Organic agriculture development strategies in Tunisia and Uganda: Lessons for African organics

The core objective of this thesis was to draw lessons from the factors of success that underlie the development of Tunisian and Ugandan organic sectors to advance recommendations that can help spur the development of African organics. The study drew on secondary data obtained from an array of sources, supplemented with clarifying information obtained through phone discussions and email exchanges with organic stakeholders in the two countries. The study framed broad and specific questions aimed at identifying and explaining the roles played by different stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental, in fostering the development of the organic sectors in the two countries. Also, the questions enabled the study to identify and account for the roles of organic standards/regulations and certification, organic policies and action plans, organic market development and awareness creation, and organic research, training and extension service in the evolution of Tunisian and Ugandan organic sectors as the most successful in Africa and as one of the world\u27s most highly ranked. Specific lessons included the need to create effective and well-structured institutions at all levels of the organic value chain. These include institutions that will serve as national organic umbrella bodies and other that will undertake activities and provide services such as organic certification and inspection, organic standards development and policy formulation, organic market development and awareness creation, organic research, training and outreach. A mix of state and market was also recommended as a way to advance the development of African organics

Systems thinking : an approach for understanding 'eco-agri-food systems'

The TEEBAgriFood ‘Scientific and Economic Foundations’ report addresses the core theoretical issues and controversies underpinning the evaluation of the nexus between the agri-food sector, biodiversity and ecosystem services and externalities including human health impacts from agriculture on a global scale. It argues the need for a ‘systems thinking‘ approach, draws out issues related to health, nutrition, equity and livelihoods, presents a Framework for evaluation and describes how it can be applied, and identifies theories and pathways for transformational change

The concept of Al-I‘Tibar and the fall of the Umayyads: an explicatory appraisal and its contemporaneity in understanding the present travails of Muslims

This article uses the Quranic philosophy of history, al-I‘tibar, in understanding what’s, why’s and how’s, which brought about the fall of the Umayyads. Based on this and the fact that history may, as Jeffrey Bartholet observes, “feed on itself,” the factors that caused the downfall of the Umayyads were on the one hand, explicatorily evaluated. On the other, these factors were assimilated within the present milieu of Muslims with a view to seeing how history has fed on itself. This study concludes that, failure to make good use of the objects of the lessons of history has created a situation whereby same factors which caused the fall of the Umayyads have significantly fed on themselves to cause the decline of the Muslim ummah

Ṣadaqah (Charity) Attitudes of Muslims During COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Interpretative Phenomenology: مواقف المسلمين من الصدقة خلال الإغلاق الوبائي لفيروس كورونا المستجد: ظاهرة تفسيرية

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered global disruption, with many casualties recorded across different socio-economic groups. The surge seems to have affected vulnerable people more with the closure of most businesses and socio-economic activities. Despite significant government efforts to maintain lockdown order, vulnerable people from the B-40 community appear to have found it challenging to comply because of their inability to cater to their basic needs. The majority of the B-40 community with livelihood activities that require regular physical presence have difficulties accessing work and stores. Despite the government and non-governmental intervention packages for the vulnerable people, certain individuals have also volunteered in charity donations and distribution of basic socio-economic needs and health relief packages during the lockdown, but little is known about the Ṣadaqah attitude of Malaysians during the lockdown. This study explores the Ṣadaqah (charity) attitudes of Muslims during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to cater to the basic needs of the vulnerable members of society. This study employs the interpretative phenomenology approach of the qualitative method to analyze the semi-structured interview data. This study found that despite the anecdotal evidence suggesting that many people may be discouraged from giving Ṣadaqah due to socio-economic challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, religiosity and psychological motivations have propelled many Ṣadaqah givers towards alleviating the socio-economic challenges of the vulnerable people. The analysis shows that the challenges of limited income and restricted socio-economic activities do not prevent some Malaysians from donating Ṣadaqah during the pandemic lockdown. The study recommends overarching government policy for an effective and transparent standard operation of the Ṣadaqah activities during emergencies

Ṣadaqah (charity) attitudes of muslims during Covid-19 Pandemic lockdown: an interpretative phenomenology

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered global disruption, with many casualties recorded across different socio-economic groups. The surge seems to have affected vulnerable people more with the closure of most businesses and socio-economic activities. Despite significant government efforts to maintain lockdown order, vulnerable people from the B-40 community appear to have found it challenging to comply because of their inability to cater to their basic needs. The majority of the B-40 community with livelihood activities that require regular physical presence have difficulties accessing work and stores. Despite the government and non-governmental intervention packages for the vulnerable people, certain individuals have also volunteered in charity donations and distribution of basic socio-economic needs and health relief packages during the lockdown, but little is known about the Ṣadaqah attitude of Malaysians during the lockdown. This study explores the Ṣadaqah (charity) attitudes of Muslims during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to cater to the basic needs of the vulnerable members of society. This study employs the interpretative phenomenology approach of the qualitative method to analyze the semi-structured interview data. This study found that despite the anecdotal evidence suggesting that many people may be discouraged from giving Ṣadaqah due to socio-economic challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, religiosity and psychological motivations have propelled many Ṣadaqah givers towards alleviating the socio-economic challenges of the vulnerable people. The analysis shows that the challenges of limited income and restricted socio-economic activities do not prevent some Malaysians from donating Ṣadaqah during the pandemic lockdown. The study recommends overarching government policy for an effective and transparent standard operation of the Ṣadaqah activities during emergencies

Systems thinking: an approach for understanding ‘eco-agri-food systems’

Chapter 2 makes the case for using systems thinking as a guiding perspective for TEEBAgriFood’s development of a comprehensive Evaluation Framework for the eco-agri-food system. Many dimensions of the eco-agri-food system create complex analytical and policy challenges. Systems thinking allows better understanding and forecasting the outcomes of policy decisions by illuminating how the components of a system are interconnected with one another and how the drivers of change are determined and impacted by feedback loops, delays and non-linear relationships. To establish the building blocks of a theory of change, systems thinking empowers us to move beyond technical analysis and decisiontool toward more integrated approaches that can aid in the forming of a common ground for cultural changes