Linking Relief and Development: A Case Study of Botswana

Summary During the prolonged drought in Botswana in the 1980s, the government launched a large?scale drought relief programme (DRP). It successfully prevented famine, but its performance in terms of linking relief and development was mixed. Institutionally, Botswana succeeded in integrating the administration of the DRP into existing government structures. The DRP attempted to meet both welfare needs and long term development goals. It met the first objective most successfully by expanding existing welfare systems. The second objective was harder to achieve: on the public works programme, relief and development objectives sometimes conflicted; and the design of some components of the agricultural relief programme proved to be at odds with longer term development interests. The DRP also masked underlying structural problems of rural poverty. Although Botswana is a ‘special case’, lessons can be learned from its experience for other African countries. Resumé Allier l'aide d'urgence au développement: une étude de cas au Botswana Durant la sécheresse prolongée qui s'est produite au Botswana durant les années 1980, le gouvernement a instauré un programme de grande envergure pour aide d'urgence pour lutter contre la sécheresse – le programme DRP. Ce programme a effectivement empêché la famine; or sa performance en termes des liens éventuels entre l'aide d'urgence et le développement laissait à désirer. Au niveau des institutions, le Botswana a pourtant réussi à intégrer l'administration du DRP dans les structures gouvernementales existantes. Le programme DRP visait à répondre, dans un même temps, aux besoins en aide sociale et à des objectifs à plus long terme. Le DRP rencontra un très grand succès relatif au premier de ses objectifs grâce à l'expansion des services d'aide sociale existants. Il fut par contre plus difficile de réaliser le deuxième objectif: car parfois, dans les programmes de travaux publics, les objectifs d'aide d'urgence et de développement s'entravaient réciproquement; la conception de certains éléments du programme d'aide d'urgence agricole faussait même certains aspects du développement à plus long terme. Le programme DRP cachait également certains problèmes d'ordre structurel qui relevaient de la pauvreté rurale. Bien que le Botswana ait été un “cas spécial”, son expérience offre néanmoins certaines leçons aux autres pays de l'Afrique. Resumen La relación asistencia?desarrollo: el caso Botswana En el curso de la prolongado sequía de los años 80 en Botswana, el gobierno lanzó un programa de ayuda (DRP) de gran envergadura. Este programa evitó exitosamente una hambruna general, pero en cuanto al establecimiento de la relación asistencia?desarrollo, los resultados no fueron tan positivos. Institucionalmente, Botswana consiguió integrar la administración del DRP dentro de estructuras gubernamentales existentes. El DRP intentó satisfacer tanto las necesidades de asistencia social como las metas de desarrollo a largo plazo. El primer objetivo fue alcanzado con la expansión de los sistemas de asistencia social existentes. El segundo objetivo fue más difícil de alcanzar: en el programa de obras públicas se encontró que los objetivos de asistencia y desarrollo eran a veces opuestos; algunos componentes del programa de asistencia a la agricultura chocaban con los intereses desarrollistas a largo plazo. El DRP también escondía problemas estructurales subyacentes de probreza rural. Aunque Botswana es un ‘caso especial’, es útil para otros países africanos tener en cuenta su experiencia

Ravaged landscapes and climate vulnerability: The challenge in achieving food security and nutrition in post-conflict Timor-Leste

Food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent in post-conflict countries. Climate change poses further challenges to their food production. Timor-Leste is an agrarian society that won independence in 2002 and is struggling to achieve food security and reduce undernutrition as the country modernizes. The economy depends on fossil fuel revenues and oil reserves are dwindling. A review of climate, agricultural, and nutrition data reveals high weather vulnerability, low agricultural productivity, and slow dietary and nutritional progress. But solutions exist. Agricultural sector actions can make important contributions to poverty reduction, food security, dietary diversity, micronutrient sufficiency, and overall nutrition. Agriculture can be made to be more nutrition- and gender-sensitive with a focus on mixed farming systems, biodiversity, climate-smart practices, and access to inputs, training, and technologies for farmers to enable sustainable and healthy rural livelihoods. Ultimately, productivity levels must improve to support the availability of sufficient and nutritious foods

Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND)—Iron Review

This is the fifth in the series of reviews developed as part of the Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) program. The BOND Iron Expert Panel (I-EP) reviewed the extant knowledge regarding iron biology, public health implications, and the relative usefulness of currently available biomarkers of iron status from deficiency to overload. Approaches to assessing intake, including bioavailability, are also covered. The report also covers technical and laboratory considerations for the use of available biomarkers of iron status, and concludes with a description of research priorities along with a brief discussion of new biomarkers with potential for use across the spectrum of activities related to the study of iron in human health. The I-EP concluded that current iron biomarkers are reliable for accurately assessing many aspects of iron nutrition. However, a clear distinction is made between the relative strengths of biomarkers to assess hematological consequences of iron deficiency versus other putative functional outcomes, particularly the relationship between maternal and fetal iron status during pregnancy, birth outcomes, and infant cognitive, motor and emotional development. The I-EP also highlighted the importance of considering the confounding effects of inflammation and infection on the interpretation of iron biomarker results, as well as the impact of life stage. Finally, alternative approaches to the evaluation of the risk for nutritional iron overload at the population level are presented, because the currently designated upper limits for the biomarker generally employed (serum ferritin) may not differentiate between true iron overload and the effects of subclinical inflammation

Agricultural diversification and intensification study Final report - volume II; farming systems - characteristics and trends

Vol. 2 of 3Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q95/16710 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Agricultural diversification and intensification study Final report - volume III; summary of key results

Vol. 3 of 3Available from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:q95/16711 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Market liberalization and private sector response in Eastern and*Southern Africa

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:9349.357(IDC-FSG-WP--6) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Food markets in developing countries What do we know?

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:9349.357(8) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Towards food security in the Horn of Africa The private sector in domestic food markets

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:9349.357(IDC-FSG-WP--4) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Food security The cereal market policy model; a non-technical introduction

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:9349.357(IDC-FSG-WP--3) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo