Actors and networks in resource conflict resolution under climate change in rural Kenya

The change from consensual decision-making arrangements into centralized hierarchical chieftaincy schemes through colonization disrupted many rural conflict resolution mechanisms in Africa. In addition, climate change impacts on land use have introduced additional socio-ecological factors that complicate rural conflict dynamics. Despite the current urgent need for conflict-sensitive adaptation, resolution efficiency of these fused rural institutions has hardly been documented. In this context, we analyse the Loitoktok network for implemented resource conflict resolution structures and identify potential actors to guide conflict-sensitive adaptation. This is based on social network data and processes that are collected using the saturation sampling technique to analyse mechanisms of brokerage. We find that there are three different forms of fused conflict resolution arrangements that integrate traditional institutions and private investors in the community. To effectively implement conflict-sensitive adaptation, we recommend the extension officers, the council of elders, local chiefs and private investors as potential conduits of knowledge in rural areas. In conclusion, efficiency of these fused conflict resolution institutions is aided by the presence of holistic resource management policies and diversification in conflict resolution actors and networks

Climate governance, rural livelihoods and social networks : Using the ecosystem service governance approach to analyse climate adaptation and resource conflict resolution in Kenya

No doubt impacts from climate change on natural resources threaten achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. But of more concern is the controversial “climate-conflicts nexus” theory which paints a grim future as resources become scarcer in Africa. Though some scientists believe that this popular theory is biased, there is an evident knowledge gap on successful adaptation strategies currently sustaining rural livelihoods across the Sub-Sahara. Moreover, poorly coordinated “adaptation expertise” actors in climate-vulnerable communities nurture legal pluralism and sectorial divisions that are now also projected to instigate resource conflicts at the community level. Possibility of such a scenario creates the need for efficient resource governance structures that clearly delineate actor responsibilities for enhanced site-specific conflict-sensitive adaptation. Social network analysis is emerging as the best tool for identifying actor roles and unlocking cooperation deadlocks in natural resource management. However, a methodological gap exists on how to effectively incorporate social network notions into governance frameworks for evaluating community responses to climate change and resource conflicts using actor-linkages. To resolve this technical gap, I formulate a theoretical governance approach based on social network theory to simultaneously identify rural actors and analyse their governance activities in a multi-resource sector community. The objective is to investigate; with whom does a rural natural resource user do what? How? If, not possible, then why not? With a specific focus on climate adaptation and resource conflict resolution issues. My innovative framework - ecosystem service governance (ESG) approach - builds further the Ecosystem Approach and also incorporates monetary valuation of ecosystem services. To test functionality of the ESG approach, I implement it on the social network of Loitoktok in Kenya. My focus is on key ecosystem services that are economically important namely, food production, wildlife, water and medicinal plants in the district. Application of ESG requires empirical information that consists of both relational and resource attributes data gathered using structured questionnaires, expert interviews, and group discussions. Secondary data is obtained from official resource records and documents from different government agencies. Findings reveal a significant relationship between actor linkages and adaptation performance in the agriculture, wildlife and water sectors. Whereby, high inter-actor connections in the agriculture and wildlife sectors result in many diverse adaptation measures, poor linkage in the water sector lowers collaborative adaptation activity while the medicinal plants sector has no actor interlinkage and which promotes individual-effort adaptation practises. Secondly, dense connectivity among resource conflict resolution actors facilitates implementation of three unique mechanisms that enhance cohesion in the community. Formation of actor linkages is hindered by poor coordination, low financial support and insufficient manpower. In addition, absent inter-actor linkage in the medicinal plants sector is rooted in its lack of recognition as a valid formal economic sector that hinders legislation and contributes to lack of public interest. To resolve the identified hindrances, the ESG approach has an additional feature that simulates an “optimum” resource governance structure through network weaving actions by certain brokers. The resultant hypothetical structure illuminates potential pathways for increasing adaptation performance, livelihoods diversification, carbon sequestration and culture preservation in Loitoktok. The formulated ecosystem service governance approach effectively answers the aforementioned research questions by revealing how adaptation and resource conflict resolution are precisely being implemented at the community level. Secondly, the study proposes using the established Revolving Fund scheme (responsible for aggregating individuals into community (business) interest groups) in disseminating climate adaptation knowledge alongside economic development. Thirdly, significance of the formulated ESG approach cannot be understated in relation to the current devolution predicament in Kenya. Whereby, the newly formed County governments can utilise the ESG for identifying collaboration deadlocks in their social structures. Finally, since the ESG approach also gives a practical structural solution to enhance resource governance, then it is foreseen that subsequent objective netweaving of actor linkages at the community and County levels will enhance climate governance especially rural adaptive capacity and reduce risk of projected climate-driven resource conflicts in Kenya

Does Reactive Adaptation Exist? Using the Ecosystem Service Governance Approach to Evaluate Post-Drought Rural Food Security in Kenya

Controversial climate change studies purport that predicted food insecurity and resource scarcity will intensify resource conflicts in developing nations. This belief is based on a prevalent assumption that African agricultural production systems are rigid and that their respective governments lack comprehensive adaptation ability. Therefore, I investigate whether and how effective postdrought adaptation activity is sustaining food production and livelihoods at Loitoktok district in Kenya. This study uses the theoretical three-step ecosystem service governance approach that analyzes both natural resources attributes and relational data. Results confirm a substantial decline in productivity and huge monetary losses in the agricultural sector of Loitoktok following the 2009 drought. Post-drought analysis reveals high diversification in crops and livestock that are drought-tolerant, fast maturing and high income generating such as camels, rabbits and dairy goats, horticultural and fruit production that sustain food security, income and local livelihoods. These reactive adaptation activities originate from an active public-private cooperation that promotes knowledge exchange among Loitoktok stakeholders. This cooperation is also seen in the efficient resource conflict resolution network. In conclusion, rural communities seem to be efficiently adapting to changing environmental conditions but require more financial and technical support from the government. Unfortunately, appraisal of national planned adaptation reveals effort-duplication that may divert much needed adaptation funds from being invested in research projects with multiple benefits to Kenyan food producers

On exposure, vulnerability and violence: Spatial distribution of risk factors for climate change and violent conflict across Kenya and Uganda

Recent studies discuss the link between climate change and violent conflict, especially for East Africa. While there is extensive literature on the question whether climate change increases the risk of violent conflict onset, not much is known about where a climate-conflict link is most likely to be found. We address this question by analyzing the spatial distribution of the factors commonly associated with a high exposure and vulnerability to climate change, and a high risk of violent conflict onset in Kenya and Uganda. Drawing on recent literature and quantitative data for the period 1998–2008, we develop various specifications of a composite risk index (CRI) with a spatial resolution of half a degree for Kenya and Uganda in the year 2008. A quantitative comparison with conflict data for the year 2008 provides support for the composite risk index. Finally, the composite risk index is contrasted with the findings of three qualitative case studies, which provide mixed support for the index and help to identify its strengths and weaknesses as well as conceptual needs for further quantitative studies on climate change and violent conflict

Africa

Africa is one of the lowest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, yet key development sectors have already experienced widespread losses and damages attributable to human-induced climate change, including biodiversity loss, water shortages, reduced food production, loss of lives and reduced economic growth (high confidence1).// Between 1.5°C and 2°C global warming—assuming localised and incremental adaptation—negative impacts are projected to become widespread and severe with reduced food production, reduced economic growth, increased inequality and poverty, biodiversity loss, increased human morbidity and mortality (high confidence). Limiting global warming to 1.5°C is expected to substantially reduce damages to African economies, agriculture, human health, and ecosystems compared to higher levels of global warming (high confidence).// Exposure and vulnerability to climate change in Africa are multi-dimensional with socioeconomic, political and environmental factors intersecting (very high confidence). Africans are disproportionately employed in climate-exposed sectors: 55–62% of the sub-Saharan workforce is employed in agriculture and 95% of cropland is rainfed. In rural Africa, poor and female-headed households face greater livelihood risks from climate hazards. In urban areas, growing informal settlements without basic services increase the vulnerability of large populations to climate hazards, especially women, children and the elderly. // Adaptation in Africa has multiple benefits, and most assessed adaptation options have medium effectiveness at reducing risks for present-day global warming, but their efficacy at future warming levels is largely unknown (high confidence)./

Aspects determining the risk of pesticides to wild bees: risk profiles for focal crops on three continents.

