haramata, bulletin of the drylands

8/2/2019 Haramata, Bulletin of the Drylands

1/40

Haramata

Bulletin the drylands

N. 55March 2010

55


2/40

2 Haramata 55: March 2010

In this issueMarch 2010

4 News

Debate

8 The war ver the Family Cdein Mali

Adam Thiam

10 Averting an envirnmentalcatastrphe in Kenya

Moses Radoli13 Rle traditinal institutins in

water resurce gvernancein the Brana lwlands,suthern EthipiaNega Emir

Focuson...climatechange

16 Cpenhagen what happened?Achala Chandani and

Saleeml Hq

18 Vices rm the cnerenceParticipants at COP15

20 Climate change: the reality

in Kenyan villagesMorton Salo and Noah Lsaka

23 Pririties r adaptatin....? Cartoon by Sidy Lamine Dram

with captions by Adam Thiam

24 A unding innvatin: smallgrants t supprt lcal strategiesr adaptatin t climate change

Cheikh Tidiane Sall

Cver pht: Yung Fulani herder in literacy training at thenmadic schl in Weltuma, eastern Niger

Credit: Marie Monimart for IIED, December 2008

26 Trailblazers: hw the pastralists Dia are cping with changeMarie Monimart

28 Lcal agreements, climatechange and lcal develpmentMohamado Lamine Seck and

Mamado Fall30 Sil carbn sequestratin32 REDD prtecting climate,

rests and livelihds?33 Are we verlking bimass

energy?Keith Openshaw

Innovations34 Transrmative educatin

r nmadsSe Cavanna

35 Pastralists picture land useMassimiliano Rossi and Italo Rizzi

36 Eradicating East Cast Fever36 Slar drip irrigatin in Benin

37 Booksandresources

40 TheHaramatatakeaway

Haramata n 1, July 1988


3/40

3Haramata 55: March 2010

Editrial

Carrying seeds change andhpe acrss tw decadesTHIS ISSuE of Haramata is special. Yo may

notice that we have more articles contribted

by or colleages in East and West Africa.

For this edition, we collaborated with IED

Afriqe in Senegal and ALIN in Kenya to

bring yo some direct case stdies of work

they are doing with commnities to meet

the challenge of climate change. Climate

change contines to play an important role

in the political, research and development

arenas despite the disappointing otcome of

the Copenhagen Conference. Haramata 55

focses on adaptation and looks at what next

for climate change negotiations.

This isse is also special becase it is the

last one. IIED will still pblish information on

drylands bt do this in partnership with others

and in different formats. Haramata started in

the wake of the 1984 droght which hit mch

of West and East Africa, especially the Horn,

with devastating conseqences for hman

life, harvests and herds. In the aftermath,

there was mch debate. Some arged that

the drylands shold be abandoned and

people re-settled in higher rainfall areas, since

the desert was advancing, and herders and

farmers were to blame for over-grazing and

over-cltivating the land. Others pointed to

the lack of science behind the desertification

thesis, and the spreme importance of rainfall

in explaining ecosystem change. By contrast,

mch promise was being shown by small

scale initiatives to conserve soils and water,

protect trees and generate more sstainable

livelihood systems. Scaling these p cold

provide a mch better way forward that bilt

on local peoples knowledge and priorities.

In the editorial to Isse no.1 in 1988, we

said that for the people of the drylands the

prpose of Haramata was to carry seeds

of change and hope. We wanted to make

connections between the mltiple NGOs and

commnity-based grops, and the dispersed

range of dryland scientists, planners and donor

agencies. We also wanted to bridge the gap

between development workers in English and

French langage areas.

So, what did happen over the last 20 pls

years? The titles of more than 150 Isse

Papers pblished alongside Haramata tell

mch of the story. They range from womens

land rights, and the ftre of family farms, to

crop-livestock linkages, participatory planning

with pastoralists, and the role of NGOs in

spport for local action. The agenda for

African drylands today is framed by growing

competition for land and water, and the

impacts of climate change and conseqent

need to bild more resilient ways of life.

Making better se of rainfall, strengthening

local rights, regenerating tree cover, bilding

better infrastrctre and finding renewable

energy soltions for rral commnities cold

all make a difference to livelihoods for millions

in the drylands.

We hope these 55 editions of Haramata

and associated Isse Papers have given

yo something of vale for yor work

and reflections and that we made those

connections between different constitencies

and langage areas, and offered ideas,

insights and evidence of good practice and

policy options.

Camilla Toulmin

HaramataandtheDrylands Issue Paperscanbedownloadedat:

www.iied.org/pubs/search.php?s=HARandwww.iied.org/pubs/search.php?s=DIP


4/40


News

News rm

the UNFCCC

NationalclimatepledgesFllwing the climate change negtiatins inCpenhagen, the United Natins FramewrkCnventin n Climate Change (UNFCCC)has received natinal pledges t cut and limitgreenhuse gases by 2020 rm 55 cuntries.Tgether, these cuntries accunt r 78 % glbal emissins rm energy use.

This represents an imprtant invigratin the UN climate change talks under the twtracks Lng-term Cperative Actin underthe Cnventin and the Kyt Prtcl,said Yv de Ber, Executive Secretary the UNFCCC. The cmmitment t cnrnt

climate change at the highest level is beynddubt... greater ambitin is required t meetthe scale the challenge. But I see thesepledges as clear signals willingness t mvenegtiatins twards a successul cnclusin

he said.The next rund rmal negtiatins is

in Bnn, Germany in April 2010. Severalcuntries have indicated their wish t see aquick return t the negtiatins with mremeetings than the scheduled sessins.

AfricaCarbonForumThe secnd all-Arica Carbn Frum tkplace at the United Natins Gigiri cmplex inNairbi, Kenya n 3-5 March 2010. The rumbuilt n the grwing interest in the KytPrtcls Clean Develpment Mechanism(CDM) in Arica.

Under the CDM, prjects that reducegreenhuse gas emissins and cntribute tsustainable develpment can earn saleablecertiied emissin reductin credits. Thus,the CDM stimulates investment in clean,sustainable develpment, while helping taddress climate change.

The cnerence cused n tpics specialinterest t CDM in Arica e.g. emergingpprtunities in the area agriculture,restry and land use; carbn inance inwaste management; reducing emissins rmderestatin and rest degradatin (REDD)in Arica; pprtunities r renewable energy;and raising capacity CDM stakehlders.

The CDM prjects registered t date areexpected t generate mre than 1.7 billincertiied emissin reductins (CERs) by thetime the irst cmmitment perid the KytPrtcl ends in 2012, each equivalent t netnne carbn dixide.

CommunityDevelopmentCarbon

FinanceToolkitIIED and SuthSuthNrth prepared acarbn inance tlkit r the Cmmunity

Develpment Carbn Fund the Wrld Bank.This is aimed at multiple audiences includingTask Team Leaders, lcal gvernment andlcal cmmunities t help them betterunderstand carbn inance and the ptentialr incrprating carbn inance intcmmunity develpment prjects. The tlkitwas rmally disseminated at the AricaCarbn Frum.See: www.iied.org/pbs/display.php?o=G02718

For more information visithttp://nfccc.int/press/press_releases_advisories/items/4712.phpand visit the Africa Carbon Form website athttp://africacarbonform.com

i


5/40


News

Lewis Ziska is a plant physiologist at theAgricltral Research Service, united StatesDepartment of Agricltre. Sorce:www.scidev.net/en/opinions/the-hidden-hnger-cased-by-climate-change.html

i

The hidden

hunger causedby climatechange

UNDERSTANDING HoW carbn dixideimpacts d quality is vital t tacklingmalnutritin. Researchers are cusing muchattentin n hw t adapt agriculture t ensuresteady d supplies in the ace climatechange. It is equally imprtant t preserve thequality these supplies.

Climate uncertainty threatens t decreasepeples ability t grw d sustainably. Risinglevels carbn dixide (Co2) are als expected

t aect the nutritinal value d crps.This may seem cunter-intuitive, since Co2

stimulates plant grwth in basic crp speciessuch as wheat and rice cereals that supplythe bulk calries r mst the wrlds pr.But the nutritinal value these ptentiallybumper yields is unlikely t imprve becauseextra Co2 is ten cnverted int carbhydratessuch as starch, meaning that the relative levels ther cmpnents may all. Fr example, the

20% r s rise in atmspheric Co2 since 1960may have already caused a signiicant declinein prtein cncentratin in wheat lur.

A recent study by researchers inSuthwestern University, Texas majr dcrps including barley, wheat, sya bean andptat, reveals a signiicant decline (1015%) inprtein cntent i atmspheric Co2 reaches 540-960 parts per millin a range anticipated bythe middle t end this century.

In additin rising Co2 levels may reducewater lw thrugh a crp plant, aecting theuptake micrnutrients rm the sil, lweringcncentratins key nutrients such as sulphur,magnesium, irn, zinc and manganese.

Fr many ppulatins in the develpingwrld, meat is scarce, and plants prvidethe primary surce bth prtein andmicrnutrients. I rising Co2 levels decreaseplant levels these critical cmpnents,impverished areas the wrld alreadythreatened by shrtages in d supply mayace an additinal burden hidden hunger.

Understanding hw Co2 impacts dquality remains a critical aspect the glbaldebate n climate change and d security.

Finding thed crps the uture

FoR THE FIRST TIME, crp breeders andagricultural specialists in East Arica will havereginally speciic climate data t research andmanage crps in an ert t imprve dprductin. Researchers rm Michigan StateUniversity (MSU) are studying the impact climate change in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

The research team will link a custmised


6/40


News

http://news.ms.ed/story/7277/i

i www.cbd.int/2010

The marriage science andrainmakers

FoR GENERATIoNS, the Nganyi peple western Kenya have served as rainmakers,helping lcal cmmunities decide when bestt prepare their land and sw their seeds.By bserving subtle changes in nature thatwuld be unnticeable t mst peple inair currents, the lwering and shedding leaves certain trees, the behaviur

reginal climate mdel with crp and watermdels., t enable agriculture specialists tdetermine the impact climate change ndierent crp varieties. Lead researcherJennier olsn explains that the mdelswe create can test the eectiveness new crp varieties in respnding twarmer temperatures and ther climatechanges and the results will speed up theagricultural research cycle. She added thatcmmunicating the indings t agriculturalresearchers and plicymakers will requireinnvative appraches such as interactivevisuals that illustrate mdel results.

