Civil society

The unfinished village police unit: a contested local development initiative

Community self-help has been the principal strategy for creating social infrastructure in rural Malawi since independence. One rural community in Balaka district, southern Malawi, embarked on a project to construct a police unit as a response to rising incidents of crime. Begun in 1999, the project remains unfinished. There seems to be no interest in completing the work. This paper finds the explanation in the manner the project was initiated and how the village community was involved in its execution.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2013.753030#.VI6xei...

Author: 
Kishindo, Paul
Page: 
994

Cassava value chain and its products in Morogoro rural district, Tanzania

 This study was conducted to examine the cassava value chain and determine strategies for enhancing farmers' profitable participation in the chain, to reduce poverty in Tanzania. Data were collected from 98 farmers from three villages of Morogoro rural district. Profit and marketing margins along the cassava value chain were computed. A linear model was estimated whereby farm size, experience, total family labour, group participation, non-crop livelihood sources, and food insecurity were the main determinants of profitability. The emerging recommendation was for farmers' participation in profitable cassava value chain strands by strengthened coordination, improved cassava varieties, and enhanced agronomic practices and processing technologies.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.966653#.VI6w5y...

Author: 
Sewando, Ponsian T.
Page: 
993

A conservation partnership for development? Marine conservation and indigenous empowerment at Mimiwhangata

 In New Zealand indigenous participation is identified as a means to achieve effective environmental conservation and indigenous empowerment. This article suggests that within current frameworks the scope for meaningful authority and control to be devolved to indigenous communities is limited. The Mimiwhangata project demonstrates the importance of participatory processes in confronting policy shortcomings. Although the successful implementation of culture-centred conservation offers a conservation model both accommodating state-led goals and providing for indigenous cultural empowerment, structural change is required within conservation policy to achieve this outcome.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.964186#.VI6wRi...

Author: 
Dodson, Giles Robert
Page: 
992

Irish newspaper coverage of NGOs, legitimacy and accountability: what relevance for NGOs?

Based on a quantitative content analysis of Irish Times newspaper articles, this study investigates how Irish relief and development NGOs were linked with the concepts of legitimacy and accountability in newspaper coverage between 1994 and 2009. Key findings included that NGO accountability received more coverage than NGO legitimacy, and “principal-agent” approaches to NGO accountability received more coverage than “stakeholder” approaches. Employing the media theories of agenda-setting and priming, one can infer that Irish Times readers might be more likely to evaluate Irish NGOs in terms of accountability than legitimacy and to consider NGO accountability in principal-agent rather than stakeholder terms.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.968837#.VI6vpy...

Author: 
Hughes, Marguerite
Page: 
991

Coordinating post-disaster humanitarian response: lessons from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, India

This article is based on a field study carried out in Indian-administered Kashmir after the 2005 earthquake. In this analysis of how non-governmental development organisations (NGDOs) engage and coordinate with one another and with other disaster response agencies during post-disaster relief and rehabilitation operations, it can be concluded that NGDO coordination was ineffective. The research points out that, even though there is coordination among the international and national NGDOs, local NGDOs are seldom engaged in the overall coordination processes. The paper advocates developing coordination among the humanitarian agencies as a pre-disaster initiative for a more effective collaborative humanitarian disaster response.

The full article is available here: 

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.964187#.VI6tYC...

Author: 
Nabi, Peer Ghulam
Page: 
975

A training approach for community maternal health volunteers that builds sustainable capacity

This article examines a training approach for community health volunteers which increased access to maternal health services in rural communities in Zambia. The effectiveness of the training approach was evaluated in an operations research component. Skilled birth attendance rates increased by 63% from baseline over a two-year period in the intervention districts, out-performing increases recorded in control sites at statistically significant levels. As a low-cost, high-impact intervention which shows good sustainability potential, the approach is suitable for national level scale-up and for adaptation for use in other countries in support of maternal and new-born health goals

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.957165#.VI6ruy...
 

Author: 
Green, Cathy
Author: 
Soyoola, Miniratu
Author: 
Surridge, Mary
Author: 
Kaluba, Dynes
Page: 
948

Best practice for rural food security projects in Southern Africa?

It has been widely believed that commercialisation is the solution to food insecurity in rural Africa. Project designs have attempted to set up agricultural cooperatives and encourage entrepreneurial farmers. Yet the problems revealed in the 1950s are still widespread. In a counter-perspective, some have argued for the relevance of subsistence and low-input agriculture. This article examines three NGO projects in South and South-eastern Africa which prioritise food security through household subsistence, using low-input technologies, along with an encouragement to produce a surplus for cash. We look at what these projects share and why their strategies work.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.969196#.VI6qIC...

 

Author: 
Leahy, Terry
Author: 
Goforth, Monika
Page: 
933

Videos that speak for themselves: when non-extensionists show agricultural videos to large audiences

In 2008, an NGO showed videos about rice to farmers in 19 villages in Benin. A study in 2013 showed that farmers remembered the videos, even after five years had passed. In most of the villages at least some farmers experimented with rice farming or with new technology after the video screenings, which attracted large audiences of community members, including youth and women. Some of the villagers also visited extension agencies to get rice seed, and occasionally to seek more information. Farmers can benefit from agricultural learning videos shown by organisations with little previous agricultural experience. Videos do not necessarily need to be facilitated by an expert who knows the subject. Sometimes the video can speak for itself.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.942216

 

Author: 
Bentley, Jeffery
Author: 
Van Mele, Paul
Author: 
Okry, Florent
Author: 
Zossou, Espérance
Page: 
921

Participatory appraisal of competitive advantage (PACA) approach in local economic development

In South Africa, local economic development has become the focus to overcome obstacles such as low skills, low entrepreneurial culture, weak support mechanisms, and spatial marginalisation, which lead to high unemployment and poverty. With conventional approaches having little effect, local communities are looking for innovative approaches to their economic challenges. PACA methodology prepares an action-oriented diagnostic of the local economy to initiate economic development initiatives. It mobilises local stakeholders to take an active role through fast analysis and action learning. This article assesses how the PACA approach implemented by George Municipality was applied, and what advantages and limitations were experienced.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.953036

 

Author: 
Ramukumba, Takalani
Page: 
897

Mismatch between NGO services and beneficiaries' priorities: examining contextual realities

The proliferation of NGOs, particularly in developing countries over the last five decades, has prompted debates on the extent to which NGO services have been able to match the priorities of disadvantaged groups such as low castes and ethnic groups in Nepal. This paper explores the development priorities of villagers from a village in Nepal (Thecho), and their views regarding the match between services offered by NGOs and those priorities. Additionally, the paper highlights the importance of NGOs understanding contextual realities while implementing development activities.

The full article is available here:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09614524.2014.950190

 

Author: 
Risal, Subas
Page: 
883
Syndicate content