Strengthening public health supply chains in Ethiopia: PEPFAR-supported expansion of access and availability

When the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-supported Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) programme began working in Ethiopia in 2006, the estimated population of people living with HIV exceeded one million, while only 24,000 were on treatment and only 50 treatment sites were in operation. SCMS and other key partners entered into this context to support the Ethiopian government in significantly strengthening the public health supply chain system, with the aim of increasing the availability and accessibility of pharmaceutical products. The country now has 1,047 treatment sites and is nearing complete treatment coverage. This article discusses how priorities were set among many competing challenges from 2006 until 2014, and how the four-step strategy of build, operate, transfer, and optimise has resulted in a successful partnership.     

India 2025: the public distribution system and National Food Security Act 2013

The Government of India introduced the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in India. Extending the PDS service network is a contentious issue, especially for India’s rural regions. This article aims to estimate the level of expansion of the PDS network, additional food grain requirement, and increased storage facilities required to serve the growing population of India up to 2025. The statistical analysis highlights the need for significant changes in the PDS to meet NFSA, and the findings can aid policy-makers to design a more robust PDS.     

Pledges not kept: JICA's project challenges in Ghana

Japan's project aid initiatives for capacity development still occupy a large part of the aid discourse of the country's development cooperation programme. Over the years, Japan's development rhetoric has been significantly adapted to the wider policy shifts of Western donor countries and has introduced in its programme and project documents such terms as ‘ownership’, ‘needs-based approach’, and ‘participatory’ initiatives in order to achieve more ‘sustainable’ results. Furthermore, the importance of ‘institutional memory’ has been repeatedly highlighted by Japan as an important element for greater project effectiveness. This article investigates how this development rhetoric translates in Japan International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) project practice in a three-year community-based initiative in rural Ghana. The results illustrate that despite the short-term benefits the project has brought to the targeted communities, the development practice of JICA falls short of its discursive representation and more effort is needed by JICA toward a more committed and inclusive project practice.     

The paradoxes of empowerment: gendering NREGA in the rural landscape of India

The growing importance of public works programmes (PWPs) as a social protection tool has attracted significant scholarly attention. However, despite the fact that the empowerment of marginalised communities is one of the key objectives of most PWPs, scant attention has been dedicated to this crucial issue. We contextualise these concerns in relation to India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). In particular, we propose two areas which are relatively unexplored. First, the methodologies currently used to research NREGA and PWP, more generally, need to be broadened. Second, the processes that lead to empowerment need to be researched empirically.     

The welfare impacts of market channel choice by smallholder farmers in Tanzania

This article analyses the impact of market channel choice on household welfare by maize and pigeon pea smallholder farmers in Tanzania, using a multinomial endogenous treatment approach. The study utilises farm household-level data collected from a randomly selected sample of 700 smallholder farmers. The results show that participation with traders in nearby markets and wholesalers in nearby towns have a positive effect on consumption expenditure per capita relative to brokers at the farmgate, for both maize and pigeon pea-farming households. The study suggests that interventions that aimed at inclusion of smallholder farmers in more profitable markets could improve household welfare and reduce poverty among rural households.     

How social capital enables or restricts the livelihoods of poor peri-urban farmers in Mexico

Poor farmers in peri-urban territories are subjected to the gradual transmutation of their livelihoods while they try to escape from poverty and adapt to an increasingly urban environment. Social capital seems to influence the outcomes of such livelihoods, and might expand chances and choices to improve poverty status, but also to follow their own paths. This article explores the mechanisms through which this capital enables or restricts such livelihoods in two peripheral municipalities in Mexico. The findings highlight the importance of informal institutional and non-institutional mechanisms in regulating access to, and distribution of, resources in peri-urban territories.     

Democracy in Mexico's Capital: Structural Reforms and Democratic Governance

Historically, the national ruling party has governed the Federal District of Mexico through a presidentially-appointed administrator. Since the late 1980s, however, the national government has initiated several reforms there to satisfy public demands for self-governance. The main purpose of this article is to examine the influence of these initiatives on democratic governance in the Federal District. The study incorporates interviews with city council members, a survey of residents, and reports in scholarly books, articles, and Mexico City newspapers. In 1988 the government created a new city council, La Asamblea de Representantes del Distrito Federal (ARDF), and provided it with advisory powers. Council members, the public, and interest groups demanded more powers for the ARDF and the popular election of a regente (mayor). In response, the government incrementally parcelled out powers to the ARDF, and recently instituted the popular election of a regente and district administrators. The ARDF and regente have gained significant powers and have worked in the public interest. However, they remain dependent on the national government for budgetary revenues and lack policy-making authority in key areas. Also, despite the advances in structural reforms, democratic policy-making has been undermined by corruption in the police department, public transportation sector, and other key areas of governance. The findings support the view of Wayne Cornelius that 'pockets of authoritarianism' at the local level retard the transition to democracy in Mexico.     