InternatinalYear

Bidiversity

THE UNITED NATIoNS has declared 2010 theInternatinal Year Bidiversity. Its a keyreminder hw undamental bidiversity is

t the health planetary systems as well as thuman prsperity and wellbeing.

Bidiversity is vital because it ensures healthy,stable ecsystems, which prvide essentialservices such as breathable air, clean waterand ertile sils. Fisheries, agriculture, medicineand many traditins and ways lie all dependn bidiverse ecsystems. Fr the pr, whten depend directly n land and sea rsubsistence, bidiversity is literally a lieline.

In 2002 at the Wrld Summit rSustainable Develpment in Jhannesburgwrld leaders endrsed a target t achieve,by 2010, a signiicant reductin thecurrent rate bidiversity lss at the glbal,reginal and natinal level, as a cntributint pverty alleviatin and t the beneit all lie n Earth. It is clear that we have ntachieved this gal.

The theme bidiversity day n 22 May2010 is Bidiversity and Develpment andin September 2010, the UN General Assemblywill cnvene a high-level event exclusivelydevted t bidiversity.

The challenge, nw and in the uture,is that species are becming extinct atan unprecedented rate. Cnserving andsustainably using bidiversity is ne themst urgent tasks we ace.


7/40


News

ants, bird sngs, even the craking rgsand tads they have been able t interpretweather patterns and prvide valuable advice.

But even the Nganyi have been lummxedby climate change and the alternating

cycles drughts and lds it is inlicting.Climate change has cme n s ast. Peplednt knw hw t adapt r what t plant,says obedi osre, a traditinal Nganyiweatherman. our traditinal crps aredisappearing because they cannt handle thenew cnditins. We need new strategies thandle climate change.

A British-Canadian prject is ding just that.It aims t cmbine indigenus knwledge with

mdern science t build up climate changeintelligence and disseminate it mre widely ina cmmunity whse existence depends almstexclusively n arming.

Gvernment meterlgists, meanwhile, werestruggling t be heard r believed. Nw, eachseasn they meet the traditinal weathermenand tgether prduce a cnsensus recast.once agreed, the Nganyi relay it back t thevillagers thrugh ceremnies, public meetings

and persn t persn, established methds cmmunicatin in cmmunities where manycannt read r write.

It brings me great jy because I knw I amding smething useul, says Mr onunga,a Nganyi cmmunity elder invlved in theprject. I think the tw sciences are equallyvalid. We are marrying ur energies t helppeple better.

The meterlgists are als pleased

with the cllabratin. The results havebeen surprisingly gd the cmmunitycncurred that the recast was accurate,says Gilbert ouma, a University Nairbilecturer. Anther majr breakthrugh is thedisseminatin aspect. We have been able tdeliver the message in practical, usable terms nt s much meterlgical terms.

www.scidev.net/en/featres/the-marriage-of-science-and-rainmakers.htmli

Reecting n

drught

The central challenges t eective drughtmanagement in the drylands are thecmplexity and diversity actrs peratingin sils, pursuing sectral appraches t bthdevelpment and humanitarian assistance.Activities are discnnected, prgrammes areten develped withut adequate cmmunityparticipatin, are shrt-term in nature, dnrdriven and have ew linkages t lng-termcmmunity develpment agendas. These

prblems perpetuate and, in sme cases,increase vulnerability by cmprmisingcmmunity mechanisms r building resilience.

A reginal drught relectin wrkshprganised by FAo and the Reginal LivelihdsAdvcacy Prject (REGLAP) was held inFebruary 2010 at the Internatinal LivestckResearch Institute (ILRI) in Nairbi, Kenya,bringing tgether thse invlved in supprtingcmmunities living in arid and semi-arid

lands. Thrugh a participatry and relectiveprcess, the actrs discussed preparedness andrespnse t drught, and shared experiences.

The meeting cused n ur pririty issues:clariying the cncepts drught risk reductinand management, plicy and practice issues,dnr unding mechanisms and identiyingapprpriate interventins.

Contact Shadrack [email protected]


8/40

The war ver the FamilyCde in Mali

The Code is good for women bt they dont spport it.

The government goes too far, by saying that or wives are or eqals,

they are pshing them to disobedience.

by Adam Thiam

THESE ARE ppular pinins in Mali in June

2009 when the Natinal Assembly vted in thenew Family and Persn Cde prject with 117vtes r, ive against, and ur abstentins,which was a massive vte supprt. Thiscde has mre than 1,400 articles. Accrdingt the gvernment, it came ut a necessityt harmnise the cuntrys dierent lawswith the internatinal agreements that Malihad signed, speciically the reslutins rmthe Internatinal Cnerence n Ppulatin

and Develpment (Cair 1994), and theInternatinal Wmens Cnerence (Bejing1995). As everyne knws, these twcnerences set ut new rights that addressthe scial status wmen and children.

WhataretheproblemswiththisCode?This Cde was nly just adpted but it createdserius upheaval in the whle cuntry. Peple

marched, prtested, threatenedjihadandthere was vilent criticism the gvernmentand its icials in msques, in hmes andin the streets. Tensins were high. As a result,the President the Republic decided ntt prmulgate the Cde but t submit it tParliament r a secnd reading. Tensinshave since eased, but n ne will rget therenzy that seized the cuntry. At least ivepints in the Cde truble its ppnents.

Firstly, the rmer Cde says that wives

must bey their husbands while the new Cdereplaces this clause with the cuple weeach ther mutual respect. Secndly, Muslimassciatins asked r icial recgnitin religius marriage. In uphlding the secularity the State, gvernment icials cntinuet nly recgnise civil marriage. Thirdly,Muslim law says that a child brn utside marriage des nt have the right t inherit,which was nt relected in the new Cde.

Furthly, the Cde says that men and wmenhave the same inheritance rights, except ithe deceased decides therwise and hasdcumented this in writing. This is in cntrastt Muslim inheritance law, accrding t whichmen receive twice the share wmen.Fithly, the new Cde delays the legal age marriage r wmen t 18 years ld. Frcnservatives, this was ging t ar, becausethe accepted practice is that girls marry

between 13 and 15 years ld.Cnservatives think that the new Cde

undermines lcal culture and upsets thescial hierarchy. Fr them, the scial rdermust be respected and each wman mustremain behind her husband instead puttinghersel ahead him. They are undamentalMuslims: they dnt cmprmise. Accrdingt them, with this Cde the gvernment andits icials have declared war n Islam, the

Debate



9/40

religin mre than 90% the ppulatin. They saythat it is impssible t questinwhat the Kran has madeclear. Similarly wmen cannt

in any way be equal t men.Even Gd des nt acceptthis say the dierent Muslimrders in Mali. These are therepresentatives culturalundamentalism: r them, thiswhle aair is a result thedictatrship the dnrs whwant t replace the culture their ancestrs with western

culture and wh say t thegvernment: i yu d ntrbid emale circumcisin ri yu d nt prclaim equalitybetween men and wmenthere will be n mney ryur prjects.

Wherearethewomen?While ne wuld have thught

that wmen wuld prtestt deend the Cde, theyhave remained silent. on thecntrary many them areagainst it. Why? They havebeen taught that the Cdewill push them t have twhusbands. This is seen asencuraging debauchery.

In truth the new Cde

was nt explained t peple.It remained, yet again, an bject lengthydebates amngst civil sciety rganisatins,ntably grups wmen wh either d ntrepresent a larger cnstituency r wh rgt treprt back t their base. A recent survey undthat 80% the residents Bamak, mstlywmen, reject the Cde and that mre than70% d nt knw what it cntains. The lessn islearned. Maybe the next time we will d better.


Debate

AdamThiam iscurrently a jurnalistin Mali. He previuslywrked in the NGosectr n ppulatinissues, pastralism andaccess t inrmatinr develpment actrsin the dryland regins.I yu have any eedback t the article, pleasecntact him at [email protected]

McPHOT

O/Blickwinkel/StillPictres

Peul wman and baby in Djenn, Mali what des the Cde mean t them?


10/40


Debate

AnewdawnThe dawn is breaking as settlers in the vastrests Kenyas Rit Valley prvince mve utin their thusands ater decades destructiveccupatin. This departure is permanentand cmes ater a lng war attritin.Thrughut this war, illegal squatters havebeen cntinually sneaking back int the rest

ater evictins. A situatin which culminated inthe 1990s with a prgramme gvernmentbacked rest land annexatins r allcatinsand settlement. Tday, hwever, Dr. NahWekesa, the Minister Frestry and WildlieServices, declared that the remval humansettlement will be permanent and that thegvernment will nt cmprmise.

Accrding t Dr. Wekesa, nging evictinsare expected t pave the way r an ambitius

ive year gvernment prgramme t restremre than 109,000 hectares destryedrest cver t its riginal status. Nearly 3,000peple including children, wmen, men,yung and ld let the rest in phase ne the prgramme. Squatters were served witha 14-day ntice t quit which expired n 8Nvember 2009. Accrding t thse aected,the gvernment deplyed a large cntingent armed security persnnel wh were n the

Averting an envirnmentalcatastrphe in Kenya

A new dawn is breaking for Kenyas Ma forest. This forest keeps Kenya

alive by acting like a water tower feeding a dozen rivers and several lakes.

Its destrction wold be an environmental catastrophe.

by Moses Radoli

grund rm Thursday, 5 Nvember 2009until just bere the deadline.TheMauforestcomplexAccrding t Mr Lawrence Leneyapa,Permanent Secretary the Ministry Envirnment and Natural Resurces, thegvernment recgnises that the Mau cmplex

is the mst imprtant the cuntrys ivewater catchment areas. The thers are MuntElgn, Cheranganyi, Munt Kenya and theAberdare rests.

The Permanent Secretary cnirms thatthe gvernments decisin t evacuatesettlers rm the rest in preparatin r itsrestratin was based n act and evidencewhich pinted t an impending envirnmentalcatastrphe. Accrding t Kenyan

gvernment statistics, nly 400,000 gazettedhectares remain ut an riginal restwhich cvered mre than 1 millin hectares.

DestructiongenesisThe rests plight dates back t clnial dayswhen white settlers discvered the huge andhighly pritable ptential the area r teaprductin. Huge swathes natural restwere cleared and cnverted int expansive


11/40


Debate

rlling tea estates t supply the Britishand Eurpean markets. White settlersencrached mre prgressively ntthe rest range cmplex. And thearrival multi-natinal crpratins

nly made matters wrse. The situatindid nt imprve ater independence asgvernment icials, private individualsand grups cntinued t stake utclaims within the rest.

Accrding t The Genesis MauPrblems 2008 reprt cmpiledby the Kenya Land Alliance, a nn-gvernmental rganisatin, mattersbecame wrse in the 1990s when

the gvernment allwed the excisin huge blcks rest land. Theseblcks were mapped ut, demarcatedand given t individuals with pwerulcnnectins in the gvernment. Thereal devastatin the rest began in1997 when the gvernment allcatedlarge plts land t individuals inwhat was seen as a plitical bid twin vtes during the general electins.

And alng with these allcatinscame the lgging industry withpwerul saws t clear cut timber rcmmercial purpses.

In additin, accrding t the KenyaLand Alliance, land speculatrs letthe neighburing districts Kerich,Bmet, Buret, Transmara and Nakuru indrves. Thse wh missed ut in these irstallcatins settled n gazetted restland in

the hpe that they might later be givensme land.

In these new settlements, the Ogiekcmmunity, a minrity grup wh havebeen living in the rest r centuries, weret be given irst pririty in the allcatinprcess. The purpse was t ensure thatthey t were prud land wners. Althughthey had shwn n desire t wn land, armer gvernment administratin thught

that t adequately cmpensate the Ogiek,they shuld be given parcels within theirancestral restlands. When the excisinswere dne in 1990s, little cncern was given

t envirnmental cnservatin cnsideratins.Because the gvernment did nt havealternative land t dish ut t an estimated20,000 Ogiek amilies, the Mau restcmplex became the ultimate target (). Thedestructin explded within the indigenusrest mments ater the excisin began aslggers with saws itted t tractrs clear cutthe targeted areas r resettlement...

When land was allcated, the Ogiek started

ALIN

Tree clearing in Mau rest


12/40

t eel heat rm the cmpetitin psed by newsettlers. Thrugh their lbby grup, the OgiekWelare Cuncil, they mved t ile a curtinjunctin t stp gvernment excisins rmthe rest r human settlement.

ConsequencesAccrding t the United Natins EnvirnmentalPrgramme (UNEP) Mau reprt released earlyin 2009, destructin the vast rest cverthrugh large scale cmmercialised lgging,clearing and burning t pave way r armsand large tea estates, charcal burning, amngther reckless activities nearly brught therest t its knees.

This systematic destructin led t the dryingup abut 12 rivers and hundreds streamsdraining the Mau cmplex and eeding intthe lakes in the Rit Valley and in the EastArican regin. The devastatin caused bythe destructin the rest is illustrated bythe drying up Lake Kmanark in theRit Valley. When the water was gne thelake bed was let littered with decmpsedcrcdile carcases and skeletns. Kmanark

was reputed t have had the secnd largestcrcdile ppulatin in Arica.

TheneedforactionUNEP Directr Dr. Achim Steiner stated thatr the past ew years, UNEP, n behal theKenyan gvernment, has been dcumentingthe cntinued destructin and ersin theMau Frest Cmplex. It had reached a pintwhere i n measures were taken, Kenya wuldhave cmpletely lst ne its undamentalassets. Dr. Steiner added: The Mau situatincan be cntained nw and nt tmrrw.Actin must be taken nw. Nt be seen rheard as being taken. It must be tangible (...).Everybdy must be invlved t curtail theimpending envirnmental catastrphe.

The Mau Interim Team Chairman, HassanNr Hassan says it was rm this backgrundthat the gvernment is taking humane actin,

unlike the previus years when evictins wererced. This has undergne a lengthy prcessthat saw a task rce reprt n Mau tabledand apprved by parliament bere thegvernment was given the g ahead t take

actin, says Mr. Hassan.

TheevacueesAn evictee rm Ndinet, Mr. Richard Kiptagut,says that initially mst the amilies hadplanned n staying put despite the expiry the evacuatin deadline because theyhad nwhere t g. We had a lt earsand tensin was high amngst urselves aswe watched many armed security icers

arriving in lrries. Thugh many us havenwhere t g, we decided that it was saert start leaving vluntarily and leave it t thegvernment t ind new places t settle us,says Mr. Kiptagut.

I was allcated 10 acres by thegvernment in Maasai Mau near Nark. Ihave a title deed and want t surrender itand have my cmpensatin prcessed butI simply d nt knw where t start, says

Mrs. Penina Jepkembi. Mrs. Jepkembi saysmany settlers, like her, were caught up in thesame dilemma and wrse still d nt knwwhether and where t mve since they havent been relcated nr cmpensated by thegvernment as prmised.

The cntinued rehabilitatin theMau rest is a cmplex task in terms cnservatin as well as develpment.Ensuring the sustainable use the rest will

be a challenge r years t cme.

Debate


Mr.MosesRadoli is a Kenyanjurnalist with ver 20 years writing experience. He is theEditr-in-Chie The Insightmagazine that is analyticaln religius, scial and pliticalissues in Kenya. E-mail:[email protected]


13/40

Debate


Rle traditinal institutins inwater resurce gvernance in the

Brana lwlands, suthern Ethipia

For centries and amid worsening climatic conditions, the Borana have devised

an effective water management system based on traditional practices and

instittions how shold development agencies best spport this?

by Nega Emir

MANAGING SCARCE water resurces has lngbeen a crucial challenge r peple living indryland areas. Gd water management canmean the dierence between lie and death.over time rbust gvernance systems have

been develped t enable peple t regulateaccess t water. What can develpmentprgrammes learn rm this rich experienceand hw can these institutins be strengthened?

BackgroundThe Brana lwlands are in the suthern mstpart the Ethipian lwlands ccupyinga ttal area abut 95 thusand squarekilmetres. Water is the critical limiting actr

t the sci-ecnmic develpment thearea. The climate is semi-arid and subjectt recurrent drughts and severe watershrtages the cnsequences which canbe lie threatening. Traditinal wells, pnds,cisterns (bth rm r and rck catchments),brehles (with hand and mtrized pumps),earth dams and water cllected in depressinsare the chie surces water. There are nineclusters Brana traditinal deep wells, Tla

Saglan. Reprtedly these wells have neverrun dry even during severe drughts. Thesereliable water surces have been servingthe Brana r centuries amid wrseningclimatic cnditins and increasing human and

livestck ppulatins. As a result, the Branahave devised strng traditinal institutins tmanage this vital resurce.

RolesandresponsibilitiesThe Brana water management system isa traditinal institutin which ensures theequitable distributin access t water. Themanagement bdy is made up three majrcmpnents: Confi(the under and verseer),Chora ella (the management cuncil)andAba herrega (the daily supervisr).These cmpnents have deined rles andrespnsibilities t ensure the peaceul and lngterm use water resurces.

Confiis the title given t the persn whversees the general management thewell. The title is given t a descendent theAba ella (the well under) and this titleis transerable. Aba ella is the persn wh


14/40


Debate

identiied the site a well rrganized the cmmunity texcavate a well. Traditinalwells are named ater thepersn wh lcated the siteand the name the clan whdug the well. A wells clanailiatin may be the sameas that the under thewell. The relatinship betweenthe under the well andthe well itsel is deined byrespnsibilities and duties.These are called Confi, akind trusteeship. The wellunder is the mst inluentialpersn in the gvernance this resurce, and peple whhave persnal relatinshipswith him can gain accessregardless linkages theymay r many nt have withthe clan demnstrating hisdegree inluence.

Chora ella is themanagement cuncil whhas verall authrity n use the well. The cuncil iscmpsed 7 t 8 members,usually clan elders and wellusers descended rm the wellunder. Establishing the watering rtatin isthe cuncils mst imprtant task, especiallywhen water vlumes are lw during the dryseasn and drughts. Clan members btain

user rights thrugh lineage and their recrd active invlvement in well management andmaintenance. The level cntributins t wellmaintenance and rehabilitatin is als decidedby this cuncil. The amunt cntributinis a unctin the number cattle the clanmember wns. Settling rare disputes betweenusers is equally the respnsibility this bdy.

In additin the cuncil manages accesst the wells r neighburing pastralist

cmmunities. Clan ailiatin, activeparticipatin in well management andsenirity within a clan are sme the majractrs which determine access. other actrs

which are taken int accunt include herdsize, the ability t present and t deend aclaim bere the cuncil, labur cntributinsr well maintenance and the availability surrunding pasture. Watering rights attraditinal wells is btained and maintainedthrugh participatin in these well cuncils.Access t water indirectly cners access tnearby pasture.

