Are commercial investments in land improving wage-labour opportunities and helping to diversify household economies in rural areas?

The Government of the Lao PDR promotes commercial investments in land (CILs) as a driving force of economic growth, a source of vital tax income, and a lever for transitioning from a subsistence to a wage-based economy. Assessment of official data shows that the employment creation benefits of CILs are limited and often not fully compensating their negative impacts, such as land dispossession and reduced access to natural resources. The assessment leads to the conclusion that economic development policies should focus on the compliance with regulations, the development of skills and the diversification of rural economies, rather than simply on the transition to a wage-based economy

Enhancing multi-dimensional quality of land based investments in Lao PDR

There is growing global concern that commercial investments in land (CILs) threaten the environment and local livelihoods, and that their contribution to national revenue generation has been less than expected (Vientiane Times 2017a, 2017b, 2019). In this brief, we present results from an assessment of 279 CILs in the agriculture, tree plantation, and mining subsectors across nine provinces in the Lao PDR. The assessment shows that the quality of CILs varies greatly, that there is a significant potential to improve it, but also that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The assessment results support the identification of pathways to improve CIL quality. Key elements of such pathways include a better harmonization of approval processes that integrate provincial, district, and local authorities, as well as a higher autonomy of local authorities to monitor investments

Beyond biofuels: jatropha’s multiple uses for farmers in East Africa

The jatropha plant produces seeds containing 25–40% oil by weight. This oil can be made into biodiesel. During the recent global fuel crisis, the price of crude oil peaked at over USD 130 per barrel. Jatropha attracted huge interest – it was touted as a wonder crop that could generate biodiesel oil on “marginal lands” in semi-arid areas. Its promise appeared especially great in East Africa. Today, however, jatropha’s value in East Africa appears to lie primarily in its multipurpose use by small-scale farmers, not in large-scale biofuel production

A holistic assessment of the impacts of park management: findings from the evaluation of Regional Nature Parks in Switzerland

In Switzerland, Regional Nature Parks are required to undergo an impact assessment after ten years of operation, in order for the federal government to award the Park of National Importance label for a further ten years and for the government, relevant canton and communes to continue to provide financial support for the park’s operation. To this end, is there a convenient way of identifying and holistically assessing the impacts of park management activities on the goals of the parks and the overarching targets of parks policy in Switzerland? Based on experience gained from the evaluation of three Regional Nature Parks, we have developed a framework model for the holistic evaluation of such parks and present it here for discussion

Pathways towards the Sustainable Management of Woody Invasive Species: Understanding What Drives Land Users’ Decisions to Adopt and Use Land Management Practices

Sustainable land management (SLM) practices are key for achieving land degradation neutrality, but their continued implementation lag behind the progression of various forms of land degradation. While many scholars have assessed the drivers of SLM uptake for restoring land affected by desertification, drought, and floods (SDG 15.3 and partly SDG 2.4), little is known about the implication of SLM implementation on invasive alien species (IAS) management. This study aimed at understanding the challenges and proposing solutions for the uptake of SLMs with respect to the management of the invasive tree, Prosopis juliflora, in Baringo County, Kenya. Data were collected with semi-structured questionnaires, the responses were coded into themes, and c-coefficient tables were used to determine code linkages. Our results show that the availability of incentives is the main motivation for invasion management. Thus, management efforts have often focused on private parcels, while communally shared lands tended to be neglected despite their vulnerability to invasion. We conclude that sustainable IAS management lies at a landscape scale, and thus the national IAS management strategies should adopt a collective approach by empowering local actors to engage in SLM implementation

Sustainable Management of Rangelands: An Assessment of Invasion Cover Trajectories and Their Contribution to Invasion Management in Marigat Sub-County, Kenya

Invasive alien species have complex spatiotemporal patterns of spread beyond geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. This calls for a coordinated management approach that is spatially explicit, extends beyond individual plot levels, and incorporates land users’ perceptions and decisions. This study, therefore, aims at assessing spatiotemporal invasion trajectories of the invasive tree Prosopis juliflora in Baringo County, Kenya, and evaluating their possible relation to land users’ management decisions. Pre-classified land cover data over a seven-year time period (1988–2016) were reclassified based on the presence or absence of P. juliflora and integrated into ArcGIS to produce P. juliflora cover trajectories for analysis. The spatiotemporal analysis of Prosopis invasion dynamics yields trajectories that can be linked to underlying land users’ management decisions. Areas that remained free of Prosopis since their first clearance were primarily areas where the invasion would cause the highest loss in terms of income or opportunity costs; areas that were never cleared since they were first invaded tended to be areas where no one could be personally held accountable for their management, while the abandonment of management followed by re-invasion appeared to be linked to different drivers, including diversification of livelihoods and lower market prices for horticultural products. Our findings indicate that invasion trajectories are useful in informing existing management strategies to adopt context-based invasive species management practices. The study recommends scaling up the trajectory analysis approach to be replicated in large-scale invasion management strategies. Since it requires considerable finances and time to conduct such analyses on raw satellite imagery, we suggest further research on how to simplify the approach to make it easily and efficiently replicable for large-scale applications

Biofuels for a Greener Economy? Insights from Jatropha Production in Northeastern Ethiopia

Many observers view Jatropha as a miracle plant that grows in harsh environments, halts land degradation and provides seeds for fuel production. This makes it particularly attractive for use in Ethiopia, where poverty levels are high and the degradation of agricultural land is widespread. In this article, we investigate the potentials and limitations of a government-initiated Jatropha project for smallholders in northeastern Ethiopia from a green economy perspective. Data are based on a 2009 household survey and interviews with key informants, as well as on a 2012 follow-up round of interviews with key informants. We conclude that the project has not contributed to a greener economy so far, but has the potential to do so in the future. To maximize Jatropha’s potential, interventions must focus mainly on smallholders and pay more attention to the entire biofuel value chain