Private health insurance in Uganda: bridging the gap in public health provision?

This article discusses two organisations currently providing voluntary private health insurance in Uganda and considers their contributions to bridging the gap in provision in the country's public health sector.     

Livelihood recovery after disaster

A lack of monitoring and evaluation on the outcomes of livelihood recovery programming has typified many post-disaster recovery initiatives. This article uses a case study of the 2006 Yogyakarta, Indonesia earthquake to analyse longer-term impacts of livelihood programming after disaster. The article includes an overview of the programming implemented in five case study villages and the perspectives of impacted populations on the livelihood interventions. Results indicate the importance of longer-term programming, early interventions, local leadership, and an integrative strategy focusing on replacing assets, providing capital and credit to jumpstart entrepreneurial activities, capacity and skills building, and developing markets and networks.     

Farmers,peanuts, and aflatoxins in Uganda: A gendered approach

This article describes a collaborative research for development project that used participatory methods to engage smallholder farmers in Uganda in post-harvest aflatoxin management. It is based primarily on qualitative research with peanut growers tracing ‘the path of the peanut’ through their hand-drawn maps and journal writing. By focusing on everyday life and including recipes and drawings, this research encouraged women's participation and emphasised women's roles. A unique partnership among universities, women's organisations, and farmers created an environment of mutual learning and produced a book documenting food preparation and other post-harvest practices as part of a study and capacity-building effort on peanuts and aflatoxins.     

Access and coverage: which farmers do plant clinics reach in Uganda?

This article reports on a study that assessed farmers’ access to, and coverage of, five plant clinics operating from market places in two districts of Uganda. Despite the noticeable geographic and thematic coverage of the services, placing plant clinics at markets did not automatically ensure equitable access and high farmer attendance. Clinic users were predominantly middle-aged male farmers and overall attendance was relatively low. Uganda has taken plant clinics to scale in recent years due to their potential to strengthen the country’s responsiveness to pests and diseases. Optimising farmer reach and ensuring equity in access requires reviewing clinic placement, timing, and mobilisation strategies.     

Rural development and migration in Mexico

This article analyses one of the causes of migration in rural Mexico through the lens of US foreign assistance policy. US aid to Mexico – the largest migrant-sending country to the USA by far – does not sufficiently take into account the conditions of rural under-development and joblessness that encourage unauthorised migration to the USA. Instead US foreign assistance has been dominated by aid to Mexico's security agencies. This article analyses how the link between rural underdevelopment and migration-pressures has not been successfully addressed by either the Mexican or US governments. The article also analyses an innovative development project that explicitly seeks to support campesinos with the goal of reducing unauthorised migration pressures in a traditional migrant-sending rural region of Mexico.

Développement rural et migration au Mexique

Cet article analyse une des causes de la migration dans le Mexique rural à travers le prisme de la politique d'assistance étrangère des États-Unis. L'aide accordée par les États-Unis au Mexique – de loin le principal pays d'origine de migrants vers les États-Unis – ne tient pas suffisamment compte des conditions de sous-emploi et de chômage en milieu rural qui encouragent la migration non autorisée vers les États-Unis. Au lieu de cela, l'assistance étrangère des États-Unis a été dominée par l'aide accordée aux agences de sécurité du Mexique. Cet article analyse la manière dont le lien entre le sous-développement rural et les pressions de migration n'est abordé ni par le gouvernement mexicain, ni par celui des États-Unis. Cet article analyse par ailleurs un projet de développement novateur qui cherche expressément à aider les campesinos à réduire les pressions en faveur de la migration non autorisée dans une région rurale du Mexique d'où proviennent traditionnellement des migrants.

Desarrollo rural y migración en México

El presente artículo analiza una de la causas de la emigración constatada en la zona rural de México, a través de la lente de la política estadounidense de asistencia al extranjero. En este sentido, la asistencia estadounidense a México – país de origen del mayor número de migrantes a Estados Unidos – no toma en cuenta de manera suficiente las condiciones impuestas por el subdesarrollo rural y el desempleo, a partir de las cuales se ve estimulada la emigración no autorizada a Estados Unidos. Por el contrario, la asistencia estadounidense a México ha dado prioridad a la ayuda destinada a las agencias de seguridad. Este artículo sostiene que ni el gobierno de Estados Unidos, ni el de México, han analizado a profundidad la relación existente entre el subdesarrollo rural y los alicientes para emigrar. Asimismo, el artículo analiza la implementación de un proyecto de desarrollo innovador que explécitamente busca apoyar a los, con el fin de reducir las condiciones que presionan hacia la emigración de manera indocumentada.