TheAba herrega clsely supervises the

Bran well

KelleyLynch/SavetheChildrenuSA


15/40


Debate

NegaEmiruis an Ethipian

rural develpment pressinalwrking at the crssrads agriculture, d security andnatural resurce management.His research and develpmentinterests include agriculturalinnvatin, natural resurce/watershed managementand resurce-based cnict reslutin. Currentlyhe wrks with the United Natins and prir tthat he wrked with an internatinal NGo, CARE,n pastral develpment prjects. He can becntacted by email at [email protected]

daily management and activities arundthe well such as cleaning ramps, repairinggates and liting water rm the surce. Heis appinted by the well cuncil and is incharge mnitring and supervising theimplementatin cuncil decisins. Hecntrls the watering rtatin, and the typeand number herds t be watered at atime. The watering rtatin usually lasts rthree r ur days. He has this rle r lier until the cmmunity eels he has shwnmiscnduct r vilated ada sera Borana, theBrana traditin. Members these bdiesd nt receive a salary r extra incentives.Their nly recmpense is the strng sense wnership and mral authrity they assumewhen carrying ut their tasks.

Currentscenariosandevidence

fromthefieldThis traditinal and cmmunity wnedinstitutin ensures equitable use waterresurces, reducing resurce-based cnlictswithin and between pastralist cmmunities,

and imprving livestck develpment inthe area. Regulatin the seasnal use water and the ability t deal with recurrentwater shrtages are urther beneits.Mre recently, the gvernment and NGoshave established cmmunity-based watermanagement cmmittees t versee themanagement newly cnstructed waterpints usually cisterns and hand r mtrizedpumps. The Znal Water Resurce ice

reprts, hwever, that a large prprtin these water pints ail due t administrativeand managerial prblems. Cnsequently,several water prjects d nt r nly partiallymeet their bjectives. In cntrast, the lder,traditinal water pints managed by the lcalcmmunity are unctining well thanks t theirrbust water gvernance mechanisms.

While a number gvernment and NGoagencies are actively wrking in the area,

research and develpment interventins haveverlked the imprtance custmaryinstitutins and indigenus knwledge.Supprt t tried and tested practices andtraditinal drught management strategieswhich secure livelihds is negligible. Theintegratin indigenus and externalknwledge in develpment planning anddecisin making is minimal. And ertst understand current practice and thechallenges applying and scaling up theseappraches are weak r nnexistent.

WhatmustcomenextBetter technical initiatives which supprttraditinal institutins must build lcal capacitys that these mechanisms can unctin mreeectively and prvide better quality servicest their cmmunities. This shuld includeupgrading prblem-slving skills. Wmensparticipatin in decisin-making prcessesmust als be enhanced. In additin, centraland reginal gvernment ministries anddepartments must have better links withtraditinal authrities in rder t ensure thebetter crdinatin actins and use resurces t achieve imprved d security,rural develpment and sustainable ecnmicdevelpment. Last but nt least, rganisatinsmust make the best use these traditinalpractices, prcesses and institutins t increasethe impact uture prjects and prgrammes.


16/40


Cpenhagen what happened?

Many hopes and expectations for taking forward the climate change agendaat the international level were pinned on the otcomes of the Copenhagen

conference of parties which took place in December 2009. Bt the final reslts

were disappointing.

by Achala Chandani and Saleeml Hq

ToWARDS THE END CoP 15, whilenegtiatins amng all 192 parties t theUNFCCC cntinued, behind clsed drs, aselect grup abut 25 wrld leaders came upwith the Cpenhagen Accrd. Mst develpingcuntries had very little input int this Accrd.Finally, as there was n cnsensus amng theParties t adpt the Accrd as a UNFCCCdecisin, they decided t take nte it.

TheClimateAccordThe Accrd is weak. It is nt legally bindingand has n targets r reducing greenhusegas emissins. It states that parties recgnisethe scientiic view that the increase in glbaltemperature shuld be belw 2 degrees Celsiusand that parties shuld cperate reaching thepeak r glbal and natinal emissins as snas pssible. Recgnitin and an agreement t

act as sn as pssible are nt cmmitmentsand they d nt tie gvernments dwn t anysrt time rame.

In additin, several pints rm the Accrddeal with inancing r adaptatin. Develpedcuntries shall prvide adequate, predictableinancial resurces, technlgy and capacitybuilding r adaptatin in develping cuntries.In the immediate term this new and additinalinancing shall apprach USD 30 billin. But

Fcus n climate change

the Accrd des nt say where this mney willcme rm, i it will be new and additinal texisting aid, r i it will be in the rm lansr grants. Regardless, the target igure USD30 billin ver three years rm 2010 t 2013 isnt adequate r 100 vulnerable cuntries withabut ne billin citizens.

In the lnger term develped cuntriescmmit t mbilise USD 100 billin a year

by 2020 t address the needs develpingcuntries. Hwever, the Accrd des nt sayhw much this mney wuld be allcatedr adaptatin in vulnerable cuntries (asppsed t mitigatin actins in less vulnerablecuntries such as India and China). And there isn guarantee that the prpsed USD 100 billinwill nt cme rm existing aid cmmitments.

Finally, the Accrd als talks abut therle reducing emissins rm derestatin

and rest degradatin t enhance remvalsrm greenhuse gases rm the atmsphere.Parties t the Accrd agree that this shall beachieved thrugh incentives such as REDD tmbilise unds rm develped cuntries. Butthe inancial and administrative aspects thisagreement n REDD remain unreslved.

RedrawinginternationalpoliticsIn many ways what happened in Cpenhagen


17/40



AchalaChandani is a researcher and SaleemulHuqisa senir ellw in IIEDs Climate Change Grup. Achalaspecialises in internatinal envirnmental law and climatechange, and equity and airness issues. Saleemulsexpertise is in the links between climate change andsustainable develpment in develping cuntries,especially the least develped cuntries in Arica andSuth Asia. They can be cntacted at [email protected] and [email protected]

was a shaking up the traditinal pieces the glbal ge-plitical puzzle and theirlanding in a new and unamiliar cniguratin.China, India, Brazil and Suth Arica rmeda new blck called BASIC which may be

the death knell the G77/China blck 130 develping natins as we have knwnit s ar. As the BASIC grup tk n theindustrialised natins, the mst vulnerablecuntries were squeezed ut the prcess.The biggest ailure in Cpenhagen was ne leadership. It was a ailure pwerul leaderst realise that CoP15 was nt abut mneyr plitics but abut the uture security theirwn grandchildren.

Wheretonow?Unrtunately, Cpenhagen ailed t giveus a legally binding agreement cmmittingsignatry cuntries t reduce emissins andsupprt adaptatin. But there is still hpe.The tw main negtiating tracks under theBali Actin plan are still in place, the Ad HcWrking Grup n Lng Term CperativeActin and the Ad Hc Wrking Grup

llwing n rm the Kyt Prtcl. Thesetw negtiating tracks remain and r mstdevelping cuntries they are the preerredpath r negtiatins. The next meeting, the16th Cnerence Parties, will take placein Mexic tward the end 2010, and a lt wrk needs t happen between nw andthen t negtiate the terms an agreement.

Althugh the Accrd signed in Cpenhagenis nt legally binding, it des cntain sme

elements which culd rm the basis r a newagreement. The Accrd agrees n a 2 degreeCelsius limit r glbal temperature rise. Inadditin this 2 degree limit will be reassessedin 2016 with a view t revising it dwn t 1.5degrees. This is new. Even thugh the surcesand allcatin are nt clear, the Accrdprvides inancing mechanisms t supprtdevelping cuntries t adapt t climatechange and t inance lw-carbn ecnmic

grwth. Althugh arguably the amunts inancing invlved may nt be suicient, it is agd irst step. And it is pssible that by usinga cmbinatin elements rm the Accrdand pints negtiated thrugh the existing Ad

Hc Wrking Grups that cuntries can cmet an agreement in Mexic.

But there are tw crucial actrs whichwill aect the likelihd a legally bindingagreement being signed in Mexic. Theobama administratin in the United Stateshas t make sure that Cngress will agree.Withut their supprt it is unlikely that theUS will sign. In additin, the unity the G77cuntries plus China has been undermined.

The new grup BASIC cuntries must beprepared t sign up t emissins mitigatintargets. What this means r the G77 isuncertain and may eect the utcme negtiatins this year leading up t theMexic cnerence.

S while the Accrd is weak andCpenhagen was a disappintment all isnt lst. There are sme psitive elementswithin the Accrd which culd be used in the

develpment a legally binding dcumentt which all gvernments will agree. And thetw existing negtiating tracks under the BaliActin plan remain in place. In the meantime,the eects climate change are all t realr peple living in develping cuntries.The rest the articles in the Fcus sectin this special editin Haramata lk mreclsely at adaptatin t climate change atthe cmmunity level. What wrks and what

desnt and hw we can best supprt lcalpeple t secure their livelihds within thischanging climate cntext.


18/40



Vices rm the cnerence

KinuthiaNgugi,KenyaDepartmentofLand

ResourceManagement

andAgricultural

Technology,University

ofNairobi,Collegeof

AgricultureandVeterinary

Sciences

As a result Cpenhagen, my immediate and

next steps include awareness creatin withinand utside the university, and prmtin mainstreaming climate change in as manyuniversity curricula as pssible. My hpe rthe next negtiatin is that mre practiveagreement will be arrived at and mreresurces r adaptatin and mitigatin willbe allcated.

MahamadouFarka

Maiga,MaliAMADE-PELCODE(The

MalianAssociation

fortheDevelopment

andProtectionofthe

EnvironmentandtheFight

againstDesertification)

The ailure the Cpenhagen negtiatinshave underlined, that mre than ever, civilsciety grups in the suth and nrth have

t mbilise and put pressure n decisinmakers t ensure that the next CoP in Mexicwill result in ambitius and legally bindingcmmitments. Any new Agreement must takeint accunt:

that the average glbal temperature mustnt increase mre than 1.5 degrees Celsius

quantiiable targets r emissins reductinsin line with IPCC recmmendatins

additinal inancial supprt r adaptatin

and technlgy transer t enablevulnerable grups in develping cuntriest adapt t climate change.

DrOliverWasonga,

KenyaTalking abut mitigatin and adaptatin t climatechange is like putting the

cart bere the hrse rthse us in Arica where

awareness and capacity n climate changeissues is still limited. Capacity building rall stakehlders is therere paramunt taddressing climate change in Arica.

