LAND RIGHTS AND INTRA-HOUSEHOLD EMPLOYMENT AND RESOURCE USE IN THE PERI-URBAN AREA OF BANJUL, THE GAMBIA

As part of cooperative research program examining factor markets in peri-urban areas of The Gambia (Banjul and Serekunda) to see if they are constraining agricultural growth and employment, particularly in the horticultural subsector, the household production survey reported in this study assesses inter- and intrahousehold issues of market access and constraints to land-improving investment and productivity. Implemented in 1993, survey is highly disaggregated by plot, gender, enterprise, and type of employment.Land tenure--Gambia--Banjul Region, Vendors and purchasers--Gambia--Banjul Region, Household production--Gambia, Research methods, Rural conditions--Gambia, Rural off-farm employment--Gambia, Income and wealth--Gambia, Land markets--Gambia, Tenure types, Traditional--Gambia, Labor and Human Capital, Land Economics/Use,

LAND MARKETS AND LEGAL CONTRADICTIONS IN THE PERI-URBAN AREA OF ACCRA GHANA: INFORMANT INTERVIEWS AND SECONDARY DATA INVESTIGATIONS

The peri-urban area of Accra is experiencing a rapid transformation. A robust urban and agricultural land market has emerged, characterized by purchases, rapidly rising real land prices, and outsiders from Accra acquiring agricultural holdings for residential and commercial use. The fact that residences are being built, commercial firms are being established, and large firms are acquiring land for commercial interests attests to the ability of the customary system to enable transfers for productive activity. Nevertheless, limited or uncertain property rights increase investment costs and differential access to information in the land market affects equity. This paper seeks to better understand: (a) the land market in peri-urban Accra, (b) the process by which land held by indigenous communities is transferred to outsiders enabling the conversion of unoccupied or agricultural land into residential or commercial uses, and (c) the contradictions and frictions that exist at the interface of land transfers under customary and statutory systems. It further seeks to examine the possibility that uncertain property rights and high litigation costs are constraining commercial and agricultural investment, and to identify the economic and social factors that determine levels of premiums associated with transactions, and the duration of the customary allocation.Land tenure -- Ghana -- Accra Region, Land tenure -- Law and legislation - -Ghana, Land use, urban -- Ghana -- Accra Region, Real property -- Ghana -- Accra Region, Land reform -- Law and legislation -- Ghana, Land markets -- Ghana, Land tenure, urban -- Ghana, Land administration -- Law and legislation -- Ghana, Tenure types, Traditional -- Ghana, Research methods, Land Economics/Use,

Modular Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell and Electrolyser Stack Design with Hydraulic Compression

An energy economy with high share of renewable but volatile energy sources is dependent on storage strategies in order to ensure sufficient energy delivery in periods of e.g. low wind and/or low solar radiation. Hydrogen as environmental friendly energy carrier is thought to be an appropriate solution for large scale energy storage. In 2011 the NOW (national organisation for hydrogen in Germany) calculated the demand for hydrogen energy systems as positive (0.8 GW to 5.25 GW) and negative supply for varying power demand (0.68 to 4.3 GW) for the German energy economy in 2025. Due to its dynamic behaviour on load changes polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) as well as water electrolyser systems (PEMEL) can play a significant role for large scale hydrogen based storage systems. In this work a novel design concept for modular fuel cell and electrolyser stacks is presented with single cells in pockets surrounded by a hydraulic medium. This hydraulic medium introduces necessary compression forces on the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of each cell within a stack. Furthermore, ideal stack cooling is achieved by this medium. Due to its modularity and scalability the modular stack design with hydraulic compression meets the requirements for large PEMFC as well as PEMEL units. Small scale prototypes presented in this work illustrate the potential of this design concept