse civil-society, public-sector, and private-sector stakeholders bring to the table. It argues that priorities associated with ‘cocoa sustainability’ diverge, yielding synergies, tensions, and trade-offs. This article draws on the author’s in-depth doctoral fieldwork in cocoa sustainability initiatives incorporating environmental measures, which encompassed semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, documentary analysis, and participant observation in Latin America and Europe. It proposes the ‘constellations of priorities’ model as an instrument to capture how the priorities driving cocoa stakeholders variously dovetail, intersect, and collide. Particularly against the backdrop of the sector’s brewing crisis, the paper suggests that stakeholders systematically assess their and other actors’ socio-economic, environmental, and commercial priorities as part of the equitable engagement required to transform the sector and attain genuine cocoa sustainability. -
(Journal Article) Editorial: Statistics matter, but people matter more
01.04.2022
If you work – or intend to work - for a Government, a non-governmental organization (NGO), a development partner or a social enterprise in a low- or middle-income country then you probably have some familiarity with the communities which you are trying to help. Make no mistake though, if you are reading this journal you are almost certainly an outsider to those communities. Your origins, your education, or your relative wealth, among other things, set you apart from those whose poverty you are working to alleviate. You can never truly and fully share the experiences of those who live there. -
(Journal Article) Options for addressing poor quality drinking water in rural Vanuatu
01.10.2021
Consumption of poor quality water can cause diarrhoea and waterborne disease. To determine how to support residents to consume safe water, the Vanuatu Department of Water Resources (DoWR) undertook an analysis. The analysis included reviewing 793 water quality test results, exploring treatment options with WASH sector stakeholders, surveying 689 community members in three provinces, demonstrating products to 510 people in 22 communities, and interviewing key informants. Analysis of water quality results compiled by DoWR between 2000 and mid-2019 found that Escherichia coli was detected in 60% of samples tested and total coliforms were detected in 84% of samples. Overall, 62% of individuals surveyed stated that water is in some way a daily problem. Discussion facilitators reported that most individuals had not seen or heard of water treatment options beyond boiling and most who boiled admitted they do so only occasionally. Of the water treatment options explored in this research, household water filtration systems seemed the most viable approach. However, individuals underestimated the market cost of filters and indicated a willingness to pay that is half the market price. Of the different filtration systems demonstrated, consumers stated a preference for easy-to-use units with large and transparent water storage containers.