Fllwing Cpenhagen, I hpe that thepuzzle abut the surce unding r bththe shrt-term and lng term adaptatinr vulnerable cuntries will be demystiied

sn and the shrt term unds implementedas a pririty r the LDCs and vulnerablenatins. I als hpe that CoP 16 will seek tcement and make the Cpenhagen accrdbinding, and redress the principle cmmnbut dierentiated respnsibilities relectingthe distinctin between develped anddevelping cuntries bligatins n actinsn mitigatin.

TsegayeBekele,EthiopiaAssociateProfessor,

HawassaUniversity

Frm Cpenhagen, I havelearned a lt. Severalthings were happening

in ne g. The mst interesting thing is thatthere were many interests and pinins nclimate change issues where n ne knew


19/40



what the cncrete utcme the cnerencewuld be. I suspect there may nt be bindingutcme in the near uture as it stands nw.

My next step ater Cpenhagen is tdevelp a mdule n climate change r shrt

curses and a graduate prgramme. Mst the wrk is dne and is submitted r urtherimprvements. We are als studying hwplicies can aect climate change adaptatin small hlders.

KrystelDossou,

BeninCLACCFellow

The Cpenhagen accrdis egtistical in terms cntent. Its lack ambitinand its bjectives t reduce

emissins will certainly nt avid dangerusclimate change. It is nce again pr andvulnerable cuntries like thse in sub-SaharanArican and Asia that will pay a high pricegiven their weak capacity t adapt nindividual cmmunity and institutinal levels.

In Mexic, I wuld like t see the large gapclse between the inancial requirements vulnerable cuntries and the resurcesavailable them t address their adaptatinand mitigatin needs, nt just t hear prmiseswhich are easily made. I wuld like t see thenatins the Suth btain additinal inancialresurces in the lng term t acilitate theimplementatin eicient initiatives. Equally,these resurces must be well managed andeasy t access. Anther pint which wuldbe interesting t address at CoP 16 is thecnstraints and risks psed by climate changet d security. Energetic and integratedinitiatives r agriculture must be put in placein develping cuntries which are nt sel-suicient but alse slutins and inapprpriateslutins must be avided.

TonyLaViaDean,AteneoSchoolof

Government,Philippines;

Leadnegotiator,

PhilippinesandFacilitator,

REDD+negotiationsViewed slely rm the lens

its last hurs, Cpenhagen was a ailure.But it did nt have t be that way. Bere thatateul night, r 12 days, thse us wh weresent by ur gvernments t wrk and agreen a cmmn slutin had wrked hardtrying t address ur many disagreements.In act, in the last ive days the cnerenceleading up t the ateul last night, I had nt

slept r ive straight days. Althugh I d havea strng wrk ethic, this was the irst timein my lie I had t d this. As a Facilitatr REDD-plus, I had wrked rund the clck tget an agreement within my grup and thatwas within reach r us. As a lead negtiatrr the Philippines, I was als crdinatingur 20+ negtiatrs wh had cme tCpenhagen aware that climate change wasa critical issue r ur cuntry. Because this

hard wrk, real prgress was being made insme areas (rests, adaptatin, technlgytranser) while majr diiculties cntinued tbe insurmuntable in ther issues (especiallymitigatin targets by develped cuntries,mitigatin actins by develping cuntries,and inance related cncerns).As we entered the last three days theCpenhagen cnerence, we cntinued tbe in a stalemate in this last set issues.

This in spite the act that we have beennegtiating r tw years and quite intensivelyin the last nine mnths where we met in Bnn,Bangkk and Barcelna r a ttal sixweeks. But time ran ut as Presidents, PrimeMinisters and ther heads states startedarriving in Cpenhagen. Cpenhagen wasdisappinting. But, i we learn the lessns rmthis experience, it culd turn ut t be psitive.


20/40



Climate change: the reality inKenyan villages

The world is waking p to the realities of climate change. Scientists agree that

it is happening and that we are casing it. In Africa, local commnities are in

a dilemma. Weather changes have reslted in erratic rainfall patterns and

prolonged droght leading to crop failre, livestock deaths and ltimately

starvation. In an attempt to create awareness abot climate change, the Arid

Lands Information Network initiated commnity dialoge throgh workshops

and meetings to discss and nderstand the effects of climate change and todevelop adaptation strategies.

by Morton Salo and Noah Lsaka

Thestruggle,problemsandeffectsTaking turns and wrking s hard that they

sweat, the men Mavkni village in theKyus district Kenyas Eastern Prvince digthe river bed using lcally made tls andequipment. These men endeavur in vain tdig r lie-giving water. Finding it has prvedvery elusive. Rivers have dried up, rest cverhas been drastically reduced, and hungerpangs increasingly cntinue t bite.

Envirnmental prblems have aected thelivelihds the residents Mavkni village,

reducing pprtunities r ecnmic activityand exacerbating levels pverty and prstandards living. When I was grwing upit was never this dry, but r the last ew yearsthings have changed as rivers have run dryand animals cntinue t die. We excavatethese river beds because we believe the wateraquiers are nt very deep, says Mr. JsephMuasya, a resident. Accrding t him, all thewater surces are dry and disease is nw n

the rise because climate change. At hmebrthers and sisters trek kilmetres in search

water and children risk drpping ut schl as hunger cntinues t bite.

Muasya explains that all ur cws aredead. Peple have t use their hands tcultivate. They carry water n their headsbecause the dnkeys have starved t deathr are t weak t carry the water. He addsthat they have nw reslved t ratin waterr cws.

Miles away in Malili village, Mutm district,

the situatin is the same. Jsephine Muthengisays: We had a gd supply hney andnw it is n mre. We used t have manylwers rm which the bees cllected thenectar required t make hney. And we mustnt rget the bushes and rest areas wherethe beehives were hung. Nw thse bushesare lng gne.

Lack rainall has led t a decrease inhney supply and reduced incmes. She als


21/40



adds that water has turned saline. The reasnbehind this change is unknwn but many thinkthat this is due t high levels pllutin andt sand harvesting which expses saline rck

increasing water salinity. Sand harvestinghas led t a reductin in the water levels inrivers and t dry river banks. Because pepleare pr they are turning t any available

alternative t earn a daily living. Mrs BenterMusembi said as a result increased drughtand amine sme residents have resrtedt anti-scial behaviur such as thievery,prstitutin and even satanic practices and

magic t raise incmes.T many peple here d nt understand

that changes in rainall and temperaturepatterns tgether with the increasingccurrence drught are sme the eects climate change.

Understandingclimatechangeat

thecommunitylevel

But hpe is still alive r the residents Kyusand Mutm districts in the Eastern Prvince Kenya. The Arid Land Inrmatin Netwrk(ALIN) with supprt rm the Danish Embassyhas initiated cmmunity awareness rums.The bjective these sessins is t develpan understanding what climate change isand hw cmmunities are adapting. Usingparticipatry appraches cmmunities penlydiscuss climate change.

Accrding t Mr. Muasya, r the pastew years cmmunities in this regin havewitnessed a change in weather patterns withprlnged drughts but it never ccurred t

Whatcausesclimatechange?During a wrkshp held at Kitui, Mr. Eric Kisiangani, Practical Actins Climate ChangeCrdinatr, explained t participants that climate change is caused by the emissin greenhuse gases (carbn dixide, methane, nitrgen xide) int the atmsphere. The vastmajrity these emissins are prduced by develped cuntries like Japan, Eurpe and the

United States. Develping cuntries cntribute very little t these emissins.Mr. Kisiangani went n t explain: These greenhuse gases rm a slid blanket in the air.When the rays the sun hit the earth, heat is emitted and in the past sme this heat wasrelected back ut the earths atmsphere int space. Tday when this heat is relected itcannt escape because it is trapped in by this blanket. This increases the temperature n theearth. It is estimated that by 2050 average temperatures will have risen by 2 degrees Celsiusmelting the ice in the Nrth and Suth Ples leading t a rise in sea levels. These actrscmbine t change weather patterns leading t erratic rainall and prlnged drught. Treduce the eect climate change, we need t reduce emissins and increase the capacity carbn sinks, like rests and rangelands, t take these greenhuse gases ut the atmsphere.

A wman displaying a pster with climate changemessages at Malili village

ALIN


22/40



For more information contactwww.alin.neti

NoahLusaka wrks at ALIN asmanager capacity buildingand partnerships. He is n theeditrial bard Baobabmagazine and acilitatescmmunity-based meetings

and wrkshps n climatechange adaptatin. [email protected]

MortonSaulo wrks as acrrespndent r the StandardNewspaper in Kenya. He is alsthe media fcer r theNatinal EnvirnmentManagement Authrity(NEMA). He writes nenvirnment issues. [email protected]

them that these were part climate change.Sme us are nt well educated n whatclimate change is. We d nt even knw i theactivities that we engage in aect the weatherpatterns in the lng run.

At cmmunity level deliberatins includewmen and men armers, business peple,teachers, extensin sta and cmmunityleaders. one wrkshp and ur meetings havebeen held where cmmunities have talkedabut the diiculties they experience in dealingwith climate change and have expressed adesire r knwledge n best practices t savethe envirnment and imprve their livelihds.

T address the high level envirnmental

degradatin in these regins, smecmmunities are engaged in water harvestingand sil cnservatin activities thrugh thecnstructin terraces, gabins and earthpans. Mrs. Musembi explained that armersin Malili village are adapting their activitiesand starting new ventures like imprved ruitgrwing (grated manges and paw paws) andvegetables. Accrding t Mrs Musembi, theradaptatin measures include selling livestck

and mving any remaining animals t hilltpsand game reserves where there is sme dder.

EducationalmaterialsonclimatechangeT dcument hw cmmunities adapt tclimate change, ALIN is using participatryappraches with lcal peple t develpeducatinal materials t create awareness climate change. These materials include

psters, T-shirts and articles published inBabab magazine and Jt Arika bries (seethe resurces sectin). The prject has alsrecrded vides n climate change that can beviewed nline at http://televisheni.blip.tv.

