ADOPTION OF SOIL CONSERVATION THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACTIONS IN SOUTHWESTERN UGANDA

In developing countries, access to and use of renewable natural resources are essential for rural livelihoods to thrive. Hence, cooperation in the management of natural resources is increasingly an important strategy that can enhance long-term socio-ecological resilience. In most cases, collective actions have widely been recognised as an alternative institutional arrangement to centralised governance for the management of natural resources, but their success largely depends on factors that are specific to localities where they are implemented. In this study, factors that influence adoption and extent of adoption of natural resource conservation activities were identified using two case studies: Bubaare and Bufundi Innovation Platforms in Uganda. The drivers of adoption of community natural resource management strategies are analysed using an Ordered Logit Model while extent of adoption is analysed using a truncated regression model. The education level of a household head, membership in collective action group, and perception of plot slope and relevance of bye-laws were factors associated with likelihood of adoption. Value of livestock, membership in collective action group, access to credit and off-farm income were found to positively influence the level of investment. Thus, collective action increases opportunities for adoption; hence farmers should be supported to work collectively.Dans les pays en voie de d\ue9veloppement, l\u2019acc\ue8s et l\u2019utilisation des ressources naturelles sont essentiels pour la suivie en mileu rural et pour y prosp\ue9rer. Ainsi, la coop\ue9ration dans la gestion des ressources naturelles est de plus en plus une strat\ue9gie importante qui peut am\ue9liorer \ue0 long terme la coh\ue9sion socio-\ue9cologique. Dans beaucoup de cas; les actions collectives ont \ue9t\ue9 largement reconnues comme une alternative d\u2019organisation institutionnelle pour centraliser la gouvernance de la gestion des ressources naturelles, mais leur succ\ue8s d\ue9pend largement des facteurs qui sont sp\ue9cifiques aux milieux o\uf9 elles sont mise en oeuvre. Dans cette \ue9tude, les facteus qui influencent l\u2019adoption et le degr\ue9 d\u2019adoption des activit\ue9s de conservation des ressources naturelles \ue9taient identifi\ue9s en utilisant deux cas d\u2019\ue9tude: Les Plate-formes d\u2019Innovation de Bubaare et Bufundi en Ouganda. Les forces motrices d\u2019adoption des strategies de gestion des ressources naturelles communautaires sont analys\ue9es en utilsant un mod\ue8le Logit Ordonn\ue9 tandis que le degr\ue9 d\u2019adoption est analys\ue9 en utilisant un mod\ue8le de r\ue9gression tronqu\ue9. Le niveau d\u2019\ue9ducation du chef de m\ue9nage, l\u2019appartenance au groupe d\u2019action collective, et la perception de la pente de la parcelle et limportance des arr\ueat\ue9s \ue9taient les facteurs associ\ue9s au taux d\u2019adoption. La value du b\ue9tail, l\u2019appartenance au groupe d\u2019action collective, l\u2019acc\ue8s au cr\ue9dit et le revenu non- agricole \ue9taient les facteurs qui influencent positivement le niveau d\u2019investissement. Donc, les actions collectives augmentent les opportunit\ue9s pour l\u2019adoption; ainsi les producteurs devraient \ueatre encourag\ue9s \ue0 travailler de fa\ue7con collective

Principles, design and processes of integrated agricultural research for development: experiences and lessons from LKPLS under the SSACP

With increasing recognition holding the promise of overcoming the outstanding problems faced byAfrican agriculture, IAR4D faces the danger of being ‘blurred’ by past approaches and falling short of its potential to deliver the desired impacts in diverse multi-stakeholder, biophysical, socio- economic, cultural, technological and market contexts unless its actualisation and working is clearly understood. In this paper, we present the conceptualisation and principles of and knowledge-based experiences and lessons from the implementation of the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSACP) in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site (LKPLS). The presentation covers the formation and facilitation of IPs for the actualisation of IAR4D to evolve mechanisms for the early recognition of interlinked issues in natural resource management, productivity and value addition technologies, markets, gender and policy arrangements. These have autonomously triggered flexible, locally directed interactions to innovate options from within or outside their environment for resolving the challenges, and have moved along a new institutional and technological change trajectory. Emerging lessons point to the endowment of IP members with selfhelp knowledge interactions, training in IAR4D, quality of facilitation and research to be key determinants of the power behind of self-regulating mechanisms

The Relationship between Technical Efficiency In Food Crop Production And Household Wealth In Uganda: Evidence From Maize Farming Households between 2005- 2010

This paper provides insight into the relationship between technical efficiency of maize farming and household wealth indicators in Uganda. The study uses national panel data in 2005/06 and 2009/10, and a stochastic frontier production function model is specified for the maize farming households. Up to 2,295 households were found to have grown maize in 2005/06, and 2,343 households in 2009/10 from the data sets. The results show that up to 86% of the maize farming households attained on average low mean efficiency scores below 0.5. While inorganic fertilizer was found to be important in contributing to maize productivity and therefore technical efficiency, the number of households using it between the two time periods was found to reduce albeit not significantly. The number using organic fertilizer though, significantly increased (1%). Household wealth is found to be significantly (1% level) associated with a reduction in technical efficiency. The study recommends interventions targeted at poor rural households to improve maize output markets so as to competitively reward household investment in production, and subsequently generate household wealth. This would make maize production attractive to the producers, motivating them to make necessary investment in inorganic fertilizer and other purchased inputs

The role of integrated agricultural research for development

PRIFPRI3; Land Resource Management for Poverty ReductionEPT

Innovation opportunities for milk production in Rwanda with lessons from the Mudende innovation platform

While milk in Rwanda is recognized to have potential for enormous contribution to the food security, nutrition and employment situation in the country, national milk production has remained well below to levels that can sufficiently enhance this contribution. The overall objective of the study was to conduct a value chain analysis that would enable the identification of innovative opportunities that exist to boost milk production in Rwanda. This paper specifically analyses the environment within which the milk value chain operates, and the functionality of the value chain at the Innovation Platform. Innovation opportunities to improve milk production are found to lie in the interaction of a diversity of stakeholders and partners to provide critical services for production, to dairy farmers. These would include extension, veterinary provision, and financial service provision, interacting together with farmers at the production stage to ease the acquisition of critical inputs and knowledge. Further opportunity exists to engage milk processors, health workers and nutritionists as new stakeholders at the production stage. This would not only inspire milk utilization by the population, but would subsequently enhance milk production in the country

Innovation opportunities for milk production in Rwanda with lessons from the Mudende innovation platform

While milk in Rwanda is recognized to have potential for enormous contribution to the food security, nutrition and employment situation in the country, national milk production has remained well below to levels that can sufficiently enhance this contribution. The overall objective of the study was to conduct a value chain analysis that would enable the identification of innovative opportunities that exist to boost milk production in Rwanda. This paper specifically analyses the environment within which the milk value chain operates, and the functionality of the value chain at the Innovation Platform. Innovation opportunities to improve milk production are found to lie in the interaction of a diversity of stakeholders and partners to provide critical services for production, to dairy farmers. These would include extension, veterinary provision, and financial service provision, interacting together with farmers at the production stage to ease the acquisition of critical inputs and knowledge. Further opportunity exists to engage milk processors, health workers and nutritionists as new stakeholders at the production stage. This would not only inspire milk utilization by the population, but would subsequently enhance milk production in the country

Women’s vulnerability in bean value chain development at the Maendeleo innovation platform, Eastern DRC

Value chain development in post conflict countries should not only deal with the technical issues of the value chain, but with women’s gender needs, and even more critically understand and address their vulnerabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the vulnerabilities of women involved in a bean value chain development intervention at the Maendeloe Innovation Platform in Eastern DRC. Specifically, the paper first discusses the roles of women and men in the value chain, what production resources and benefits they access and control, the role of the IP as a vehicle for women’s empowerment, and identifies women’s gender needs. Secondly, the paper identifies women’s vulnerabilities, and the capacities that the IP could build on, to support their participation in bean value chain development. Using gender analysis tools, the study shows that in addition to the lack of control of productive resources, household assets and the benefits of their labour, women have been traumatized by the rampant sexual violation and gender-based violence in the region. The innovation platform should consider including legal, mental health and psychosocial counselling service providers as stakeholders in its activities to develop the bean value chain

Women’s vulnerability in bean value chain development at the Maendeleo innovation platform, Eastern DRC

Value chain development in post conflict countries should not only deal with the technical issues of the value chain, but with women’s gender needs, and even more critically understand and address their vulnerabilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the vulnerabilities of women involved in a bean value chain development intervention at the Maendeloe Innovation Platform in Eastern DRC. Specifically, the paper first discusses the roles of women and men in the value chain, what production resources and benefits they access and control, the role of the IP as a vehicle for women’s empowerment, and identifies women’s gender needs. Secondly, the paper identifies women’s vulnerabilities, and the capacities that the IP could build on, to support their participation in bean value chain development. Using gender analysis tools, the study shows that in addition to the lack of control of productive resources, household assets and the benefits of their labour, women have been traumatized by the rampant sexual violation and gender-based violence in the region. The innovation platform should consider including legal, mental health and psychosocial counselling service providers as stakeholders in its activities to develop the bean value chain

Local institutions in southwestern Uganda: the role of integrated agricultural research for development

Local institutions are commonly referred to as mediating factors that govern the relationship between a community and the natural resource base upon which it depends. However, conventional agricultural research and extension approaches have had limited impact in positively influencing the role of institutions in natural resource management (NRM). In this paper we discuss the role of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) in by-law enactment, implementation and compliance in southwestern Uganda, and the potential benefits of the IAR4D approach for the development of local-level institutions. Although the level of awareness of the enacted by-laws was highest in the conventional sites, compliance was highest in the innovation platform (IP) villages. With the multi-stakeholder participation of the IAR4D approach in the IPs, there was a conducive environment in which to formulate and implement new by-laws, such as those relating to the harvesting and marketing of produce. IAR4D was found to have the potential to empower individual farmers through their interactions with each other, as well as to increase inter-institutional interactions for increased information sharing among stakeholders, thus building social capital for collective action