66,251 research outputs found

    Use of Civil Society Organisations to Raise the Voice of the Poor in Agricultural Policy

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    This working paper examines how civil society organisations (CSOs) -- particularly those representing poor and marginalised rural people -- can inform and influence the processes of agricultural policy formulation and implementation. We summarise the role of different interest groups in shaping 'pro-poor' agricultural development and explain how poor people can gain 'voice' to express their views and shape policy processes in a meaningful way

    Sustainable development : a model Indonesian SRI co-operative : this research paper is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of International Development, Massey University, New Zealand

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    This research report explores how ‘sustainable livelihoods’ have been achieved at a model cooperative using the ‘System of Rice Intensification’ named SIMPATIK. To conduct the research a novel template was developed. The framework was required following a review of sustainable livelihood literature which found deficiencies with the ‘sustainable livelihoods framework’, particularly its treatment of equity, social capital, culture and agro-ecology which disqualified the framework as an appropriate approach for the research. Amekawa’s (2011) ‘Integrated Sustainable Livelihoods Framework’ which synthesises agro-ecology and the sustainable livelihoods framework is then discussed. Further work is then presented on social capital which this paper argues has a critical role in facilitating access to livelihood capitals. A discussion of the significance of culture then follows to underline its importance as a form of livelihood capital. The research then introduces an operational model that is appropriate to the local cultural, institutional and geographical context to demonstrate how livelihood capitals are linked to livelihood outcomes, a model I have labelled the ‘Apt-Integrated Sustainable Livelihoods Framework’. This framework is then informed through field research at the SIMPATIK co-operative. Impact pathways through ‘synergetic forms of social capital’ and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) are shown indeed to lead to sustainable livelihood outcomes for research participants. The ‘sequencing’ of livelihood capitals is seen to be critical and the research culminates in the development of a ‘SRI Co-operative Template for Sustainable Livelihoods’; a transferable model that shows how SRI can be promoted as a sustainable livelihood strategy

    The process of minimising medicine use through dialogue based animal health and welfare planning, Workshop report FIBL. In: CORE Organic project no. 1903 - ANIPLAN

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    The process of minimising medicine use through dialogue based animal health and welfare planning. Livestock are important in many organic farming systems, and it is an explicit goal to ensure high levels of animal health and welfare (AHW) through good management. In two previous EU network projects, NAHWOA & SAFO, it was concluded that this is not guaranteed merely by following organic standards. Both networks recommended implementation of individual animal health plans to stimulate organic farmers to improve AHW. These plans should include a systematic evaluation of AHW and be implemented through dialogue with each farmer in order to identify goals and plan improvements. 11 research institutions in 7 European countries have been involved in the ANIPLAN project with the main objective to minimise medicine use in organic dairy herds through active and well planned AHW promotion and disease prevention. The project consisted of 5 work packages, 4 of which comprised research activities building on current research projects, new applications across borders, exchange of knowledge, results and conclusions between participating countries, and adopting them to widely different contexts. International and national workshops have facilitated this exchange. In the project, animal health and welfare planning principles for organic dairy farms under diverse conditions were developed. Animal health and welfare assessments, based on the WelfareQuality parameters, were conducted in different types of organic dairy herds across Europe. Finally, guidelines for communication about animal health and welfare promotion in different settings were also developed relevant to both existing animal health advisory services or farmer groups such as the Danish Stable School system and the Dutch network program. These proceedings contain the presentations at the final workshop, which also included invited external guests. The proceedings also contain three reports which are deliverables of the project. They are focused on the process of planning for better animal health and welfare, and how farmers and facilitators manage this situation. The focus areas are animal health planning, AHW assessment using animal based parameters and development of advisory systems and farmer groups

    Lessons learnt from CCAFS - 10 years scaling climate-smart agriculture: Insights from the review of CCAFS scaling activities, 2019