In order to conduct a proper risk assessment of pesticides to bees, information is needed in three areas: (i) the toxicity of the pesticide; (ii) the probability of bee exposure to that pesticide; and (iii) the population dynamics of the bee species in question. Information was collected on such factors affecting pesticide risk to (primarily wild) bees in several crops in Brazil, Kenya and The Netherlands. These data were used to construct ?risk profiles? of pesticide use for bees in the studied cropping systems. Data gaps were identified and potential risks of pesticides to bees were compared between the crops. Initially, risk profiling aims to better identify gaps in our present knowledge. In the longer term, the established risk profiles may provide structured inputs into risk assessment models for wild and managed bees, and lead to recommendations for specific risk mitigation measures.Edição dos Proceedings of the 11 International Symposium Hazards of Pesticides to Bees, Wageningen, nov. 2011

‘Capacity for what? Capacity for whom?’ A decolonial deconstruction of research capacity development practices in the Global South and a proposal for a value-centred approach

Whilst North to South knowledge transfer patterns have been extensively problematised by Southern and decolonial perspectives, there is very little reflection on the practice of research capacity development (RCD), still strongly focused on technoscientific solutionism, yet largely uncritical of its underlying normative directions and power asymmetries. Without making transparent these normative and epistemological dimensions, RCD practices will continue to perpetuate approaches that are likely to be narrow, technocratic and unreflexive of colonial legacies, thus failing to achieve the aims of RCD, namely, the equitable and development-oriented production of knowledge in low- and middle-income societies. Informed by the authors’ direct experience of RCD approaches and combining insights from decolonial works and other perspectives from the margins with Science and Technology Studies, the paper undertakes a normative and epistemological deconstruction of RCD mainstream practice. Highlighting asymmetries of power and material resources in knowledge production, the paper’s decolonial lens seeks to aid the planning, implementation and evaluation of RCD interventions. Principles of cognitive justice and epistemic pluralism, accessibility enabled by systems thinking and sustainability grounded on localisation are suggested as the building blocks for more reflexive and equitable policies that promote research capacity for the purpose of creating social value and not solely for the sake of perpetuating technoscience

Home dialysis: conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) controversies conference

Home dialysis modalities (home hemodialysis [HD] and peritoneal dialysis [PD]) are associated with greater patient autonomy and treatment satisfaction compared with in-center modalities, yet the level of home-dialysis use worldwide is low. Reasons for limited utilization are context-dependent, informed by local resources, dialysis costs, access to healthcare, health system policies, provider bias or preferences, cultural beliefs, individual lifestyle concerns, potential care-partner time, and financial burdens. In May 2021, KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) convened a controversies conference on home dialysis, focusing on how modality choice and distribution are determined and strategies to expand home-dialysis use. Participants recognized that expanding use of home dialysis within a given health system requires alignment of policy, fiscal resources, organizational structure, provider incentives, and accountability. Clinical outcomes across all dialysis modalities are largely similar, but for specific clinical measures, one modality may have advantages over another. Therefore, choice among available modalities is preference-sensitive, with consideration of quality of life, life goals, clinical characteristics, family or care-partner support, and living environment. Ideally, individuals, their care-partners, and their healthcare teams will employ shared decision-making in assessing initial and subsequent kidney failure treatment options. To meet this goal, iterative, high-quality education and support for healthcare professionals, patients, and care-partners are priorities. Everyone who faces dialysis should have access to home therapy. Facilitating universal access to home dialysis and expanding utilization requires alignment of policy considerations and resources at the dialysis-center level, with clear leadership from informed and motivated clinical teams