Your search found 44 records
1 German, L. A.; Bonanno, A. M.; Foster, L. C.; Cotula, L. 2020. “Inclusive business” in agriculture: evidence from the evolution of agricultural value chains. World Development, 134:105018. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105018]
Agribusiness ; Value chains ; Smallholders ; Agrarian reform ; Food security ; Business models ; Land governance ; Living standards ; Social aspects ; Inclusion ; Industrialization ; Policies ; Political aspects ; Perishable products ; Crops ; Cassava ; Coffee ; Palm oils ; Markets ; Households ; Women / Africa South of Sahara / East Africa / Southern Africa / Europe / South East Asia / Latin America / South America / Brazil / Peru
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049773)
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049773.pdf
(0.57 MB)
Sustained interest by the business community in commercial agriculture in the global South has been welcomed for its potential to bring capital into long neglected rural areas, but has also raised concerns over implications for customary land rights and the terms of integration of local land and labor into global supply chains. In global development policy and discourse, the concept of “inclusive business” has become central in efforts to resolve these tensions, with the idea that integrating smallholders and other disadvantaged actors into partnerships with agribusiness firms can generate benefits for national economies, private investors, and local livelihoods. Scholarly treatment of the topic has tended to be polarized into win/lose narratives, or points to the contingency and social differentiation of localized experiences. This review paper takes a different approach, exploring published evidence on the structural factors shaping agricultural value chains and their implications for social inclusion. We develop a typology of seven agricultural value chains, and use this to select a sample of crops in specific world regions for an analysis of how structural factors in value chain relations - from crop features, to market dynamics and policy drivers – affect social inclusion (and exclusion). Such an approach allows us to ask whether inclusive agribusiness is a realistic goal given the broader structuring of agribusiness and the global economic system. Our study finds that while the characteristics of specific crops and supply chains exert a strong influence on opportunities and constraints to inclusion, the overall trend is towards more exclusive agribusiness as governments scale back support to smallholders, more stringent standards raise barriers to entry, and firms streamline operations to enhance competitiveness. This raises questions about the feasibility of this goal under the current political economic system. Findings point to the need to re-consider the policy choices behind these trends, and how we deploy the fiscal, legislative, and gate-keeper functions of the state to shape agrarian trajectories.

2 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2020. IWMI Gender and Inclusion Strategy 2020-2023: new landscapes of water equality and inclusion. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 16p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.205]
Gender equality ; Inclusion ; Strategies ; Organizational change ; Water security ; Water systems ; Digital innovation ; Data management ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Social inequalities ; Equity ; Women ; Social development ; Empowerment ; Structural change ; Climate change ; Resilience ; Risk reduction ; Food systems ; Ecosystems ; Water use ; Multiple use ; Agricultural research for development ; Research programmes ; CGIAR ; Research institutions ; Intervention ; Stakeholders ; Policies ; Knowledge management ; Capacity building
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049876)
https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/About_IWMI/PDF/iwmi-gender-and-inclusion-strategy-2020-2023.pdf
(1.16 MB)

3 Neal, M. J. 2020. COVID-19 and water resources management: reframing our priorities as a water sector. Water International, 45(5):435-440. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2020.1773648]
Water resources ; Water management ; Coronavirus disease ; Pandemics ; Sanitation ; Hygiene ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Water governance ; Gender equality ; Inclusion ; Urban areas ; Communities
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049909)
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049909.pdf
(0.45 MB)

4 International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2020. IWMI Annual report 2019. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 60p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.208]
Water management ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Food security ; Ecosystems ; Climate change adaptation ; Resilience ; Gender ; Inclusion ; Women ; Digital innovation ; Water resources ; Groundwater management ; Wastewater ; Irrigation programs ; Resource recovery ; Water use ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Farm income ; Disaster risk management ; Crop insurance ; Agriculture ; Economic aspects ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Collaboration ; Partnerships / Africa / Central Asia / South Asia / South East Asia / Myanmar
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H049940)
https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/About_IWMI/Strategic_Documents/Annual_Reports/2020/iwmi-annual-report-2019.pdf
(3.65 MB)

