469 research outputs found
Who runs this place? The external enabling environment for value chain development
No full textChapter 10 in book on Markets and Rural Poverty, dealing with the enabling environment in natural resource product value chain
Examining equity: a multidimensional framework for assessing equity in payments for ecosystem services
No full textConcern over social equity dominates current debates about payments for ecosystem services and reduced deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). Yet, despite the apprehension that these initiatives may undermine equity, the term is generally left undefined. This paper presents a systematic framework for the analysis of equity that can be used to examine how local equity is affected as the global value of ecosystem services changes. Our framework identifies three dimensions that form the content (the what) of equity. The first, distributive equity, addresses the distribution of benefits and costs. The second, procedural equity, refers to decision-making. These are linked by the third dimension, contextual equity, which incorporates the pre-existing conditions that limit or facilitate people's access to decision-making procedures, resources and, thereby, benefits. The framework then asks how these dimensions are shaped by the scale and target group of concern (who), the framing of goals with respect to equity (why), and, crucially, how the decisions about the content, target and aims of equity are taken. By spurring debate around the fundamental ethical values at stake, this framework can guide analysts, policymakers and planners towards more open and inclusive processes for defining equity, along with affirmative efforts to engage marginalised people
Fruit products for profit
No full textBook targeted at extension workers primarily in developing countries to provide information on how to support farmers in integrating fruit trees in their livelihoods portfolio.Growing fruit as an enterprise requires only a very small plot of land, commonly a home garden, some labour and minimal capital. The fruit enterprise can provide a plethora of products: fresh fruit, jams, juices, chutneys and pickles. By-products can be used for fermented products such as fruit wines, fruit waste can be used for animal feed, while fruit seeds and nuts can be pressed for oil. Fruit provides a number of benefits, with important nutritional elements that contribute to improve diets, help support family food security and are an important source of income when sold fresh and/or processed. Fruit trees provide also numerous benefits to the natural environment and to the sustainability of other farm-based livelihood enterprises. Encouraging and promoting fruit trees as a viable enterprise to small-scale farmers can only but enhance livelihoods. It is hoped that policy-makers and development personnel recognize the numerous opportunities that producing and marketing fruit can bring to small-scale farmer
Commercialisation of non-timber forest products: A reality check
No full textThis article challenges the pervasive view that commercialisation of non-timber forest products can (easily) achieve ecosystem and species conservation as well as improving livelihoods. Following a brief review of who and what is involved, it focuses on the main ecological and livelihood risks of unconsidered promotion of NTFP commercialisation, drawing on a wide range of case studies from around the world. It concludes with some recommendations, emphasising the lack of 'magic-bullet' products, and the importance - among other things - of not ignoring national policy, taking an integrated view of the value chain, considering the implications of different production options, and improving both quality and quantity.<br/
Institutional approaches for carbon financing in the forest sector: learning lessons for REDD+ from forest carbon projects in Uganda
No full textWith momentum building around the implementation of REDD+ programmes and projects, questions surrounding the appropriate structuring of institutions are becoming increasingly important. We examine how the variations in the institutional arrangements related to the carbon finance aspects of projects affect the opportunities for poor rural producers involved, or those living in the vicinity of projects. Evidence is drawn from a review of three forest carbon projects in Uganda, based on qualitative stakeholder interviews and supported by policy documents and literature. Three aspects of project institutions are discussed; actors, rules and links to existing external institutions. The findings suggest that supporting such projects with carbon finance can have some positive impacts on opportunities through improved monitoring, but that considerable progress needs to be made in balancing the interests of project financers with those of the communities involved and improving policy coordination with existing institutions external to projects. We suggest that these lessons are particularly transferable to the growing number of REDD+ approaches that are strongly performance based or funded through carbon markets, and implemented through direct payment systems between buyers and local producer groups or individuals.<br/
Challenges for tree officers to enhance the provision of regulating ecosystem services from urban forests