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    This Info Note is based on the insights of the CCAFS core team, lessons shared by project leaders via the MARLO, and interviewees from the following CGIAR centers and partners: Bioversity, CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP, ICARDA, ICRAF, ICRISAT, IFPRI, IITA, ILRI, IRRI, IWMI, WorldFish, and WUR. After ten years’ implementation, lessons learnt of practitioners validate two concepts that CCAFS has used and developed for scaling CSA: the Three-Thirds Principle for effective science-policy engagement (Dinesh et al. 2018) applies widely for scaling CSA, when adding the element of iterative learning; and the LearningWheel with 11 cornerstones for effective research and development to improve livelihoods and the environment (Campbell et al. 2006) is a useful framework for managing not only R4D, but also scaling processes

    Linking African smallholders to high-value markets : practitioner perspectives on benefits, constraints, and interventions

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    This paper provides the results of an international survey of practitioners with experience in facilitating the participation of African smallholder farmers in supply chains for higher-value and/or differentiated agricultural products. It explores their perceptions about the constraints inhibiting and the impacts associated with this supply chain participation. It also examines their perceptions about the factors affecting the success of project and policy interventions in this area, about how this success is and should be measured, and about the appropriate roles for national governments, the private sector, and development assistance entities in facilitating smallholder gains in this area. The results confirm a growing'consensus'about institutional roles, yet suggest some ambiguity regarding the impacts of smallholder participation in higher-value supply chains and the appropriateness of the indicators most commonly used to gauge such impacts. The results also suggest a need to strengthen knowledge about both the'old'and'new'sets of constraints (and solutions) related to remunerative smallholder inclusion, in the form of the rising role of standards alongside more long-standing concerns about infrastructure and logistical links to markets.Access to Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems

    The dialogue with farmers

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    This report covers the project outcome Deliverable 4.2 ‘Analysis completed after a joint effort to identify possibilities in each country as how to facilitate the best possible dialogue regarding animal health and welfare’ as part of the European CORE Organic project ‘Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning.’ The work was intended to understand the processes and was analysed from the perspective of the key animal health and welfare (AHW) planning principles developed as part of the project. The analysis was completed on transcripts of interviews of facilitators and advisors who had participated in the ANIPLAN project, some of them as partners in the project group. If animal health and welfare planning is to gain widespread use among organic farmers, communication between farmers and between farmers and advisors and other actors in the organic farming environment is crucial. Whilst other forms of communication regarding the role and benefits of AHW assessment systems, such as benchmarking, may be the motivational catalyst needed to encourage engagement in the process, a creative dialogue with the individual farmer is necessary when identifying goals and planning means to reach the desired goals. In order to understand how this dialogue works in practice, and what issues arise, a series of interviews were conducted in all of the ANIPLAN participating countries, involving persons directly involved and those with other experiences. The analysis of the interviews was based on a theoretical framework concerning learning, knowledge and empowerment and a functional framework based on the animal health and welfare principles developed as an output from the ANIPLAN project

    Minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through animal health and welfare planning

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    Livestock is important in many organic farming systems, and it is an explicit goal to ensure high levels of animal health and welfare (AHW) through good management. This will lead to reduced medicine use and better quality of animal products. In two EU network projects NAHWOA & SAFO it was concluded that this is not guaranteed merely by following organic standards. Both networks recommended implementation of individual animal health plans to stimulate organic farmers to improve AHW. These plans should include a systematic evaluation of AHW and be implemented through dialogue with each farmer in order to identify goals and plan improvements. 15 research institutions in 8 European countries are involved in the proposed project with the main objective to minimise medicine use in organic dairy herds through active and well planned AHW promotion and disease prevention. The project consists of 5 work packages, 4 of which comprise research activities building on current research projects, new applications across borders, exchange of knowledge, results and conclusions between participating countries, and adopting them to widely different contexts. International and national workshops facilitate this exchange. Focus areas are animal health planning, AHW assessment using animal based parameters and development of advisory systems and farmer groups. Epidemiological analyses of the effect on AHW from reduced medicine use and herd improvements are planned in all participating countries

