A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop

Adopters and non-adopters of low-cost household latrines: A study of corbelled pit latrines in 15 districts of Malawi

The Sustainable Development Goals will challenge low- and middle-income settings to look at new approaches for rural sanitation. In 2013, Mzuzu University, in partnership with United Nations Children\u27s Fund (UNICEF) Malawi, started a low-cost latrine program in rural areas using the corbelled latrine design supported by locally owned sustainable businesses. The objective of this work was to trace customers (early household adopters) and non-customers through field observations and interviews in 15 districts of Malawi. The research team spent 193 personnel work days in data collection and found 21 households as adopters in 7 districts. Most respondents had a preference with regard to the design of the sanitation facility they would like to use. Although sharing of sanitation facilities was common, the corbelled latrine is promoted as a single household pit latrine design. Unfortunately, 8% (23/304) of non-adopters responded they practiced open defecation. Households were satisfied with the corbelled latrine design, and no latrine was found to have collapsed during field visits. To promote the corbelled latrine in Malawi, the following are recommended: (1) education of frontline government extension workers towards non-subsidized household latrines; (2) identification of rural low-income households as the best target for potential adopters; and (3) linkage of low-cost sanitation technologies to community mobilization campaigns led by the government, such as Community Led Total Sanitation

TEN Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN). &nbsp

The Transformative Engagement Network (TEN) Team

There is a growing realisation that to better understand and intervene in the interconnected political, cultural and psycho-social dynamics that constitute the contexts for these current global challenges requires transdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches; approaches that include and value diverse perspectives and pay particular attention to the perspectives and experiences of those who are the most vulnerable and those who are currently excluded from the knowledge creation processes. This article discusses the learning gained from an inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional project entitled Transformative Engagement Network (TEN)

A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop

A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop

A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop

A dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity to climate change: A case study of water management in Makondo, Uganda

This thesis is carried out against the backdrop of serious concerns that climate change will affect the livelihoods of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. I examine the adaptive capacity of people at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa, in particular those in Makondo Parish, in the southwest of Uganda. The focus is on the way adaptive capacity emerges from the interaction of community members, extra-local actors such as non-governmental organizations, and national and local policy-makers. The thesis builds upon literature that explores adaptive capacity at the micro-scale of action and practice in rural Africa. The research, which employs context-sensitive methods, specifically ethnographic and participatory methodologies, contributes to a growing literature on adaptive capacity to climate change in three key ways. First, methodologically, I argue that the application of participatory Geographical Information Systems (PGIS) alongside ethnography can offer a context-sensitive approach for assessing the complex subject of adaptive capacity. The approach – which I refer to as a ‗dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity‘ – can reveal data about people and their places that might not otherwise emerge; data that may be of critical importance to understanding adaptive capacities. The approach helps uncover complex realities in relation to both social connections and connections with place. Second, the thesis explores adaptive capacity and water governance. The results of the research reveal that relations and practices may affect the adaptive capacity of people in these areas to deal with climate change. Although at the household level people display context-based adaptive strategies such as water recycling and seasonal adjustments, the overall adaptive capacity of community members is constrained by gender-based and village-level water governance mechanisms that limit how future adaptive strategies will develop. My dynamic assessment of adaptive capacity takes these complex issues into consideration with a view to developing an understanding of how adaptive capacity is shaped by access to resources and power. My study therefore suggests that, at the micro-scale, adaptive capacity strategies require efforts that address multiple limitations with regards water governance, because these limitations may be associated with the various determinants of adaptive capacity. The third contribution concerns the role of agro-pastoralism in shaping adaptive capacity. Results from the research reveal that adaptive capacity is happening via a complex web of relationships that have implications at individual level. Agro-pastoralists display context-based adaptive strategies such as application of local knowledge about water, cooperation and sharing and seasonal diversification of livelihoods. All these coping mechanisms benefit wider community in Makondo. However, the overall adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists is constrained by enclosure that limits how future adaptive capacity will develop

Factors Affecting Public Sector Investment in the Livestock Industry in Malawi

The dominant narrative is that public financing and investment in the public sector depend on the political leadership of the government executive because of the incentives gained in public finance management. The executive arm of the government includes elected political leaders and technocrats. Using the case of the agricultural sector, this paper examines the role of technocrats and elected leadership in investment choices. This paper uses, in support of quantitative findings, qualitative evidence from a case study designed in the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development in Malawi. The variables were used to analyze the quantitative data, and content analysis was used for qualitative data. The finding reveals that seniority, authority, political affiliation, and technical expertise of civil servant leadership significantly influence public investment choices in the livestock sector in Malawi. Both elected political executives and technocrats had self-interests in delivering goods with swift and visible returns. The study concludes that Malawi's public sector investment arena is a ‘war zone’ with various actors vying for dominance. The paper recommends a critical review of the reforms in the livestock sector to bring the investment culture on course in Malawi. More studies are needed to resolve issues around privatization models of services in the livestock sector and the role of government and transactional actors