FarmersmessagestopolicymakersDuring these cmmunity climate changerums, armers asked wrld leaders t takeactin t reduce climate change eects. The

recmmendatins rm the rums include:

Gvernments must make unds availablet enable vulnerable cmmunities tadapt t climate change especially inarid regins. Farmers are cnident that i

they were supprted they culd establishtree nurseries t increase tree cver andimprve carbn sinks.

Develped cuntries must reducegreenhuse gas emissins by ver 40%.They shuld als supprt develpingcuntries t imprve alternative lwcarbn emissin technlgies r ecnmicgrwth. This includes slar technlgies,

bi-uels, wind energy and much mre.

And inally, transparency andaccuntability in the delivery inancingr adaptatin are crucial.

Climate change aects the everyday lives peple living in develping cuntries buttheir awareness the issues and hw theirenvirnment may change remains lw. The

challenge remains t prvide inrmatinand supprt t lcal peple s that they areprepared r changes t cme.


23/40



Cartn by Sidy Lamine Dram with captins by Adam Thiam

Priorities for adaptation...?


24/40



A unding innvatin: smallgrants t supprt lcal strategiesr adaptatin t climate change

There is a lot of talk abot the need to spport adaptation to climate change,

bt what does this mean in practice? A new programme to spport local level

adaptation aims to answer this qestion.

by Cheikh Tidiane Sall

oRGANISATIoNS IN Mali, Senegal andBurkina Fas can nw apply t a new grantsprgramme t strengthen their adaptatininitiatives. Supprting Lcal Strategies rAdaptatin1 t climate change is a jint initiative

the Internatinal Develpment ResearchCentre (IDRC) in Canada and the Departmentr Internatinal Develpment (DFID) in Britain.IED Arique in Senegal crdinates the reginalprgramme in West Arica.

Cmmunity-based rganisatins in Mali,Burkina Fas and Senegal can access smallgrants t supprt existing activities in rdert strengthen their capacity t adapt tclimate change. The apprach underlying the

prgramme is that lcal peple are best placedt identiy and implement adaptatin strategiesand t manage resurces allcated t supprtthese initiatives.

In each cuntry, an NGo representing smallscale armers crdinates prgramme activities:the Farmers Cnederatin in Burkina Fas, theNatinal Bdy Prducer organisatins inMali and the Federatin NGos in Senegal.There are als natinal steering cmmittees

in each cuntry made up representativesrm a wide variety stakehlders such asresearch institutes, NGos, Ministries etc. Thesteering cmmittees supprt these armerrganisatins in the deinitin their strategic

directin, identiying prjects r supprt andin mnitring and evaluating activities. IEDArique prvides reginal crdinatin andis respnsible r develping methdlgicaltls and appraches in partnership with thearmer NGos.

one prject supprted by this prgrammeis the Jeka Baara Cperative2 in Mali.

Womenandfoodsovereignty:

ExperiencesoftheJekaBaaraCooperativeWmen have an imprtant rle in ensuringd svereignty. They make a cnsiderablecntributin t agricultural prductin andtransrmatin at lcal and natinal levels.Wmens cntinued access t land, water,seeds and credit is crucial i they are t playtheir part in rural ecnmies. But almsteverywhere, wmens rights t land are


25/40



vulnerable and uncertain, especially when

cmpared t thse men. In Mali, custmaryinheritance laws and, speciically the lawswhich gvern the allcatin land avurmen, despite wmens imprtant rle inensuring d svereignty.

The Jeka Baara wmens cperative,wrks t address these challenges. Therganisatin has rganised itsel int threesectrs: gathered prducts (nr pds,shea nuts and wild ruits), cereals and

ruits/vegetables. In additin t subsistencearming, members the cperative gainan incme by prducing and adding valuet agricultural prducts. This incme is thendivided int three. one part is used r themaintenance and purchase equipmentr the cperative, a secnd part is used ttp up the cperatives savings and a thirdpart is divided up amngst the members. Thecperatives savings are lent t members

at lw interest rates t supprt incmegenerating activities, such as adding value tagricultural prductin r establishing smallurban kitchen gardens.

Variability and changes in the climate canundermine d security, cntributing talling levels agricultural prductin andt the degradatin natural resurces; theundatin d svereignty. That is whythe cperative has decided t cus n

adaptatin strategies in its wrk. one these strategies is the manuactureand marketing imprved Nyetastves (which were intrduced by EDFduring a visit t Jeka Baara) and

cking baskets. The stves and basketsare designed t save energy therebyreducing the need r uelwd. TheCperative has received unds rmthe small grants prgramme t supprtthe manuacture and marketing these simple technlgies. During theirst phase, 25 cking baskets and 62

imprved stves were made. These will besld t members the cperative at a

subsidised rate and t ther buyers at theregular price.

It is thrugh the multiplicatin and scalingup small activities such as this thatcmmunities will adapt t the changingenvirnmental cntext. T achieve this, lcalrganisatins capacity t learn rm eachther, t develp apprpriate strategies andt implement prjects must be imprved. Thissmall grants prgramme, crdinated by IED

Arique, is experimenting with institutinal andparticipatry methdlgical appraches tsupprt cmmunities t develp apprpriatelcal respnses t climate change.

CheikhTidianeSallwrks asan engineer in envirnmentand develpment. Hemanages the small grantsprgramme at IED-Ariquewhich supprts lcalstrategies r adaptatin tclimate change. Cntact:[email protected]

For more information contact IED Afriqe.

[email protected]: www.iedafriqe.org

i

CooprativeJekaBaara

1. FSSA in French (Fonds de Sotien ax Stratgies localesdAdaptation)

2. Jeka Baara is lcated in the Sibiribugu, Municipality IV inBamak, Mali [email protected]

Weighing dried manges


26/40



The Diffa region of eastern Niger is home to many different nomadic pastoral

grops the Arab, Flani, Tobo and Yedina and they all have different

ways of adapting to change not only climatic change, bt also economic

and political change.

Trailblazers: hw the pastralists Dia are cping with change

over the last 30 years, the Dia regin running rm the edge the Sahara inthe nrth t the banks Lake Chad and theKmadugu River in the suth has beenhit by recurrent drughts. The pastralistshere nw ace the impacts climate change,which culd see temperatures in the Sahel rise

by mre than 3.3C, and mre variable andintense episdes drught r heavy rainall.

Pastral grups have always been dynamicand highly adaptive t change, and thereis grwing recgnitin the remarkableresilience pastralist systems that haveevlved in arid areas ver the centuries.While mbility itsel is bviusly a key actr inresilience, the mst successul pastralists adapttheir mbility strategies. They mve mrerequently, pprtunistically and eiciently assessing the quality and availability grazing,evaluating the risks cnlict ver resurcesand mnitring luctuatins in supply anddemand n lcal markets.


27/40



The chesin the clan and extended amilyis a key actr in pastralists resilience. Wmenare keen t maintain the quality the nmadicway lie. Yung men have tw ptins: tbecme herders in the bush r traders in thecity. Their athers will supprt them either way,recgnising that nt everyne can becme a

pastralist, and that amily members in urbanareas are an imprtant surce inrmatinand link with mdern lie.The yunger generatin help pastralistsadapt and recncile mdern innvatinswith traditinal knwledge, using mderntechnlgies such as mbile phnes, mtrbikesand even 4x4s as strategic tls t quicklyaccess and act upn vital inrmatin n

market rates, available pastures, cnlicts, etc.

Plitical change may be a greater cause hardship than climate change. Althughthe pastral law in Niger endrses herdersundamental right t mbility and recgnisesthe eiciency mbile pastralism systems,genuinely supprtive plicies are still lackingat natinal and lcal level.

Research undertaken r IIED by Steve Andersn and

Marie Mnimart. The study reprt and seven case studiesare available in French n the IIED websitewww.iied.rg/pubs/display.php?=G02725

A flm shwing hw Dia pastralists are adapting tchange was shwn at the Develpment and ClimateDays Film Festival at CoP 15. This vide is rthcming nwww.iied.rg

PhotosbyMarieMonimart


28/40



Lcal agreements, climatechange and lcal develpment

In partnership with Senegals National Network on Local Agreements, IED

Afriqe organised a workshop on Climate Change, Local Agreements and Local

Development which took place in November 2009 in Dakar, Senegal.

by Mohamado Lamine Seck and Mamado Fall

THIS MEETING brught tgether mre than80 participants rm abut 30 rganisatins(lcally elected icials, parliamentarians,representatives rm cmmunity-basedrganisatins, NGos). Participants discussedthe strengths and weaknesses lcalagreements as an instrument r adaptatint climate change. Presentatins and debates

highlighted interest in and the advantages using these agreements t deal with climatevariability because they enable the eicientand sustainable management naturalresurces. The meeting cncluded that lcalagreements are a real tl r adaptatin tclimate change and variability.

Lcal agreements are airly widespreadin the Sahel and within a cntext decentralisatin they acilitate the

implementatin many state initiatives.The prduct wide cnsultatin amngactrs, they prmte the participatin dierent stakehlders in exercising thetranser authrity t lcal gvernmentr envirnmental and natural resurcemanagement. At this level, lcal agreementseiciently prevent and reduce the incidence traditinal cnlicts. These agreements haveeven begun t generate imprtant incmes

r sme lcal gvernments and rural amiliesin West Arica.

Tday, lcal agreements are recgnisedas tls which enable peple t restrevast degraded areas, imprving bilgicaldiversity and acilitating the reclamatin land which, nt lng ag, had been thught as unsuitable r agriculture. Lastly, these

agreements help t prmte alternativeand mre apprpriate agricultural activities.Fr example, in sme areas as a result better envirnmental management market

Lcal Agreements are rules which arebased n lcal realities and are develpedby cmmunities thrugh cnsensus tmanage their cmmunal r shared naturalresurces sustainably and equitably. These

agreements are primarily cnservatintls but they als create spaces rrelectin and planning t acilitate theregeneratin degraded areas likerests, water pints, agricultural landr traditinal isheries. over the last ewyears lcal agreements have played animprtant rle in the scial and ecnmicdevelpment several areas in Senegaland in West Arica.