5 van Koppen, Barbara; Molose, V.; Phasha, K.; Bophela, T.; Modiba, I.; White, M.; Magombeyi, Manuel S.; Jacobs-Mata, Inga. 2020. Guidelines for community-led multiple use water services: evidence from rural South Africa. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 36p. (IWMI Working Paper 194) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.213]
Multiple use water services ; Water supply ; Co-management ; Guidelines ; Rural communities ; Communal irrigation systems ; Small scale systems ; Planning ; Participatory approaches ; Integrated management ; Water resources ; Water management ; Water storage ; Water quality ; Infrastructure ; Boreholes ; Construction ; Innovation ; Technical aid ; Collaboration ; Costs ; Financing ; Institutions ; Capacity building ; State intervention ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Decision making ; Climate change adaptation ; Women's participation ; Inclusion ; Labour ; Wages ; Villages ; Households / South Africa / Sekhukhune / Vhembe / Ga Mokgotho / Ga Moela / Phiring / Ha Gumbu / Khalavha / Tshakhuma
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050124)
https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Working_Papers/working/wor194.pdf
(3.74 MB)
The African Water Facility, together with the Water Research Commission, South Africa, as its implementing agent, supported the demonstration project Operationalizing community-led Multiple Use water Services (MUS) in South Africa. As knowledge broker and research partner in this project, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) analyzed processes and impacts at the local level, where the nongovernmental organization Tsogang Water and Sanitation demonstrated community-led MUS in six diverse rural communities in two of the poorest districts of South Africa, Sekhukhune and Vhembe districts - Ga Mokgotho, Ga Moela and Phiring in the Sekhukhune District Municipality, and Tshakhuma, Khalavha and Ha Gumbu in Vhembe District Municipality. In conventional water infrastructure projects, external state or non-state agencies plan, diagnose, design and prioritize solutions, mobilize funding, and implement the procurement of materials, recruitment of workers and construction. However, this MUS project facilitated decision-making by communities, and provided technical and institutional advice and capacity development. Based on IWMI’s evidence, tools and manuals, the project team organized learning alliances and policy dialogues from municipal to national level on the replication of community-led MUS by water services authorities; government departments of water, agriculture, and others; employment generation programs; climate and disaster management; and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
This working paper synthesizes the lessons learned about the six steps of the community-led MUS process in all six communities. The step-wise process appeared to be welcome and effective across the board. The duration of the process and the costs of facilitation, technical and institutional capacity development, and engineering advice and quality control were comparable to conventional approaches. However, the respective responsibilities of the government and communities, also in longer-term co-management arrangements, depended on the type of infrastructure. Some communities were supported to improve their communal self supply systems. In other communities, the process enabled an extension of the reticulation of borehole systems owned, operated and maintained by municipalities. Almost all households used water supplies at homesteads for multiple purposes, underscoring synergies in cross-sectoral collaboration between the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and irrigation sectors.

6 CGIAR System Organization. 2020. Responding to COVID-19: CGIAR's contribution to global response, recovery and resilience. Montpellier, France: CGIAR System Organization. 48p.
COVID-19 ; Pandemics ; CGIAR ; Research programmes ; Agricultural research ; Food security ; Nutrition security ; Resilience ; Food systems ; Value chains ; Water systems ; Livelihoods ; Poverty ; Gender equality ; Public health ; Environmental health ; Social protection ; Inclusion ; Sustainability ; Policies ; Investment ; Income ; Strategies ; Economic impact
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049854)
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/108548/CGIAR-Responding-to-COVID-19.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049854.pdf
(2.81 MB) (2.81 MB)
The COVID-19 pandemic, itself likely the result of unsustainable food, land and water systems, is exposing weaknesses in food systems, societies and economies around the world. The health risks of the pandemic, combined with the social and economic impacts of measures to stop the spread of the disease (e.g. social isolation directives, travel bans, border closures) are posing threats to food, nutrition and water security, as well as continued progress on global goals to end poverty and hunger, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Without substantial emergency relief, 140 million people could fall into extreme poverty, potentially increasing hunger and malnutrition for millions. Women, youth, migrant workers and poor urban populations are among those most significantly impacted. The global response to the pandemic must be swift and science-based, harnessing new and existing knowledge. Solutions need to be coordinated across sectors to provide immediate response and assistance for those most in need, ongoing and inclusive support in recovery and, perhaps most importantly, future resilience to all shocks–including climate extremes. The COVID-19 crisis presents an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to “build back better,” particularly in the food systems at the root of the pandemic. The crisis has demonstrated how quickly society can fail – but also that collective positive change in human behavior is possible at scale and speed. CGIAR will join its network of partners to co-lead global debate and action on what “building back better” looks like for food, water and land systems.