Desenvolvimento rural e migração no México

Este artigo analisa uma das causas de migração na zona rural do México sob a ótica da política de assistência estrangeira dos EUA. A ajuda dos EUA e do México – de longe o país que mais envia imigrantes para os EUA– não leva suficientemente em conta as condições do subdesenvolvimento rural e falta de trabalho que incentivam a imigração não-autorizada para os EUA. Em vez disto, a assistência estrangeira dos EUA tem sido dominada por ajuda a agências de segurança do México. Este artigo analisa como a conexão entre o subdesenvolvimento rural e a pressão por migração não são abordadas pelo governo mexicano nem pelo governo dos EUA. O artigo também analisa um projeto de desenvolvimento inovador na zona rural do Méxicoque explicitamente busca apoiar campesinos com o objetivo de reduzir a pressão da migração não autorizada em uma região rural tradicional em enviar imigrantes do México.     

African solutions to African problems and the Ebola virus disease in Nigeria

Africa grapples with the world's most serious public health crisis, but this article shows that there are public health solutions that work in the African setting. When the Ebola virus disease outbreak was announced in Nigeria in July 2014, some public health specialists worried that an apocalyptic outbreak would sweep through the vast slums of Lagos. The words “Ebola” and “Lagos” in the same sentence were viewed as a dangerous combination, due to the large population of Lagos and the inefficient health care system in the city. Contrary to this view, the outbreak of Ebola virus disease was successfully contained in Nigeria. This article focuses on the factors that were responsible for this success. It examines strategies developed within Nigeria that help to ensure the successful containment of the disease. The paper identifies lessons that can be learnt by other countries from the Nigerian experience.     

Measuring the success of HIV/AIDS NGOs among Nairobi's youth

NGOs receive praise and criticism for their international development efforts, but more work is needed to measure their contributions. This article lays out the contributions of local NGOs to HIV-prevention efforts. It draws on data from a survey of young people's experiences with NGOs to demonstrate the reach of several local HIV-prevention NGOs in Nairobi, Kenya. It argues that even small NGOs are capable of making measurable contributions to development in their fields. It also shows how factors such as education levels, religiosity, and discussions about HIV/AIDS can support NGO efforts by encouraging youth to participate in HIV-prevention programming.     

Evolution of input supply and service hubs in dairy development at Ada'a milk shed in Ethiopia

Efficient input supply and service delivery may call for a hub approach where all the necessary inputs and services are supplied in a coordinated manner, either by a single supplier or by several and separate entities in a given geographical location accessible to beneficiaries. Based on experience from Ada'a milk shed in central Ethiopia, this paper assesses the evolution of input supply and service provision in the dairy sub-sector, focusing on coordination and the degree of competition among different actors at different levels in the value chain over time. Data were collected from key value chain actors engaged in provision of input supply and output marketing services in Ada'a milk shed. The major lesson is that the development of coordinated input supply and service delivery by different business entities or under a single business entity may not emerge at once, but through a gradual evolution. This depends on the level of demand for the inputs and services as determined by the degree of demand for milk and milk products, and the economies of scale input suppliers and service providers could attain from the expansion of demands for these inputs and services. Moreover, at the early stage of a hub development, collective actions and integration of services and marketing within a business organisation could be the main strategy to attain efficiency. But, once the demand for inputs and services has grown, competition among different entities will lead to more efficient input supply and service delivery. In general, where there is an increasing demand for inputs and services, there is a faster development of input supply and service provision by private actors and collective actions in a more competitive way. Role of the public sector could change gradually from provision of inputs and services to coordination, capacity building, quality control, and regulation.