29/40



gardening has becme pssible as surace

rain water is present r lnger perids time. It is in this way that lcal agreementsare strategies which acilitate adaptatin tclimate change.

Climate change is making energy surcessuch as uelwd mre and mre scarce.It is causing a lss bidiversity, thedisappearance ecsystems and increasingprblems access t natural resurces.Derestatin and vergrazing can als

exacerbate the cnsequences climatechange. Adaptatin strategies can strengthenthe resilience ecsystems by imprvingbidiversity. Therere, the maintenanceand/r restratin natural resurces,the establishment prtected areas, theprtectin surace water, can all help treduce vulnerability t climate change. Thusas strategies r saeguarding ecsystems,lcal agreements are an eicient tl enabling

lcal cmmunities t adapt t climate change.The lcal agreement in Mbdap is an

example. Mbdap is in the rural cmmunity Fissel which has been aected by cycles drught causing severe degradatin animal and plant resurces. Accrding tlcal peple, since the establishment alcal agreement, they have nticed thespntaneus regeneratin wdy speciesand the prgressive return wildlie. The

MouhamadouLamineSeckis an envirnmental lawyer andhead the Decentralisatin andNatural Resurce ManagementPrgramme at IED-Ariquewhere he assists rganisatinsand lcal gvernment nstrengthening the capacity

rural peple and supprting therestratin degraded [email protected]

MamadouFallis a planner, andwrks as an assistant in theDecentralisatin and NaturalResurce ManagementPrgramme at IED-Arique. Hewrks n prmting lcalcnventins, and climate [email protected]

MamadoFall Mbdap rest plays a crucial

rle as it is an imprtant habitatattracting a variety speciesand imprving bidiversity. Manyexamples this type were given

during the meeting, highlighting themultiple experiences lcal leveladaptatin which are seldm takenint accunt r ttally ignred atplicy level.

The wrkshp, which tk placene mnth bere the Cpenhagencnerence n climate change,was an pprtunity t remind

decisin makers that lcal cmmunities are

the mst vulnerable and the mst aectedby climate variability. As are result, statesand parties t the negtiatins were invitedt give mre attentin t lcal actrs andlcal adaptatin strategies in the debates.The establishment a und r ClimateChange Adaptatin in Arica, a jintinitiative the Internatinal DevelpmentResearch Centre in Canada and BritainsDepartment r Internatinal Develpment,

was highlighted as ne innvative respnsewhich strengthens lcal capacity andsupprts lcal adaptatin initiatives.


30/40



Sil carbn sequestratin

The majority of carbon is stored in soils so changes in farming practices

have a very high mitigation and adaptation potential.

THE INCLUSIoN int the UNFCCC REDD1rges the way r a mre cmprehensiveapprach t land-based mitigatin,

particularly agriculture, in urther Cnerence Party meetings (CoPs). Althugh there hasbeen widespread discussin the mitigativeptential rests, mre carbn is stredin the wrlds sils (1500PgC2) than in livingvegetatin (560PgC), r the atmsphere(730PgC2). As a result, changes in the way thesil is armed can have very high mitigatinptential, by setting emissins by 0.4 t 1.2gigatns carbn per year, r 5 t 15%

glbal ssil uel emissins in a very cst-eective ashin.

Farming practices such as excessive tillingand the remval crp residues havecaused a drastic imbalance in the sil tatmsphere carbn cycle and have reducedthe replenishment rganic material(carbn) t the sil. By changing agriculturalpractices and sil management patterns,substantial imprvements in the sils ability

t stre carbn can be achieved. An 18-yearexperiment in Kenyan maize bean plantatinscncluded that yields jumped rm 1.4tns/hat 6.0 tns/ha per year with stver retentinand manure applicatin, a measure thatincreased sil carbn stcks rm 23.6 tns/ha t 28.7 tns/ha. In India, cnversin irrigated rice rm cntinuus lding t asingle midseasn drying has led t a drp almst 75 millin mt Co2 emissins, at an

pprtunity cst US$ 1.20 mt C02, ar belwestimates r REDD, which currently stand atUS$ 5.00 mt C02.

These practices als have substantialadaptatin c-beneits, as deined in the BaliActin Plan, particularly as regards increasingagricultural yields and imprving watermanagement. Prjects that prvide synergiesbetween adaptatin and mitigatin in thedevelping wrld are deemed the key tintegrating the urgency glbal mitigatinwith the adaptatin needs the develpingwrld. Agriculture, upn which 70% the

wrlds pr rely r their livelihds, is atthe tp the list in mst Arican cuntriesNatinal Adaptatins Prgrammes Actin(NAPAs), as the sectr is likely t be the msthit by disruptins in rain all and temperaturerises. Hwever, transactin csts are likely tbe cnsiderable r small-scale agriculture.As past experiments have shwn, successulimplementatin in develping cuntries isdependent n a strng institutinal presence,

lcal legitimacy, building and strengthening lcal capacity and gvernance, the transer the necessary technlgy, and rigrusmnitring. As with any agricultural prject,land tenure regimes are als key.

The inclusins sil carbn in the UNFCCCwas debated in the Land Day even in Bnn June 2009. There is a grwing cnsensus nthe need t mve twards a cmprehensivelandscape apprach, which wuld bring


31/40



tgether REDD and any and all land-basedappraches, including agriculture, in rder tallw r a strategic distributin rest andagriculture and t avid perverse incentives,leaks between systems and ineiciencies

(Agriculture, Frestry and other Land Uses,r AFoLU).

The inclusin agriculture within theUNFCCC pens the dr t much neededintegratin between it and ther internatinalbdies, such as the UN Cnventin t CmbatDesertiicatin and the FAo, which have bthstrngly supprted the adptin sil carbnas a mitigatin ptin. It wuld indeed seemthat, by supprting the implementatin

1. REDD Reducing Emissins rm Derestatin and Frest

Degradatin in Develping Cuntries is an ert t createa fnancial value r the carbn stred in rests, eringincentives r develping cuntries t reduce emissins rmrested lands and invest in lw-carbn paths t sustainabledevelpment. See www.un-redd.rg r mre inrmatin.

2. PgC = Petagrams carbn. A Petagram carbn (Pg),als knwn as a Gigatn (Gt), is equal t 10 15 grams r nebillin metric tnnes.

SHEHZ

ADNOORANI/StillPictres

Adding rganic ertilizer t the sil, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania

prjects this nature, the UNFCCC wuldprgress twards a mechanism that ischesive with the sustainable develpmentagenda, as set rth in the Ri 92 meetingthat created it, and aligning it with the pursuit

the Millennium Gals which must guide allactins the UN system as a whle.


32/40



REDD prtecting climate,rests and livelihds?

International debates are resonating with the bzzword REDD what is it all

abot and can it prevent deforestation?

DEFoRESTATIoN IS a majr cause climate change and accunts rrughly a ith glbal greenhusegas emissins. REDD Reducing

Emissins rm Derestatin andFrest Degradatin in DevelpingCuntries is a United Natinsprgramme t prvide incentives rreducing emissins rm derestatinand investing in lw-carbn paths tsustainable develpment.

As a cncept, REDD is simple.Funding rewards gd restmanagement in develping cuntries

and makes pr rest management, suchas indiscriminate unenrced lgging, lesspritable than the sustainable alternative.At the mment, REDD prvides paymentst prevent derestatin r degradatinthat wuld therwise have taken place. Thisunding can cme rm carbn trading,where industrialised cuntries set theirwn emissins by transerring unds ascarbn credits t develping cuntries. or it

can be anther mechanism such as a trustund, which des nt depend n sets. Thepayments then, in principle, enable develpingcuntries t cnserve r sustainably usetheir rests (r example, thrugh mreapprpriate harvesting wd and therrest prducts), when they might therwisent have been able t d s.

Thse prmting REDD see it as a way tsupprt rest cnservatin and a lw-cst

mechanism r reducing carbn emissins.Critics argue that industrialised cuntriesmust nt be abslved their respnsibilitiest cut carbn dixide emissins. There arecncerns, t, abut the negative impactspayments might have n cmmunities thatdepend n rests, primarily thrugh urtherweakening their land and resurce rights.There are als ptential and cmplex linkswith agriculture. Limiting the expansin

agriculture culd aect the supply dand ther agricultural prducts.

What appears t be a relativelystraightrward slutin t climate change paying t keep rests standing is much mrecmplex. Because REDD is inseparable rm thehighly cmplex scial, ecnmic and bilgicalrealities rests tday, it remains cntrversial.

For more information: www.n-redd.orgi

Lgging in West Arica

JamesMayers/IIED


33/40



Are we verlkingbimass energy?

Biomass is an important sorce of energy in developing contries is it a viablealternative to fossil fels?

by Keith Openshaw

IS BIoMASS the Cinderella uels? Few energy

planners, develpmentbanks and plicy makerstreat bimass as a legitimaterm energy. But it is theprincipal surce energyin develping cuntries.Bimass is derived rmliving, r recently living,rganisms, and includeswd, vegetative waste,

dung and their prducts suchas charcal, alchl uelsand bigas. It is a surce renewable energy and aversatile carbn based uelthat can be grwn n eventhe prest sils. It des nt increase emissins greenhuse gases when ptimal energycnversin prcesses are used.

The cnventinal view bimass is

that it is an unsustainable and pllutingtraditinal uel that must be replaced bymdern energy, such as ssil uel-basedelectricity, i rapid develpment is t ccur.But calculatins reveal that there is mrethan suicient bimass, nt nly t maintainpresent cnsumptin, but als t expand itsuse cnsiderably. A principal cause glbalwarming is the increased use ssil uels.And the recent dramatic price rises in ssil

uels make them a vlatileand insecure energy

surce. Therere, ratherthan prmting energyplicies based n ssiluels, imprving end-useeiciency, encuragingcnservatin and makingrenewable bimass mrecnvenient are the mstsensible strategies t pursue.