7 Patnaik, H. (Akanksha). 2021. Gender and participation in community based adaptation: evidence from the decentralized climate funds project in Senegal. World Development, 142:105448. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105448]
Gender ; Women's participation ; Climate change adaptation ; Community involvement ; Decision making ; Inclusion ; Vulnerability ; Resilience ; Villages ; Households ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Income generation / Africa / Senegal / Kaffrine
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050282)
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050282.pdf
(0.82 MB)
Efforts to promote inclusive participation in community-based adaptation projects highlight the importance of giving those most vulnerable to climate change a voice. This paper explores the involvement and inclusion of women in participatory spaces in the Decentralized Climate Funds pilot project in Senegal to evaluate whether only the voices and demands of the powerful and vocal few were raised and heard. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the paper explores and analyzes the factors motivating and constraining women’s active and empowered meaningful participation. The findings reveal that women in the Kaffrine region of Senegal experienced different levels of participation in community decision-making, ranging from nominal and passive participation to active and substantive participation. Results highlight that women’s social capital and networks, community-level recognition of women’s role in income generation, and favorable intrahousehold power dynamics were instrumental in encouraging active and empowered participation. The paper finds that the community-based adaptation approach of devolving decision-making to the community level is by itself not sufficient to ensure that women can meaningfully access the participatory process. Future community-based adaptation initiatives can improve their approach and ensure that women are able to voice their needs by understanding the local gender dynamics and designing projects to acknowledge and work within those dynamics.

8 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2020. Faecal sludge management in Africa: socioeconomic aspects and human and environmental health implications. Nairobi, Kenya: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 64p.
Faecal sludge ; Waste management ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Environmental health ; Public health ; Health hazards ; Wastewater treatment ; Waste disposal ; Recycling ; Treatment plants ; Excreta ; Pathogens ; Septic tanks ; Pit latrines ; Sanitation ; Value chains ; Trends ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Good practices ; Technology ; Business models ; Gender ; Women ; Inclusion ; Institutions ; Legal aspects / Africa South of Sahara / West Africa / East Africa / North Africa / Southern Africa / Senegal / Burkina Faso / Uganda / South Africa / Mozambique / Benin / Ghana / Dakar / Ouagadougou / Kampala / Durban / Maputo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050374)
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/34350/FSM.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050374.pdf
(12.10 MB) (12.1 MB)

9 Theis, S.; Bekele, R. D.; Lefore, Nicole; Meinzen-Dick, R.; Ringler, C. 2018. Considering gender when promoting small-scale irrigation technologies: guidance for inclusive irrigation interventions. Washington, DC, USA: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). 8p. (IFPRI-REACH Project Note)
Farmer-led irrigation ; Small scale systems ; Gender analysis ; Women ; Technology ; Innovation adoption ; Constraints ; Awareness ; Inclusion ; Irrigation programs ; Indicators
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050438)
https://reachwater.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Gender-Toolkit-IFPRI.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050438.pdf
(0.23 MB) (233 KB)

10 Duncan, N.; de Silva, Sanjiv; Conallin, J.; Freed, S.; Akester, M.; Baumgartner, L.; McCartney, Matthew; Dubois, M.; Senaratna Sellamuttu, Sonali. 2021. Fish for whom?: Integrating the management of social complexities into technical investments for inclusive, multi-functional irrigation. World Development Perspectives, 22:100318. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100318]
Fishery management ; Inland fisheries ; Ricefield aquaculture ; Irrigation ; Investment ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Nutrition security ; Food security ; Access and benefit-sharing ; Community fishing ; Livelihoods ; Poverty ; Social aspects ; Inclusion ; Policies / South East Asia / Myanmar / Cambodia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050440)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292921000321/pdfft?md5=f941b389aea93d2bedc1e6931df29196&pid=1-s2.0-S2452292921000321-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050440.pdf
(8.73 MB) (8.73 MB)
Irrigation represents a long-standing water sector investment in South East Asia. However, despite the undeniable benefits of food production, an irrigation/rice-centric strategy is insufficient in a multi-dimensional conceptualisation of development. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenge us to re-think traditional ways of achieving food security. Central to this challenge is how we can retain multi-functionality within landscapes. We explore the often negatively correlated relationship between irrigation and inland fisheries through a literature review and interviews with key informants, focusing on examples from Myanmar and Cambodia. We found that whilst technical options exist for minimizing irrigation impacts on fisheries, there is a fundamental disconnect between the technical application of such ‘solutions’, and distribution of benefits to the marginal groups that SDGs 1, 2, 3 and more target. We found that insufficient recognition of the social contexts in which solutions are applied underpins this disconnect. This means that technical infrastructure design needs to be organised around the question, ‘Who do we want to benefit?’, if investments are to go beyond rice/fish production and deliver more on socially inclusive food security and livelihood opportunities. This paper is a call to extend the framing and financing of irrigation investments beyond technical parameters to include investing in the social processes that enable both multi-functionality and inclusive growth, to enhance the role of irrigation in adapting to a changing climate, while maintaining landscape integrity and multi-functionality so necessary for a sustainable future.

