poverty reduction

Small Livestock Information Portal

storytelling — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:09:30 -0600

Livestock in general, and smallstock in particular (including sheep, goats and poultry) have an important role to play in enhancing the livelihoods of the poor.

In poor households, these animals are often kept under scavenging conditions with little or no attention paid to supplementing feed inputs, or to disease control and housing. At the same time, these animals provide products for cash sale when a need arises, and provide the household with much needed protein.

The Smallstock in Development toolbox focuses on the role and importance of smallstock in development and poverty reduction. The toolbox also aims to provide a range of practical information and descriptions of techniques or "tools" to assist in increasing the efficiency of operations of smallholders and/or the productivity of their animals. The Smallstock in Development toolbox is available at smallstock.info

KM & Social Challenges

Fighting Poverty with Facts -Community-Based Monitoring Systems

carol — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:20:41 -0600

For more than two decades, governments and development agencies around the world have focused on reducing poverty. There have been advances, but progress has been uneven and nearly a quarter of the world's population still suffers from extreme "income poverty." Income poverty,however, is only part of the picture. A multi-faceted account of poverty and human welfare incorporates elements that go beyond income to capture the characteristics of poverty as experienced by the poor themselves.

This book presents the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). CBMS recognizes that the poor must be involved in planning public programs that affect their well-being. It further recognizes that, to be effective, development programs must be targeted and informed by relevant, current, accurate disaggregated data. To accomplish this, CBMS brings together communities and local authorities to gather and monitor locally obtained, verifiable information about actual living conditions, and to use this information for planning and policy-making.

Drawing from CBMS experience in Africa and Asia, the authors present recommendations for policymakers, donor agencies, and researchers. They also present guidelines for developing and implementing poverty monitoring systems in other regions of the world. For more analysis, discussion, and case material, visit the companion website, www.idrc.ca/in_focus_poverty, which is included with the book, on CD.

THE AUTHORS

Celia Reyes is a Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Co-Director of the Poverty and Economic Policy research network, and CBMS Network Leader, based in Manila.

Evan Due is Senior Program Specialist responsible for economics and trade programs at IDRC's Singapore office.

IDRC 2009 - ISBN 978-1-55250-432-1 - e-ISBN 978-1-55250-435-2 - 124 pp.

Download or order the book from IDRC Website

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

KM & Social Challenges

Better forestry, less poverty : A practitioner's guide

carol — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:57:51 -0600

This guide offers suggestions to practitioners and the rural communities they serve on ways to prevent, mitigate and reduce poverty through forest-based interventions. Those who may find it of interest include district forestry officials, forestry and rural development extension workers, local administrators and planners, and people involved in small-scale enterprises, including their partners.

The document highlights the importance of tailoring activities to local circumstances and of using participatory approaches to design and implement interventions. Emphasis is on making and responding to changes for the benefit of people living in or near forests, and on helping users gain a better understanding of:

the forms of rural poverty and priorities for rural poverty reduction;
how local decisions both inside and outside the forest sector affect segments of poor rural communities in different ways – women, children and the elderly being the most vulnerable;
the vital roles that forestry and agroforestry systems play in sustaining livelihoods and preventing poverty;
the ways in which changes in forest management can cause poverty or worsen it;
how forestry practices can better contribute to poverty reduction and better protect the livelihood functions of forests.

The suggestions for practical actions draw on current literature on the subject, and from field studies and experiences.

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

KM & the Environment

The challenge of governance in creating, increasing opportunities for rural poor in Africa

KMAadmin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:57:02 -0600

Barasa Chrispinus Kuloba M.ED (VOX) B.EDISU (EU)

ORGANISATION AFFILIATION: Nang'eni Secondary School, PO Box 819, Bungoma, 50200, Kenya

The concern for the rural areas and recognition of the importance of meeting the needs of predominantly rural people is of course nothing new. Official policy for half a century and more have consistently stressed the need for developing agriculture as the economic backbone of Africa countries, for encouraging steady evolution of rural community towards more satisfying ways of life and for enabling them to maintain their social and cultural integrity whilst mobilizing their innate capacity to contribute to their own development. However, in the new era of economic planning with targets being defined in terms of growth in national income, social aspects of development lose sight of and salvation is sought through sectors promising greatest returns in short period of time, by the modern industrial sector largely dominated by requirements of the articulate and progressive urban populations. Both capital, skilled manpower, land as a resource are inadequate, political turmoil in our nations, impending population of our societies, insincere parliaments uncommited to radical reforms in their nations, total tyranny in our leadership, and lacking commitment to causes of pledges by incoming governments, all have weight down our efforts in positioning Africa in economic development. The rural poor are an asset in waiting. A volcano that is dormant. With ignition, the potential to get there, remains untapped. Due to inadequate empowerment to generate participatory decision making, value addition to all, We can change our society despite the ravaging wars and encouraging steady peace formation processes.

It is my conviction that Africa repositioning hinges on the retrospect evaluation of the intrinsic potential of our people to move Africa through the 'black consciousness' as put by Steve Biko. A departure to true freedom.

The determination to use resources inherent in our societies to move our economies. To avoid impunity in leadership, authoritarian Zimbabwean, simulated leadership. The youth may own the future. We must grant them a chance to lead not telling them tomorrow. If Obama, the president-elect of the USA was in Kenya in 2007, during the electoral process, no one could grant him a chance to the presidency because he is young. Today, we are happy when he is at the helm in the developed democracy. Leadership cannot be bought as in Africa. It is not to be hereditary, but we must strive to provide room for good leaders as put in the write-up.

The many pledges made by the political class in Africa, are fantasies that become elusive as soon as leaders take office. I am persuaded that we can create a bank of knowledge that through education, as put in this treatise, should be a government's duty to provide every citizen:

Education proportioned to the conditions and pursuits of life (Hans: 189, 1992)
Creation of a dual economy and dual society whose success framework would be measured by extent to which these resources in the rural would spread the benefits of development widely over the course of time. That is, allocation of sufficient wealth to rural development and selection of appropriate strategies for
investment in rural areas (Thompsons: 106, 1990)

It is imperative that the leadership as in this write-up shall effectively deliver the rural poor. This must observe the varied potentials in our citizenry, available resources, time, space and cultivate peace and offer chances for correct, reliable, flexible and good leadership with clear vision.

REFERENCES

1. A.R. Thompson: Education and development in Africa; 1990; Macmillan Education Ltd.
2. Nicholas Hans; 1992: Comparative Education : UBS
3. Steve Biko: 1997; in an article “Frank Talk, We Write What We Like”.

KM & Governance