Sub-Saharan Africa / Afrique subsaharienne

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    Why wait for the state? : using the CFS Tenure Guidelines to recalibrate the political-legal terrain in struggles for human rights and democratic control of land, fisheries and forests
    (2017-12) Franco, Jennifer; Monsalve Suarez, Sofia
    Grassroots organizations do not need to wait for the state to implement Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (Tenure Guidelines or TGs). Rural communities can take governance into their own hands and use TGs as a tool for investigation, reflection and action. The challenge is how to take the next step: under what conditions can TGs provide the rural poor with resources to organize and mobilize? This article provides an overview of new efforts by the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC) to assist in debate and mobilization.
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    Bottom-up accountability initiatives and large scale land acquisition in sub-saharan Africa : final technical report
    (2017-11) Monsalve Suarez, Sofia
    Understanding and interpretation of the CFS/FAO Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (Tenure Guidelines or TGs) is a key factor in communities’ capabilities for collective action, especially through the organization of land pressure groups. TGs help people to engage critically with existing legal frameworks. In this study, community knowledge was enhanced regarding customary as well as statutory laws which protect rights, while enabling people to identify shortcomings/gaps/bias in the existing laws working against them. It also emerged that issues of land grabs similarly engender the grabbing of other resources like water, forests and pasture.
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    Bottom-up accountability initiatives and large scale land acquisition in sub-saharan Africa : project synthesis report
    (2017-11) Monsalve Suarez, Sofia
    Undemocratic politics, policy making and law making interpretation and implementation, prove to be drivers of land grabbing in the four country studies presented here. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (CFS/FAO) Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (Tenure Guidelines or TGs), albeit “soft” law, are being used by local communities for bottom-up accountability against land grabbing. Land deals are marked by highly contested political processes – usually between the central state, local communities and the corporate sector. This report summarises findings of research on accountability in Large Scale Land Acquisition (land grabbing) in Africa.
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    Toolkit for participatory action research
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-09) Hall, Ruth; Brent, Zoe; Franco, Jenny; Isaacs, Moenieba; Shegro, Tsegaye
    This project brings the international soft law instrument, the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of the Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests (Tenure Guidelines or TGs) to rural communities and, together with them, uses the Guidelines to strengthen their tenure of land, fisheries and forests. As well, it provides policy-relevant knowledge on how to promote legitimacy and accountability of public authorities involved in land grabs. The goal of the Toolkit is to help users to produce outputs which are politically relevant and useful. Also provided are some tools and frameworks which can be developed to advance specific Action Research projects.
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    Using the tenure guidelines for action research : a primer
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-07)
    As part of a collaborative project to strengthen the capacity of grassroots communities in Mali, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa, this practical guide focuses on accountability and accountability politics in the global rush to grab land, water and other natural resources. Through action research, threatened communities can determine causes, conditions, and consequences that will inform collective action and advocacy, in particular by using the CFS/FAO Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (Tenure Guidelines or TGs). This first international ‘soft law’ instrument focuses on economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) and their application to local governance.
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    Building bottom-up accountability in an era of land grabbing in sub-saharan Africa : policy points and recommendations from Nigeria, Uganda, Mali and South Africa
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-09)
    This policy brief outlines recommendations resulting from a three-year action research programme undertaken by civil society organizations in collaboration with threatened communities of smallholder farmers and fishers. Through participatory action research, local organizations and communities used The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (Tenure Guidelines or TGs) to analyse and assess unjust situations regarding the governance of their land and resources, and to point the way forward in terms of advocacy and democratic land control. Rights advocacy and access to resources must include women and youths.
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    Bottom-up accountability initiatives to claim tenure rights in sub-saharan Africa : country report on South Africa
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-09) Joshua, Michelle; Isaacs, Moeniba; Dennis, Tracey
    The research project uses the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of land, fisheries and forests (VGGT or Tenure Guidelines) as a tool to assess the impact of various governance frameworks on small scale fishing communities. It uses the Tenure Guidelines to empower communities to protect their rights in the context of promoting food sovereignty. This case illustrates how Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) impact small scale fishers’ tenure rights, and how communities can resist and negotiate the challenges of exclusion. In terms of human rights, small-scale fishers continue to be marginalized.
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    Securing community tenure rights to land in Betem, Akpet, Idoma and Akampa in Cross River State, Nigeria
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-09) Uyi Ojo, Godwin; Uwagie-Ero, Adesuwa; Tokunbor, Nosa
    The study focuses on impacts of PZ Wilmar’s acquisition of nearly 30,000 hectares of land. Wilmar is a multinational company involved in land grabbing cases related to oil palm plantations in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study shows the extent of Wilmar’s infringement on communal land rights, examining cases of eviction and destruction of livelihoods. Findings show that the four communities studied suffered from increasing food prices, deficits of local staple foods, evictions and displacement of poor farmers. Severe loss of biodiversity due to pollution and unsustainable environmental practices was observed. Recommendations outline effective community action and advocacy.
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    Initiatives communautaires de redevabilité pour revendiquer les droits fonciers en Afrique sub-saharienne
    (FIAN International, Heidelberg, 2017-09) Jacovetti, Chantal; Kone, Massa
    Ces dernières années, les communautés sont confrontées de plus en plus aux accaparements de terres tant au niveau urbain et périurbain qu’au niveau rural facilités par la complicité des élites et les dysfonctionnements administratifs, en particulier en « omettant » d’appliquer les droits fonciers coutumiers pourtant reconnu dans le Code Domanial et Foncier (CDF) du Mali. Cette injustice a créé de nombreux conflits fonciers. Ce sont des territoires, des écosystèmes, des identités communautaires, la souveraineté alimentaire voire nationale qui sont menacés. La Convergence Malienne contre les Accaparements de Terres (CMAT), composée de 5 structures d’envergures nationales (AOPP, CAD-MALI, CNOP, LJDH et l’UACDDDD), travaille avec les communautés des villages Fonsira et Dalla pour trouver des solutions concrètes tant sur le terrain qu’au niveau des textes législatifs, en s’appuyant notamment sur les directives des régimes fonciers du CSA de la FAO.
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    Flooding in the suburbs of Dakar : impacts on the assets and adaptation strategies of households or communities
    (International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 2015) Cissé, Oumar; Sèye, Moustapha
    Since 2005, Senegal has experienced severe and recurrent flooding. In Pikine, the most populous suburb of Dakar, the 2009 floods affected a third of the population. The government mobilized major investment for drainage and water retention infrastructure, as well as for development of resettlement sites for affected households. However, little is known about the responses, expectations and solutions of those affected. To address this gap we examine the experiences of people living in the commune of Yeumbeul Nord in the city of Pikine around the flood events of 2005, 2009 and 2012. In response to flood hazard and its impact, local residents developed a set of actions to preserve their housing, workplace, goods, family health and security, and children’s schooling. Household mobilization was focused on flood water management and physical adaptations, including raising septic tanks and toilets. Affected households preferred the strategy of housing upgrading and neighbourhood improvement over the option of resettlement.
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    Projet de Renforcement des connaissances Économiques et de Capacité d'Adaptation aux changements climatiques au Bénin - PRECAB : rapport technique final (avril 2011 - juin 2014)
    (Initiatives pour un Développement Intégré Durable (IDID), Porto-Novo, BJ, 2014-11) Initiatives pour un Développement Intégré Durable (IDID)
    Le projet initié par l’ONG Initiatives pour un Développement durable (IDID) « Renforcement des connaissances économiques et de la capacité d'adaptation face aux changements climatiques au Bénin » (PRECAB) vise à améliorer la capacité d’adaptation et la résilience des communautés locales afin les impacts négatifs des changements climatiques sur la sécurité alimentaire et la pauvreté en milieu rural au Bénin. Ce projet est l’un des sept financés grâce à l’initiative des Centres de Recherche sur l’Adaptation (CRAA) du Centre de Recherches pour le Développement International (CRDI) pour une durée de trois ans (2011-2013). Le projet s’est appuyé sur les résultats obtenus par le projet de renforcement des capacités d'adaptation des acteurs ruraux béninois face aux changements climatiques (avril 2007 – avril 2011) financé par le programme Adaptation aux Changements Climatiques en Afrique (ACCA) du CRDI et DFID. Il a été mis en oeuvre en collaboration avec l’Institut National des Recherches Agronomiques du Bénin (INRAB) et le Ministère en charge de l’Agriculture (MAEP) avec pour bénéficiaires ultimes les agriculteurs (trices), élus locaux, cadres techniques et chefs services déconcentrés de l’Etat. Il s’est agi pour ce projet de mettre en exergue les modèles culturels de prévision du climat, de faire une analyse économique de l’adaptation aux changements climatiques et d’évaluer l’impact économique des changements climatiques sur les revenus agricoles. Pour y parvenir, une combinaison d’approches intégrant la perception paysanne, des analyses descriptives, les modèles probit, le modèle ricardien et la méthode des scores de propension a été utilisée. En matière de connaissances endogènes, il faut noter qu’elles se fondent sur une série d’observations systématiques des phénomènes naturels qui finissent par régir une loi universelle mais non scientifiquement démontrée. Plusieurs indicateurs naturels (espèces d’arbres, d’oiseaux, mouvement de constellation et lunaire) ont été répertoriés au sein des chefs traditionnels, des communautés paysannes en particuliers les producteurs du troisième âge très expérimentés qui détiennent ces connaissances et qui ont vécus plusieurs périodes d’évènements climatiques ou risques climatiques depuis les années 1950 à nos jours. La limite de ces savoirs endogènes c’est leur manque de corrélation des faits. C’est ce que la science tentera de faire en vue de leur valorisation et leur intégration dans les bases scientifiques des prévisions saisonnières. En outre, diverses stratégies sont pratiquées par les producteurs pour faire face aux risques climatiques parmi lesquelles on retrouve principalement la mise en oeuvre de plan de conservation du sol, l’utilisation de plantes améliorantes, le changement de variétés/cultures, le changement de champ pour produire à un autre endroit, le changement de date de semi/semis échelonné et la plantation d’arbres / reforestation. Il importe de faire remarquer que la probabilité que les hommes s’adaptent aux changements climatiques est supérieure de 13 points à celle des femmes. Ceci pourrait s’expliquer par le fait que les femmes ont relativement moins accès aux ressources productives (terres, capital, main-d’oeuvre, etc.) que les hommes. Elles ont donc moins de marges de manoeuvre par rapport aux hommes. Il s’ensuit que les femmes pourraient subir les affres des changements climatiques plus que les hommes. Les producteurs qui ont accès aux informations sur le changement climatique ont tendance à adopter des stratégies d’adaptation aux changements climatiques. En particulier, la participation aux Champs Ecoles Paysans (CEP) a une influence positive sur l’adaptation au changement climatique.
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    Ouaga focus, no. 4, 2014 / L'accès à l'eau en zone non lotie : la réalité cachée
    (Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP), Université de Ouagadougou, 2014) Université de Ouagadougou. Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
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    Ouaga focus, no. 4, 2014 / Access to water in informal settlements : the hidden reality
    (Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP), University of Ouagadougou, 2014) University of Ouagadougou. Institut Supérieur des Sciences de la Population (ISSP)
    The Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance (Ouaga-HDSS) selected areas to study problems of the urban poor, and to test innovative programs aiming to promote their well-being. This study focuses on urban populations’ access to water, including distance covered to fetch water. In three informal settlements monitored by the project, one in five households did not have access to an improved water source. Among households supplied through a collective water source such as a stand pipe or borehole, approximately half of the populations surveyed did not have access to basic minimum requirements.
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    Multi-actor flood governance in Cape Town's informal settlements unpacking the barriers to collaborative governance
    (ICLEI, 2014) Waddell, J.; Ziervogel, G.
    This conference paper suggests that unclear roles and responsibilities, lack of monitoring mechanisms, unclear definitions of flooding, and lack of human resources are significant barriers to collaborative flood governance in Cape Town. It draws on qualitative data collected in Cape Town as part of a broader research project to understand how floods are managed in the city’s high flood-risk informal settlements. Although cooperation to prevent disaster is the ideal– in practice it is difficult to achieve between multiple actors with diverse interests and capacities. This research formed part of the broader Flooding in Cape Town under Climate Risk (FliCCR) project.
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    Adapting to flooding impacts in Yeumbeul Nord, a suburb of Dakar, Senegal : generation of knowledge and of mapping data at the crossroads of a need for the territorialization of spatialized phenomena
    (ICLEI, 2014) Kedowide, C.M.G.; Cissé, O.