11 Joshi, Deepa; Gallant, Bryce; Hakhu, Arunima; de Silva, Sanjiv; McDougall, C.; Dubois, M.; Arulingam, Indika. 2021. Ramsar Convention and the wise use of wetlands: rethinking inclusion. Ecological Restoration, 39(1-2):36-44. (Special issue: Restoration for Whom, by Whom?) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3368/er.39.01-02.36]
Wetlands ; Conventions ; Gender ; Women ; Political ecology ; Inclusion ; Policies ; Social aspects ; Ecological factors ; Governance ; Guidelines ; Local communities
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050500)
http://er.uwpress.org/content/39/1-2/36.full.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050500.pdf
(0.22 MB) (226 KB)
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands emphasizes the “wise use” of wetlands by conserving the ecological character of wetlands while managing the socio-economic value these landscapes hold for different stakeholders. Reviewing the Convention obligations, resolutions, and guidelines through a feminist political ecology lens, we find them to be overtly simplistic and technocratic. A deliberately generic framing of socio-ecological interrelations and of economic trade-offs between wetland uses and users obscures broader political and social contexts which shape complex nature-society interrelations in the use, management, and governance of wetlands. Poverty, the cultural significance of wetlands—particularly for indigenous communities—and gender equality have only recently been considered in wetlands management and governance guidelines and interventions. These recent additions provide little insight on the power imbalances which shape plural values, meanings, experiences, and voices in wetlands use and governance, especially for the most marginalized of wetlands users. We welcome the call for a “reformulation” of a socio-ecological approach to managing and governing wetlands, but caution that unless wetlands governance structures and processes are re-politicized, changes in policies and approaches will likely remain rhetorical.

12 Elias, M.; Joshi, Deepa; Meinzen-Dick, R. 2021. Restoration for whom, by whom? A feminist political ecology of restoration. Ecological Restoration, 39(1-2):3-15. (Special issue: Restoration for Whom, by Whom?) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3368/er.39.1-2.3]
Ecological restoration ; Gender ; Women ; Political ecology ; Social aspects ; Inclusion ; Ecosystems ; Degraded land ; Sustainability ; Livelihoods ; Policies ; Economic aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050549)
http://er.uwpress.org/content/39/1-2/3.full.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050549.pdf
(0.27 MB) (275 KB)
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) frames restoration as a momentous nature-based solution for achieving many of the ecological, economic, and social objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, a critical void lies at the heart of this agenda: the lack of attention to social and political dimensions of nature and restoration initiatives. At this critical juncture, urgent attention is needed to the power and politics that shape the values, meanings, and science driving restoration; and to the uneven experiences of these processes as national restoration pledges touch down in diverse and unequal contexts. In this introduction to the special issue on “Restoration for Whom, by Whom?”, we critically examine the social inclusivity of restoration agendas, policies, and practices as these unfold across ecological and geographic scales. We argue that feminist political ecology (FPE), with its focus on gendered power relations, scale integration, and historical awareness, and its critique of the commodification of nature, offers a valuable lens through which to examine the socio-political and economic dynamics of restoration. Taking an FPE perspective, we elucidate how the ten papers comprising the special issue challenge mainstream narratives of environmental sustainability and suggest more grounded and nuanced ways forward for inclusive restoration initiatives. In conclusion, we highlight the urgency of addressing the systemic fault lines that create exclusions in restoration policies and practice; and the need to legitimize the plural voices, values, situated knowledges, and paths to sustainably transform degraded landscapes.