    Focus groups of value concepts of producers: National Report Netherlands

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    The Organic Revision project was funded by the EU with the aim of supporting the further development of the EU Regulation 2092/91 on organic production. As part of the project focus groups were run in five European countries on value concepts of organic producers and other stakeholders, during 2004-2005. The project aims to provide an overview of values held among organic stakeholders, and of similarities and differences among the various national and private organic standards. In the Netherlands four focus groups were held, one pre-test with researchers, and three groups with established organic producers both of livestock and horticulture. It was not possible to recruit any newly converted producers to a meeting in the Netherlands. The following conclusions were reached: Summarising the values in the words of the participants of these focus groups, organic agriculture could be defined as follows: "Organic agriculture is about producing endlessly, with care and respect for humans, animals, plants and soil. Organic farmers produce healthy and tasty food without harming the environment or the development of others. Their farms and agriculture in general are inter-connected with small and big world problems." Overall there seem to be many similarities between the groups. Values related to all principles were discussed in all the groups; the differences observed were related to the different backgrounds. The researchers spoke about their own experiences from work but also about their ideas from a consumer’s point of view. For the dairy farmers animal welfare was an important value while soil was more important to the arable farmers. Also with regard to the values nearness and proximity, differences between arable and dairy farmers seemed to reflect their daily practice. Arable farmers are faced with an anonymous market, with high and changing quality standards of the trade, and regard local production and consumption as a solution to their problems. The other groups of farmers also support this quest for another economic system. The researchers mention the unrealistic ideas of consumers concerning organic agriculture and they wonder how to make consumers more aware. The farmers would like to educate the consumer more, also about the relation of production in their country compared with production and development elsewhere. The farmers see the inter-connectedness of agriculture with income and development in developing countries very clearly and for some this was an important argument to convert. The farmers have a great feeling of responsibility for the world (ecologically and socially). For all of them the intentions are more important than the norms. On the basis of the coding, it appears that values in relation to three principles were most important in the discussion. These are the ecology principle, holism and systems approach and professional pride, in order of importance. The following values were mentioned in relation to the principle of ecology: Recycling (the cycle) and saving energy were of major importance and nature conservation or nature integration on the farm was an important aim for some farmers. Co-operation between arable and animal production is seen as a very important means to close the cycle. And in the Netherlands with far going specialisation of farms this is sometimes a real challenge. Conflicts with the economy easily arise but also conflicts with national legislation restrict the farmers in their development. The values itself are not experienced as restricting. All groups except for the arable farmers see a combination and balance of all principles as important in the future. Arable farmers see the soil as most important and other values as complementary. All groups of experienced farmers were worried about new converters, who seem to stick to the minimum values, as a threat to their profession. All participants seem to have the feeling to be part of the good guys and are being recognised by society in that way. They are proud of their profession and the sector. For the continuation of the sector a clear distinction from conventional agriculture is needed, but they are not afraid that conventional moves in the direction of organic. For the future, steady development and growth is preferred above fast growth. Others should also get the chance and time to develop in the way they did, but the new converters should not decrease the credibility of organic. Therefore, acceptable minimum rules should do justice to the values held by the sector as a whole

    Elimination of systemic risk in financial networks by means of a systemic risk transaction tax

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    Financial markets are exposed to systemic risk (SR), the risk that a major fraction of the system ceases to function, and collapses. It has recently become possible to quantify SR in terms of underlying financial networks where nodes represent financial institutions, and links capture the size and maturity of assets (loans), liabilities, and other obligations, such as derivatives. We demonstrate that it is possible to quantify the share of SR that individual liabilities within a financial network contribute to the overall SR. We use empirical data of nationwide interbank liabilities to show that the marginal contribution to overall SR of liabilities for a given size varies by a factor of a thousand. We propose a tax on individual transactions that is proportional to their marginal contribution to overall SR. If a transaction does not increase SR it is tax-free. With an agent-based model (CRISIS macro-financial model) we demonstrate that the proposed "Systemic Risk Tax" (SRT) leads to a self-organised restructuring of financial networks that are practically free of SR. The SRT can be seen as an insurance for the public against costs arising from cascading failure. ABM predictions are shown to be in remarkable agreement with the empirical data and can be used to understand the relation of credit risk and SR.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
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