    The pilot project on the Yeumbeul Nord Commune faced unavailability of spatialized data, without which a flood analysis could not be done. Therefore, the approaches and tools used for the territorialisation of the project included co-construction of basic maps, localization in the Global Positioning System and use of the geographic information system (GIS).
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    Vers une collectivité productive à Malika (Sénégal) : une expérience d'aménagement participatif; rapport technique final (1 octobre 2008 au 31 mars 2013)
    (École d'architecture, Université Laval, Québec, QC, CA, 2013-07) Casault, André; Piché, Denise
    Ce rapport fait état d’un projet de recherche-action d’une durée de quatre années, mené à Malika, une commune de la banlieue de Dakar. Ce projet porte sur l’aménagement participatif d’un cadre bâti sain, durable, inclusif et culturellement adapté pour soutenir des collectivités productives en périphérie urbaine, là où la production agricole et la nature doivent s’harmoniser avec une urbanisation souvent informelle. En plus de documenter la forme et l’évolution des milieux informels et les dynamiques d’aménagement qui y sont à l’oeuvre, le projet a déployé, dans le quartier jouxtant la seule décharge de Dakar, une stratégie et divers outils d’aménagement participatif en vue d’une plus grande prise en charge par la collectivité de l’aménagement de son milieu de vie. Il a aussi mené trois projets laboratoires afin d’étudier les effets de transformations du cadre bâti sur les pratiques productives et le bien-être, ainsi que la durabilité et l’efficacité des pratiques constructives et aménagistes : il s’agit de la Maison des femmes de Malika, des porcheries domestiques du quartier Santiaba et de l’espace public du quartier Diamalaye. Les résultats mettent en évidence la complexité des dynamiques à l’oeuvre dans les milieux dits informels, la nécessité d’adapter tous les cadres d’intervention aux pratiques qui y ont cours et le potentiel de transformation des pratiques constructives sans générer de coûts supplémentaires pour les ménages. Ils questionnent également les logiques de projets de développement et des approches participatives selon l’échelle de l’intervention visée et comment elle se déploie dans le temps. La diffusion des résultats prend la forme de films, d’expositions, de guides d’intervention, de livres pour enfants, en plus de communications et de publications universitaires.
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    Synthesis of findings and assessment of gaps in research and policy : urban areas, agriculture and health
    (Future Agricultures, University of Sussex, Brighton, GB, 2014-08) Naess, Lars Otto; Jalloh, Abdulai; Faye, Mbène Dièye; Njoya, Aboubakar; Roy-Macauley, Harold
    Linkages between research and policy are determined by a complex set of factors, including how the issue is framed, how it enters the policy processes, and importantly, who supports or champions particular actions or types of interventions. The report documents how and to what extent climate change and urban, health, and agricultural concerns have been integrated, both in climate change specific policies and in respective sector policies. There is a need for more focus on gender‐sensitive approaches to interventions on climate and health in cross‐sectoral disaster risk reduction and preventive health strategies.
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    Review of research and policies for climate change adaptation in the health sector in West Africa
    (Future Agricultures, University of Sussex, Brighton, GB, 2014-04) Doumbia, Seydou; Jalloh, Abdulai; Diouf, Aliou
    West Africa’s vulnerability to climate change is related to a high regional reliance on climate-sensitive economic activities such as rain-fed agriculture, livestock rearing, fisheries and forestry. Socioeconomic vulnerability correlates with poor health conditions in the region. Some climate-sensitive diseases and disease vectors are discussed. Meanwhile the analysis reveals that the West African region is already suffering from health impacts of climate change. A cross-disciplinary research agenda needs to be developed to enhance understanding of the health effects of climate change in different eco-climatic settings within West African countries, linking meteorology, climatology, and other relevant sectors.
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    Review of research and policies for climate change adaptation in urban areas of West Africa
    (Future Agricultures, University of Sussex, Brighton, GB, 2014-04) Sanni, Maruf; Jalloh, Abdulai; Diouf, Aliou
    Because the people who are directly impacted by climate change are ‘local’, as such, adaptation strategies to increase resilience of vulnerable populations must also be ‘local’. This should be carried out within the context of urban climate change frameworks and dynamics. The scope of this report is to review climate change adaptation research and policy pertaining to the urban sector, including the relationships between water resources and gender in the West African sub-region.