Évolution des plateformes d'approvisionnement en intrants et de services dans le développement du secteur de la production laitière dans la laiterie d'Ada'a, en Éthiopie

Pour une fourniture d'intrants et une prestation de services efficaces, il peut se révéler nécessaire de mettre en ?uvre une approche axée sur une plateforme dans le cadre de laquelle tous les intrants et services nécessaires sont fournis de manière coordonnée, soit par un fournisseur unique soit par plusieurs entités séparées, dans un lieu donné accessible aux bénéficiaires. Sur la base de l'expérience de la laiterie d'Ada'a, en Éthiopie, cet article évalue l'évolution de la fourniture d'intrants et de la prestation de services dans le sous-secteur laitier, en se concentrant sur la coordination et sur le degré de concurrence entre différents acteurs et à différents niveaux de la chaîne de valeur au fil du temps. Des données ont été recueillies auprès d'acteurs clés de la chaîne de valeur actifs dans la fourniture d'intrants et dans la prestation de services de commercialisation de la production dans la laiterie d'Ada'a. Le principal enseignement est que le développement d'une fourniture d'intrants et d'une prestation de services coordonnées par différentes entreprises ou dans le cadre d'une entité commerciale unique peut ne pas avoir lieu tout d'un coup, mais au fil d'une évolution progressive. Cela dépend du degré de demande concernant les intrants et les services, tel que déterminé par le degré de demande de lait et produits laitiers, et par les économies d'échelle que les fournisseurs d'intrants et les prestataires de services pourraient obtenir grâce à l'expansion de la demande de ces intrants et services. De plus, au stade initial de la mise en ?uvre d'une plateforme, les actions collectives et l'intégration des services et de la commercialisation dans une organisation commerciale pourraient constituer la principale stratégie pour arriver à l'efficacité. Mais, une fois que la demande en intrants et en services s'est accrue, la concurrence entre différentes entités engendrera une fourniture d'intrants et une prestation de services plus efficaces. En général, lorsqu'il y a une demande croissante d'intrants et de services, il se produit un développement plus rapide de la fourniture d'intrants et de la prestation de services par des acteurs privés dans une optique plus concurrentielle. Le rôle du secteur public pourrait évoluer progressivement, de la fourniture d'intrants et de services à un rôle de coordination, de renforcement des capacités, de contrôle de la qualité et de réglementation.

Evolución de la oferta de insumos y de los centros de servicios en el desarrollo de lácteos en la cuenca lechera de Ada en Etiopía

Para llevar a cabo de manera eficiente la oferta de insumos y la entrega de servicios puede requerirse un centro de servicios cuya ubicación sea accesible a los beneficiarios, a partir del cual los mismos sean suministrados de manera coordinada, ya sea a través de un proveedor único, o bien, a través de varios entes separados. Apoyándose en la experiencia de la cuenca lechera de Ada, localizada en el centro de Etiopía, el presente artículo valora la evolución de la oferta de insumos y de la entrega de servicios en el subsector de lácteos, centrándose en la coordinación y en el grado de competitividad mostrado durante varios años por distintos actores ubicados en diferentes estratos de la cadena de valor. La información fue recopilada de actores clave de la cadena de valor en la cuenca lechera de Ada, quienes proveen insumos y servicios de comercialización de productos. El aprendizaje más importante que ha dejado esta experiencia es que: el desarrollo de la oferta de insumos y de la entrega de servicios – realizadas de manera coordinada por distintas empresas o por una sola – puede no surgir inmediatamente, sino después de una lenta evolución. Ello depende del nivel de demanda de insumos o servicios que, a su vez, depende tanto de la demanda de leche y de productos lácteos como de las economías de escala que pudieran obtener sus proveedores a partir de la expansión de la demanda de estos productos. Asimismo, durante las etapas iniciales del desarrollo de un centro de servicios, las acciones colectivas, la integración de servicios y la comercialización centradas en una sola empresa, podrían constituir la estrategia más importante para mejorar la eficiencia. Sin embargo, una vez que la demanda de insumos y servicios haya crecido, la competencia entre distintas entidades producirá una oferta y una entrega de los mismos más eficiente. En general, en aquellos lugares en que exista una demanda creciente, habrá un desarrollo más rápido de la oferta de insumos y de la entrega de servicios por parte de los actores privados, además de acciones colectivas más competitivas. En consecuencia, el rol del sector público podría modificarse gradualmente, pasando de ser proveedor de insumos y servicios a ser la instancia que coordine, fortalezca capacidades y vigile el control de calidad y las normas.

Evolução dos centros de abastecimento de insumos e serviços no desenvolvimento do setor de laticínio da região produtora de leite de Ada'a, na Etiópia

Uma oferta eficiente de insumos e de serviços pode demandar um centro em que todos os insumos e serviços necessários sejam ofertados de maneira coordenada, seja através de um único fornecedor ou de várias entidades separadas em uma dada área geográfica acessível aos beneficiários. Com base na experiência da região produtora de leite de Ada'a situada na região central da Etiópia, este artigo avalia a evolução da oferta de insumos e de serviços no sub-setor de laticínios, concentrando-se na coordenação e grau de competição entre diferentes agentes em níveis diferentes da cadeia de valores no decorrer do tempo. Os dados foram coletados a partir de agentes-chave da cadeia de valores engajados na oferta de insumos e serviços de marketing na região produtora de leite de Ada'a. A principal lição é que o desenvolvimento da oferta coordenada de insumos e de serviços através de diferentes entidades empresariais ou através de uma única entidade empresarial pode não surgir de uma só vez, mas sim ter uma evolução gradual. Isto depende do nível de demanda dos insumos e serviços, que é determinado pelo grau de demanda de leite e de produtos lácteos, e as economias de escala que os fornecedores de insumos e de serviços podem obter a partir da expansão de demandas por estes insumos e serviços. Além disto, na fase inicial do desenvolvimento de um centro, ações coletivas e integração de serviços e marketing dentro de uma organização empresarial podem ser a estratégia principal para se obter eficiência. Porém, após a demanda por insumos e serviços ter crescido, a competição entre entidades diferentes levará a uma oferta de insumos e de serviço mais eficiente. Em geral, quando há uma demanda crescente por insumos e serviços, há um desenvolvimento mais rápido na oferta de insumos e serviços por agentes privados e ações coletivas mais competitivas. O papel do setor público poderia mudar gradualmente da oferta de insumos e serviços para a coordenação, capacitação, controle de qualidade e regulação.     

Microfinance and women's empowerment: an ethnographic inquiry

Within the last two decades microfinance has been widely adopted as one of the best development strategies to reduce poverty and empower women in many developing countries. Drawing on ethnographic research undertaken in Ethiopia, this article elucidates the complexities of microfinance processes, and argues that current microfinance practice does not facilitate the participation of women in decision-making over the use and management of loans as well as the income they generate from running small enterprises. The article illustrates that women are engaged in running small-scale economic activities at home that produce low returns, and they have limited access to lucrative markets. It also demonstrates that due to a discriminatory household division of labour, women are overworked in their households and in their enterprises. Through engaging in a mode of representation (ethnography) that allows specific critical voices to be heard, the article contributes toward tempering the current enthusiasm for the widely expanding microfinance industry.     

Social development and informal markets: lessons from Thohoyandou market,South Africa

This article explores informal markets as spaces of socialisation. Informal markets are important given the increase in migrants seeking a better life in cities and the need to formulate appropriate development policies. The methodology used involved a literature study that focused on social adaptation, and fieldwork done at an informal market in South Africa. The results show that informal traders are able to adapt to difficult circumstances by using informal networks, and also that they can remain victims trapped in poverty if they accept their powerless situations.     

ABCD to CBT: asset-based community development's potential for community-based tourism

This article conceptualises the potential for a relationship between asset-based community development (ABCD) and community-based tourism (CBT), with a view to improving CBT's patchy record in delivering community development. ABCD has previously been used in international development and community work, but is new to tourism for development. Hence, the article seeks to relate ABCD's characteristics with CBT on a theoretical level, based on a shift away from ‘needs-driven’ development towards a conscious appreciation of community assets. The authors suggest that ABCD can, and should, be applied to CBT, given the positive emphasis it puts on people and their potential.     

Institutionalising mechanisms for building urban climate resilience: experiences from India

This paper examines how mainstreaming of urban climate change resilience – a crucial consideration in an increasingly urbanised world – is occurring at both the city and national scale, using the case of an internationally-funded resilience-building initiative in India. Surat city's newly-established Climate Change Trust illustrates the importance of an institutionalised mechanism for coordinating and sustaining climate initiatives. Concurrently, climate resilience is being mainstreamed into the national urban development agenda, through a network of Indian institutions. These two nascent mechanisms offer avenues for local city-level experiences to inform national directives, driving and sustaining the urban climate adaptation agenda across India.     

Community participation and inner-city slum renewal: relocated people's perspectives on slum clearance and resettlement in Addis Ababa

The article explores the process of residential relocation in inner-city slum renewal in Addis Ababa. Drawing on qualitative research methods involving interviews and focus group discussions with members of relocated households, it examines the nature of people's involvement in inner-city renewal and how it affects their lives. The article argues that the process of planning and implementation of relocation is not only top-down, but also does not involve the perspectives, needs, and livelihood strategies of those affected. The article concludes that the city administration needs to work closely with NGOs, the private sector, and community-based organisations in order to meet the housing needs of relocated households.