13 Halliday, J.; Joshi, Deepa; Young, L.; van Veenhuizen, R. 2020. A call for transformative actions on gender and inequality. Editorial. Urban Agriculture Magazine, 37:3-5.
Gender-transformative approaches ; Gender equality ; Empowerment ; Food systems ; Social aspects ; Inclusion
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050550)
https://ruaf.org/assets/2020/07/UA-Magazine-37_web.pdf#page=3
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050550.pdf
(0.17 MB) (3.33 MB)

14 Bhattarai, B.; Upadhyaya, R.; Neupane, K. R.; Devkota, K.; Maskey, G.; Shrestha, S.; Mainali, B.; Ojha, H. 2021. Gender inequality in urban water governance: continuity and change in two towns of Nepal. World Water Policy, 7(1):30-51. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/wwp2.12052]
Water governance ; Urban areas ; Gender equality ; Water supply ; Drinking water ; Water insecurity ; Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Gender-transformative approaches ; Women ; Inclusion ; Participation ; Awareness ; Decision making ; Water management ; Water policies ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Socioeconomic environment ; Case studies / Nepal / Kathmandu / Dhulikhel / Dharan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050516)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wwp2.12052
Gender-based inequality has long been recognized as a challenge in water governance and urban development. Women do most of the water collection-related tasks in the majority of low-income country’s urban areas, as they do in rural areas for drinking, household consumption, kitchen gardening, and farming. However, their voice is rarely heard in water governance. When climate change exacerbates water scarcity, it becomes harder for people to secure water with more pronounced effects on women. Drawing on the narratives of men and women involved in water management practices and also the views of the stakeholders who are part of water resource management in two towns in Nepal, this paper demonstrates emerging forms of gender inequality concerning access to and control over water resources, as well as associated services such as sanitation. We found that women’s voice in water governance is systematically excluded, and such gender-based disadvantage intersects with economic disadvantage as women in low-income poor urban settlements are experiencing additional difficulty in accessing water and sanitation services. Gender inequity persists in the urban water sector, and of course the wider social structures, despite some progressive policy changes in recent years, such as the 30% quota reserved for women in local-level water management bodies in Nepal. The paper concludes that tackling gender inequity in water management requires a transformative approach that seriously takes into account women’s voice, critical awareness, and open deliberation over the causes and consequences of the current approaches and practices. Moreover, gender-inclusive outcomes on water management are linked to changes in areas outside of the water sector, such as property ownership structures that constrain or enable women’s access to water and related services.

15 Shrestha, A.; Joshi, D.; Roth, D. 2020. The hydro-social dynamics of exclusion and water insecurity of Dalits in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: fluid yet unchanging. Contemporary South Asia, 28(3):320-335. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09584935.2020.1770200]
Water insecurity ; Caste systems ; Social aspects ; Inclusion ; Discrimination ; Periurban areas ; Water supply ; Drinking water ; Water security ; Water access ; Water rights ; Water use ; Political aspects ; Institutions ; Households ; Communities ; Villages / Nepal / Kathmandu Valley / Lamatar / Tehrabise / Dandathok / Sisneri
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050556)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09584935.2020.1770200?needAccess=true
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050556.pdf
(2.20 MB) (2.20 MB)
Processes of urbanisation create peri-urban spaces that are socially and institutionally fluid. In this article, we analyse how contestations and competition over declining water resources in peri-urban Kathmandu Valley in Nepal reshape water use, access and rights as well as user communities themselves, by creating and reproducing new and existing exclusions and solidarities. Traditional caste-based discriminatory practices, prohibiting Dalits from physically accessing water from sources used by higher castes, are said to be no longer practiced in Nepal. However, our findings show that, exclusion persists for Dalits even though the characteristics of exclusion have changed. In situations of competing water claims in the research location, Dalit households, unlike higher-caste groups, are unable to exercise prior-use water rights. Their water insecurity is compounded by their relative inability to mobilise political, social and economic resources to claim and access new water services and institutions. By juxtaposing the hydro-social and social exclusion analytical frameworks, we demonstrate how exclusions as well as interpretations and experiences of water (in)security are reified in post-Maoist, supposedly inclusive Nepal.

