Public Service Delivery: Role of Information and Communication Technology in Improving Governance and Development Impact

The focus of this paper is on improving governance through the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the delivery of services to the poor, i.e., improving efficiency, accountability, and transparency, and reducing bribery. A number of papers recognize the potential benefits but they also point out that it has not been easy to harness this potential. This paper presents an analysis of effective case studies from developing countries where the benefits have reached a large number of poor citizens. It also identifies the critical success factors for wide-scale deployment. The paper includes cases on the use of ICTs in the management of delivery of public services in health, education, and provision of subsidized food. Cases on electronic delivery of government services, such as providing certificates and licenses to rural populations, which in turn provide entitlements to the poor for subsidized food, fertilizer, and health services are also included. ICT-enabled provision of information to enhance rural income is also covered

Transforming Lives: An Evaluation of CRS Integrated Watershed Management Programs in Ethiopia

This is an evaluation of Catholic Relief Services' (CRS) Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) activities in Ethiopia. WASH was integral to these projects, though it was not the only focus. The six major components of the IWM projects were natural resource management; agricultural support and agro-enterprise development; multiple uses of water; sanitation, hygiene and health education and disease prevention; savings and internal lending communities and income generation activities; and gender and partnership arrangements. The evaluation finds that the program made significant positive changes in the lives and livelihoods of rural households. However, budgeting, beneficiary targeting, and planning for sustainability and phase-out could have been improved

Opportunities for private sector participation in agricultural water development and management

Irrigation management / Private sector / Public sector / Public policy / Private investment / Participatory management / Privatization / Financing / Farmers / Households / Water harvesting / Africa South of Sahara

Nutrition-sensitive value chains from a smallholder perspective: A framework for project design

"The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) gratefully acknowledges permission from IFAD to re-publish that work as an Alliance Working Paper, with updated acknowledgements, author information and information on additional resources.

Envisioning a Future for Ethiopian Small Farmer Involvement in Development and Food Security

In this paper I attempt to answer the question of how small-scale Ethiopian farmers can best participate in, contribute to and benefit from the development process. In addition, I seek to clarify the implications and potential nature of local food systems and their ability to achieve greater food security through small farmer involvement. Modern development ideology often focuses on large scale projects and export-led growth, ignoring the importance of smallholder farmers and rural vitality. These farmers are increasingly marginalized through this process. In Ethiopia 85% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, the majority being small farmers that live in remote regions. It is crucial that effective techniques are applied which enable these farmers to play a central role in the development process, guaranteeing the sustainable growth of Ethiopia’s economy as well as greater food security. Given the recent volatility of global food markets and the severity of local droughts, effective solutions are more urgent than ever

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa: Harnessing E-Learning Potentials

It is increasingly been accepted by various stakeholders that the realization of development targets in the developing countries depends more, among other measures, on knowledge. One of the centerpieces of international aid efforts in the new millennium has been the effort to achieve eight millennium developments goals (MDGs) for developing countries by the year 2015. Achieving the MDGs paradigm will require both knowledge and skills. e-learning is gaining popularity and bringing knowledge to our doorposts. Can it deliver in respect of achieving the 8 Millennium Development Goals?  This paper explores how e-learning is situated in the drive towards realization of MDGs in the African continent. Literature studies have been conducted to determine the potentials and possibilities inherent in e-learning as a tool for MDGs realization in Africa. The success of e-learning largely depends on access, affordability of technological resources and willingness of the people. Keywords: e-learning & Millennium Development Goals (MDGs

A Perspective on Fisheries Sector Interventions for Livelihood Promotion

The distinctive features of fisheries resources, fishers and their geographic contexts, on the one hand, and broad stylized features of the existing lacklustre performance of this sector, on the other, call for specialized and sustained efforts to promote livelihood of usually poor, backward and unorganized fisher communities, which are nevertheless and often the most intimate stakeholder of this sector and its underlying resources. To develop a perspective on intervention strategies for livelihood promotion of most intimate stakeholders – that is, the fisher folk, in a sustainable manner, this paper uses clues from recent economic theories and management tools on property rights, Coase Theorem, stakeholder cooperation and public-private-community partnership in an effort towards resolving the multi-dimensional problems of this sector. It stratifies and brings out the pros and cons of the existing fishing efforts into four categories of models – the traditional marketing model, state-led models of livelihood promotion and fisheries development (including cases of para-statal cooperatives), entrepreneur or leader-driven models, and technology-driven models, through selected illustrations from different parts of the country and covering both marine and inland (including brackish water) segments of fisheries. The paper, after identifying the major ingredients for sustainable livelihood development around fisheries, finally articulates Dr. APJ Kalam’s concept of PURA to recommend a rural entrepreneur-led hybrid model of fisheries development to solicit sustainable and growth oriented cooperation among the suppliers of land (i.e., stakeholders to fishery resources, which are available through Nature), labor (including fishers) and capital (including professionals). The ultimate goal of this paper is to derive inspiration from Coase Theorem and the Japanese model of Keiretsu to empower the producers and suppliers of fish – namely, the fisher folk and to place them at the centre stage of control of rural entrepreneur-led private organizations, wherein the fisher community will not be deemed as mere consumers or vendors of fish, but will enter as dignified co-producer partners with significant shares in residual claim and residual control in those organizations.

Feed the Future: Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss Innovation Lab. October 2014 - September 2015

The Feed the Future Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss Innovation Lab is a strategic and applied, research and education program aimed at improving food security by reducing post-harvest loss and food waste of seeds and durable staple crops, e.g., grains, oilseeds, and legumes. The Lab’s efforts are focused in four Feed the Future countries (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Guate-mala) and Afghanistan

Mainstreaming knowledge management and sharing to support organizational learning and increase the impact of agricultural research for development

Making agriculture more competitive, resilient, and sustainable in developing countries requires continuous sharing of research processes and outcomes between farmers, development experts, scientists, and policymakers, among others. In recent years, new opportunities have emerged for research organizations to adopt innovative practices that foster knowledge management and sharing (referred to subsequently as KM) both internally and within their networks. This policy brief summarizes 10 years of experience with KM in CIAT and CGIAR, with particular emphasis on options for mainstreaming KM in research for development. The document is intended for professionals and management teams interested in a comprehensive KM approach for their organizations and networks