Full text linkUrbanisation and a changing climate are leading to more frequent and severe flood, heat and air pollution episodes in Britain's cities. Interest in nature-based solutions to these urban problems is growing, with urban forests potentially able to provide a range of regulating ecosystem services such as stormwater attenuation, heat amelioration and air purification. The extent to which these benefits are realized is largely dependent on urban forest management objectives, the availability of funding, and the understanding of ecosystem service concepts within local governments, the primary delivery agents of urban forests.This study aims to establish the extent to which British local authorities actively manage their urban forests for regulating ecosystem services, and identify which resources local authorities most need in order to enhance provision of ecosystem services by Britain's urban forests.Interviews were carried out with staff responsible for tree management decisions in fifteen major local authorities from across Britain, selected on the basis of their urban nature and high population density. Local authorities have a reactive approach to urban forest management, driven by human health and safety concerns and complaints about tree disservices. There is relatively little focus on ensuring provision of regulating ecosystem services, despite awareness by tree officers of the key role that urban forests can play in alleviating chronic air pollution, flood risk and urban heat anomalies. However, this is expected to become a greater focus in future provided that existing constraints – lack of understanding of ecosystem services amongst key stakeholders, limited political support, funding constraints – can be overcome.Our findings suggest that the adoption of a proactive urban forest strategy, underpinned by quantified and valued urban forest-based ecosystem services provision data, and innovative private sector funding mechanisms, can facilitate a change to a proactive, ecosystem services approach to urban forest management
Domesticating indigenous fruit trees as a contribution to poverty reduction
No full textThe contribution that domesticated indigenous fruit trees make to many farmers’ livelihoods is often not acknowledged in either national- or international-level poverty reduction strategies. Current agricultural data tend to be restricted to a narrow range of exotic fruit (e.g. mango, avocado, citrus). Existing data on indigenous fruit are often not presented in the kinds of income-related terms used in the policy debate, nor are they linked to simple policy recommendations. Drawing predominantly on the examples of Dacryodes edulis and Irvingia gabonensis in Cameroon and Nigeria, this paper presents evidence for the contribution of these fruit trees to poverty reduction. Evidence on the numbers and types of people obtaining an income from indigenous fruit trees, the proportion and value of that income and whether the income acts as a safety-net or can help to move people out of poverty, is presented. Non-income related impacts on health and the environment are also discussed. Finally, key policy interventions required to sustain and increase the already valuable contribution of domesticated indigenous fruit trees are outlined
Farmers' fruit tree-growing strategies in the humid forest zone of Cameroon and Nigeria
No full textMany studies have stressed the importance of trees to rural households. Few, however, have focused on actual numbers and densities of trees in different land-use systems. Based on community-level participatory research in six communities, semi-structured household interviews and full-farm fruit tree inventories, this study aims to understand farmers’ tree-planting strategies. Relationships between the diversity, number and density of fruit trees and farm size, land-use system, land tenure, distance from the homestead, proximity to the forest, market access and household characteristics are investigated. The key factors determining the differences in tree-growing strategies between communities appear to be market access, land use and access to forest resources. Within communities, differences between individual households were less easy to explain but tenure was important as was farm size. Smaller farms had higher fruit tree densities, a relationship that was particularly strong in communities with good market access. Overall there was a great deal of variability both within and between communities and many of the factors affecting tree-planting decisions were found to be highly inter-related. Despite this complexity, trees on farm play an important role in rural household's livelihoods. Therefore, expansion of tree cultivation should be recognized as a promising pathway to achieve increased income and food production by policy makers and extensionists alike. In addition to improved tree propagation and management techniques, farmers should be strengthened in the processing and marketing of agroforestry tree products and more emphasis should be placed on the development of tree enterprises. By doing so, farmers will be able to earn a more important and consistent income from fruit trees, contributing to the Millennium Development Goals. <br/
Social assessment of conservation initiatives: a review of rapid methodologies
No full textBook reviewing different options for assessing the social impacts of conservation initiative
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