Bimass use and

availability shuld besupprted by:

Including bimass inenergy plicies as arenewable rm energy

Basing planning n accurate measures bimass yields and demands

Reducing derestatin thrugh integratedrural develpment

Increasing supprt t small-scale bimassenergy prducers Investing in bimass training, research and

develpment.

For frther information please contact KeithOpenshaw 2430 Shenandoah St., Vienna, VA22180, uSA. Tel. + (1) 703 876 5306; [email protected]@gmail.com

i

Sacks charcal and uelwd r saleat radside in suth Malawi

WILDLIFE/M.Bolton/StillPictres


34/40


Innvatins

Transrmative educatinr nmads

Pastoralists have always lived with change, bt the crrent pace and scale of

change is nprecedented. Diversification and adaptation are key to ensring

the ftre of pastoralism, which mst be reflected in the edcation system

by Se Cavanna

USING UNCERTAINTY cnstructively is thebasis r scenari planning. This apprachasks cmmunities t imagine multiple uturesand cnsider hw they might be inluenced.Pastralists are already skilled in managinguncertainty and turning it t their advantage,since the unpredictability rainall ischaracteristic the drylands in which they live.During these discussins the views decisinmakers are analysed at cmmunity leveltriggering a deep prcess relectin. Thrughthis prcess pastralists see themselves asagents change rather than passive recipients,subject t external decisins. Cmmunity viewselicited rm this prcess can g n t inluencenatinal plicy and resurce allcatin,allwing pastralists t advcate r the uturethey desire.

In Kenya, the gvernment with supprt rmIIED, has been using this apprach with pastralcmmunities t analyse their situatin and planr the uture. As a result, pastral cmmunitieshave identiied educatin as a key challenge.Educatin as it is ered nw underminespastralism; parents must chse betweeneducatin and herding r their children.Accrding t the cmmunity The educatinalsystem that its us will be the ne that llws us,that llws ur animals. Thrugh discussin

and debate with pastralists determined thatdistance learning via radi is an ideal ptin asit will allw them t remain mbile, sustainingtheir livelihds, whilst receiving an educatin.

But educatin r nmads is nt just abutapprpriate delivery the service. Thecurriculum itsel must als supprt the pastralistsystem and adjustments t the existing schlsyllabus must be made. What children learnshuld inspire them t be pastralists, what theylearn shuld be relevant t nmad prductin.Pastralists believe that an educatin systemsuited t their needs will be transrmative enhancing their livelihds. Adults and yuthspeciically request educatin that allws themt understand their rle as citizens, and becmepart a wider natinal sciety.

Email: [email protected] visitwww.iied.org/climate-change/key-isses/drylands/edcation-for-nomads.See also p38, this isse.

i

SueCavannawrks in the Saheliandrylands with nmadic pastralists.She crdinates the Educatin rNmads Prgramme which usesscenari planning t elicit pastralviews and engagement in aGvernment Kenya initiative teducate nmads.


35/40


Innvatins

Pastralists picture land use

Combining traditional knowledge with geo-spatial technology is an effective toolto protect pastoral livelihoods

Massimiliano Rossi and Italo Rizzi

IN GENERAL researchers use participatrymapping techniques t understand changingland patterns and preserve indigenusknwledge. Althugh cmmunity maps areten little mre than lines drawn in the sand,r sketches n paper, they play a key rlein giving cmmunities the chance t expresstheir needs and understand the delicatebalances n which their livelihds are based.But subjectivity and incnsistency in spatialrepresentatin, especially when lking ata large area land, mean that cmmunitymaps are nly limited use when they areused utside the riginal village r read byther users. The questin is hw t translatesymbls n a piece paper in a way that canbe understd by everyne. one slutin is tinvlve the cmmunities in the interpretatin high reslutin satellite images.

The Lay Vlunteer Internatinal Assciatin(LVIA) tested this methdlgy wrking withpastralists in Myale and Miy woredas(districts) suthern Ethipia at the beginning April 2009. The prject based their wrk ncmmunity maps, but substituted a piece paper with ge-reerenced maps and remtely-sensed imagery. In cmbinatin with satelliteimages, the cmmunity members were askedt identiy a variety eatures n the maps.

The team discvered that ater nly aew minutes explanatin, pastralistsculd cnsistently and accurately interpreteatures n the maps and satellite images.Wmen in particular shwed a great ability

and accuracy r lcating eatures suchas cultivated land and private enclsures.Men were mre reliable in pinting utadministrative bundaries, while the yunglivestck scuts culd quickly recgnizemigratin rutes.

By cmbining the input the dierentgrups, the team was able t gather cmpleteand accurate inrmatin n inrastructure,the lcatins wet and dry grazing areas,livestck migratin rutes, water surcesand administrative bundaries, as well asdetailed inrmatin n the sharing naturalresurces acrss multiple territrial units.

The team manually entered all the datathey had cllected int a GIS (gegraphicinrmatin system) prgramme. They thenprduced a number psters and mapswhich they tk back t the cmmunitiest veriy the details. once cllated, the inalresults will be used by lcal and centralgvernments t supprt planning initiatives, tmanage vulnerable water surces and, witha better understanding the cmmunities

needs and land use patterns, t prtect thelivelihds pastralists.

MassimilianoRossiis the prject leader andItaloRizziis a prject fce crdinatr at LVIAwww.lvia.it

See also Participatory Learning and Actionno. 54 Mapping for change: Practice,technologies and commnication. www.iied.org/pbs/display.php?o=14507IIED

i


36/40


Innvatins

Eradicating East Cast FeverMILLIoNS oF AFRICAN amilies culd be savedrm destitutin thanks t a much-neededvaccine that is being mass-prduced in a drivet prtect cattle against a deadly parasite. EastCast Fever is a tick-transmitted disease that killsne cw every 30 secnds with ne millin ayear dying the disease. In herds kept by thepastral Maasai peple, the disease kills rm20 t ver 50% all unvaccinated calves. Thismakes it diicult and ten impssible r herderst plan r the uture, t imprve their livestckenterprises and raise their standard living.

East Cast Fever puts the lives mre than25 millin cattle at risk in the 11 cuntrieswhere the disease is nw endemic, andendangers a urther 10 millin animals in newregins such as suthern Sudan, where thedisease has been spreading at a rate mrethan 30 kilmetres a year.

The immunizatin prcedure calledinectin-and-treatment because theanimals are inected with whle parasiteswhile being treated with antibitics t stpthe disease develping has prved highlyeective. Hwever, initial stcks prducedin the 1990s recently ran lw. Therere, it iscritical that sustainable cmmercial systemsr vaccine prductin, distributin anddelivery are established.

With UK16.5 millin prvided by DFIDand the Bill & Melinda Gates Fundatin,the charity GALVmed is stering innvativecmmercial means t ensure that the vaccineis made available, accessible and ardablet livestck keepers wh need it mst, and tscale up its prductin r the uture.www.galvmed.rg/path-t-prgress

Slar drip irrigatin in BeninSoLAR-PoWERED drip irrigatin systemssigniicantly enhance husehld incmes andnutritinal intake villagers in arid sub-SaharanArica, accrding t a new Stanrd Universitystudy published in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The study und that slar-pwered pumpsinstalled in remte villages in Benin were acst-eective way delivering irrigatin,

particularly during the lng dry seasn. Theresearch team mnitred three 0.5 hectaresites with slar-pwered drip irrigatin systemsinstalled in Kalal district. The systems, whichuse phtvltaic pumps t deliver grundwater,were inanced and installed by the SlarElectric Light Fund (SELF), a nn-gvernmentalrganisatin. Althugh the cst installing thiskind slar energy is expensive, these systemshave lng lietimes and in the medium term cst

less than liquid uel-based pumping systems.In 2007, the research team cllabrated

with lcal wmens agricultural grups intw villages, with striking results. Three slar-pwered irrigatin systems supplied n average1.9 metric tns prduce per mnth, includingtmates, kra, peppers, aubergine, carrts andther greens. Wmen wh used slar-pweredirrigatin became strng net prducers in

vegetables with extra incme earned rm salesincreasing their purchases staples and prteinduring the dry seasn, and il during the rainyseasn. During the irst year peratin, thewmen armers kept an average 18% byweight the prduce grwn with the slar-pwered systems r hme cnsumptin andsld the rest in lcal markets. Dwnlad ullarticle at http://tiny.cc/4jb6p and watch viden www.yutube.cm/watch?v=RTtBEb-NRs


37/40

Bks & resurces


Farmer ViceRadi is anetwrk radibradcasters,agriculturalexperts, andarmers whichprvides millins small armersa brad variety agriculture-related radi prgramming.

Small armers accunt r 60% allarmers in sub-Saharan Arica, making them acritical cmpnent r establishing ecnmicgrwth and d security n the cntinent.Radi is the mst ar-reaching, lw-cst, andubiquitus mass-medium in Arica. FarmerVice Radi will deliver vibrant, relevantagricultural prgramming t help smallarmers ind the best sil and seed varieties,cnserve natural resurces, increase crp

yields, and gain access t lucrative markets.Initially, the prject will begin in Kenya and

Malawi bere expanding t Uganda, Mali,Ghana and Tanzania.

www.iied.org/pbs/display.

php?o=11502IIED

i

Climate change

in Arica

Climate change isa majr challenge

r us all, but rArican cuntriesit represents aparticular threat.This bk utlinescurrent thinkingand evidenceand the impactthat such achange will

have n Aricasdevelpment prspects. Glbal warmingabve the level 2C wuld be enrmuslydamaging r prer parts the wrld,leading t crises with crps,

haramata, bulletin of the drylands

Documents