Analysing urban and peri-urban youth employment in agribusiness in Malawi

Open Access JournalThe study aims to analyse key determinants of urban and peri-urban youth employment in agribusiness in Malawi to support youth policies. A mixed-methods approach is used, which combines both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The quantitative method involved a Bivariate Logit Model and Multinomial Logit Model to analyse nationally representative survey data from the Fourth Integrated Household Survey in 2016–2017. The qualitative method employed thematic analysis to data generated through Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews for key stakeholders involved in agri-business in Lilongwe district. The qualitative analysis, which focuses on a case study for urban and peri-urban youth in agribusiness, was used to validate, and provide context for the quantitative analysis. The results revealed that a majority of the urban and peri-urban youth engaged in agribusiness across Malawi work in sole farming (family farms or ganyu); in addition, women outnumber men in terms of engagement in agribusiness, and this stems from tradition. In addition, the determinants that affect youth’s engagement in agribusiness consist of demographic factors, institutional support, assets, and shocks. It was also shown that men were more likely than women to be engaged in sole farming, but they were as likely as women to be engaged in other forms of agribusiness. The policy recommendation from this study is that programs aimed at supporting youth engagement in agribusiness should consider a variety of factors; If resources are limited, the programs should ensure that they offer capacity strengthening for the youth in the form of extension services and practical training in agribusiness

Sustaining participation in irrigation systems of Ethiopia: what have we learned about water user associations?

Community participation, defined as engaging users of schemes in the decision-making processes for the planning and implementation of irrigation projects, is critical for the sustainability of irrigation schemes. This study was carried out in three regional states of Ethiopia to investigate the contribution of Water User Associations (WUAs) to sustaining participation in irrigation projects. The paper demonstrates that the poor understanding of community participation and institutional development by project staff in donor-supported irrigation projects results in the poor performance of WUAs in enhancing participation in irrigation systems. The interventions of external bodies in setting up the WUA by-laws and in determining the responsibilities of users and WUA committees contributed to the low level of participation. The transfer of schemes to WUAs without building WUA committees' abilities in operation and maintenance constrained their ability to sustainably manage irrigation schemes. The WUA committees are male-dominated and the views of women are hardly represented in the decision-making. Therefore, establishing WUA committees that reflect the interests and inputs of scheme users is crucial to achieve fair decision-making. Local authorities and non-governmental organizations could do more to change perceptions and behavior on the importance of gender equity in sustaining the positive outcomes of irrigation at household and community levels

Changes in woody species composition following establishing exclosures on grazing lands in the lowlands of northern Ethiopia

Restoring vegetation in low rainfall areas is difficult and urges the need to design an effective and low-cost method of vegetation restoration. This study was undertaken in the lowlands of northern Ethiopia to: (1) investigate how exclosure age affects restoration of degraded native plant species richness, diversity and aboveground standing biomass, and (2) identify soil characteristics, which affect effectiveness of exclosures to restore degraded native vegetation. Replicated (n = 3) 5-, 10- and 15- year-old exclosures were selected and each exclosure was paired with an adjacent grazing land to detect changes in vegetation variables following establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands. All exclosures displayed higher species richness, diversity and aboveground biomass when compared to the adjacent grazing lands. Results on vegetation composition indicate that all exclosures are at early stage of succession. In all exclosures and grazing lands, vegetation variables displayed significant (p < 0.05) correlations with soil variables indicating that consideration of soil fertility will help enhance natural regeneration in exclosures. Our study indicates that the establishment of exclosures on degraded communal grazing lands can be effective in restoring degraded native vegetations, and with time, exclosures may obtain an important role as source of seeds of indigenous woody species

The effectiveness of village bylaws in sustainable management of community-managed exclosures in northern Ethiopia

Communities in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, have established exclosures on formerly degraded grazing lands and other land uses to promote natural regeneration of plants. Village bylaws devised by communities govern the management of exclosures. We analysed the effectiveness of village bylaws that are used to manage exclosures in addressing forest degradation, resolving conflicts among users over natural resource use, and meeting high expectations of users to realise economic benefits from exclosures through enhancing revenue from sale of grass and dry wood. We collected data using qualitative methods during July and November 2008 in two villages of Tigray. The village bylaws mitigated forest degradation by facilitating users to have common goals in the management of exclosures, and resolved conflicts among users by using monetary sanctions including penalties. The village bylaws were not effective in meeting the high expectations of users to realise economic benefits from exclosures. In some cases, the enforcement of village bylaws was constrained by high social capital, which resulted in the negligence among users in exposing free riders. This indicates that high social capital does not always enhance communal resource management. Moreover, recurrent drought, shortage of fuel wood, and the growing number of landless youths in both villages constrained the effectiveness of village bylaws and further expansion of exclosures. Village committees should focus on addressing the low level of rule enforcement and minimise negligence among users of exclosures through developing a sense of responsibility among users rather than focusing on penalties

Building gender-sensitive climate-smart agriculture approaches for sustainable food-energy systems

Climate change influences agricultural production and threatens the livelihoods of farming households in Africa. The impacts of climate change have been more severe for poor and marginalized peoples, especially women, than they have been for other groups in the society, due to their disadvantaged access to technologies, resources, information, and power. Conventional agriculture technology interventions aiming at improving productivity and income often do not consider social disparities and fail to enhance equitable benefit sharing among men and women. Similarly, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approaches often fail to take into account the differences in men’s and women’s needs and capabilities for adapting to climate change and instead have an implicit male bias that privileges male needs, interests, and priorities in the distribution of opportunities and resources. The poor representation and involvement of women in decision-making processes in the agricultural sector has limited their contributions to addressing the adverse effects of climate change, energy shortages, food insecurity, and poverty. This chapter, by drawing on lessons from past and current agricultural interventions across Africa, especially Ethiopia, aims to foster understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of women in designing and implementing gender-sensitive CSA interventions to achieve a sustainable food-energy system

Impact of Area Enclosures on Density and Diversity of Large Wild Mammals: The Case of May Ba’ati, Douga Tembien District, Central Tigray, Ethiopia

In Ethiopian highlands, area enclosures have been established on degraded areas for ecologicalrehabilitation. However, information on the importance of area enclosures in improving wild fauna richness islacking. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the impact of enclosures on density and diversity of large wildmammals. Direct observations along fixed width transects with three timings, total counting with two timings,and pellet drop counts were used to determine population of large wild mammals. Regression analysis andANOVA were used to test the significance of the relationships among age of enclosures, canopy cover, densityand diversity of large wild mammals. The enclosures have higher density and diversity of large wild mammalsthan adjacent unprotected areas. The density and diversity of large wild mammals was higher for the olderenclosures with few exceptions. Diversity of woody species also showed strong relationship (r2 = 0.77 and 0.92)with diversity of diurnal and nocturnal wild mammals. Significant relationship (at p&lt;0.05) was observedbetween age and density as well as among canopy cover, density and diversity of large nocturnal wildmammals. The existence of both large carnivore and herbivore wild mammals indicated the effectiveness ofarea enclosures in biodiversity conservation. However, for further improvement of the habitat and therebybiodiversity, development of water points and vegetation management are timely needed