16 Dhungana, H.; Clement, F.; Otto, B.; Das, B. 2021. Examining social accountability tools in the water sector: a case study from Nepal. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 29p. (IWMI Research Report 179) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2021.211]
Social participation ; Accountability ; Water supply ; Budgeting ; Auditing ; Corruption ; Transparency ; Governance ; Participatory approaches ; Citizen participation ; Water resources ; Drinking water ; Water allocation ; Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Development aid ; Stakeholders ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Water user associations ; Political institutions ; Institutional reform ; Public services ; Legislation ; Women ; Inclusion ; Households ; Awareness ; Rural communities ; Case studies / Nepal / Dailekh / Achham / Goganpani Village Development Committee / Mastabandali Village Development Committee / Sanakanda Scheme / Kalikhola Bandalimadu Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050606)
https://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/IWMI_Research_Reports/PDF/pub179/rr179.pdf
(1.76 MB)
Enhancing accountability has become an important objective of the governance reforms over the past two decades. Yet, only a few studies have explored the use of social accountability tools in the water sector in particular. This report aims to fill this gap, based on a case study of a donor-funded water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) program in Nepal. We document and analyze the effects of two types of social accountability tools implemented by the program: public hearings and social audits. We examined how these tools have contributed to increased transparency, participation, voice and accountability, and in turn discuss their potential to reduce corruption. We relied on qualitative methods to collect data in two case study water supply schemes in two districts of Nepal. The study found that the social accountability tools provided a platform for water users to participate and deliberate on issues related to the execution of WASH schemes. However, the scope of accountability narrowly focused on the integrity of the water user committees but did not provide the political resources and means for communities to hold funding and implementing agencies accountable. Furthermore, attention to budget management has not provided space to address environmental and social justice issues related to payment of wages, access to water and decision-making processes in the design of the water scheme and water allocation. Findings from the study also indicate that the concept of deliberation and downward accountability, as envisioned in international development discourses, does not necessarily match with local power relationships and local cultural norms.

17 Shrestha, Shisher; Uprety, Labisha. 2021. Solar irrigation in Nepal: a situation analysis report. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 43p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2021.218]
Solar energy ; Groundwater irrigation ; Pumps ; Renewable energy ; Electricity ; Policies ; Business models ; Subsidies ; Governance ; Sustainability ; Farmers ; Gender ; Women ; Inclusion / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050620)
https://solar.iwmi.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/43/2021/09/NEPAL-SITUATION-ANALYSIS-REPORT_final-version-3.pdf
(1.31 MB)

18 Smidt, H. J. 2021. Factors affecting digital technology adoption by small-scale farmers in Agriculture Value Chains (AVCs) in South Africa. Information Technology for Development, 28p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2021.1975256]
Farmer participation ; Digital technology ; Innovation ; Smallholders ; Inclusion ; Agricultural value chains ; Small scale farming ; Collaboration ; Policies ; Frameworks ; Governance ; Social aspects ; Economic aspects ; Political aspects ; Institutions ; Infrastructure / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050625)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02681102.2021.1975256?needAccess=true
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050625.pdf
(2.64 MB) (2.64 MB)
Digital technologies enable small-scale farmers to reduce some constraints to participate in Agriculture Value Chains (AVCs). Small-scale farmers face significant challenges and barriers to adopting digital technology. This study contributes to the literature on digital development in three ways: present the economic, political, and social factors affecting digital adoption in the AVCs; highlight the implications for governance and institutional challenges;adds knowledge to the analytical value of the Choice Frameworkto study digital technology adoption. This paper after identifying more than 100 papers and articles, uses a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) aligned with Cooper’s [(2010). Research synthesis and meta-analysis: A step-by-step approach (5th ed.). Sage] approach to examine 52 articles published from 2014 to 2019, ultimately selecting the most relevant 36 studies. The study uses the Choice Framework that operationalizes the Capabilities Approach (CA) as a theoretical window for this research. Papers were classified into four different categories: economic; political; social factors; institutional/governance. The findings show: - the role of the state in governance and institutional support is critical to facilitate the collaboration and participation of different actors;-the importance to develop a comprehensive localized developmental implementation framework that can support the adoption of digital solutions to support small-scale farmers. Limitations for this study are highlighted and areas for further research are suggested.

19 Rai, A.; Ayadi, D. P.; Shrestha, B.; Mishra, A. 2021. On the realities of gender inclusion in climate change policies in Nepal. Policy Design and Practice, 17p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2021.1935643]
Climate change adaptation ; Policies ; Gender ; Inclusion ; Women's participation ; Vulnerability ; Disaster risk reduction ; Decision making ; Agriculture ; Forestry ; Watersheds ; Households / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050627)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/25741292.2021.1935643?needAccess=true
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050627.pdf
(1.84 MB) (1.84 MB)
Climate change impacts are felt globally but not equally. Even within the most vulnerable groups, women are disproportionately affected by the impacts of a changing climate. This review delves into the issue of how climate change and related policy documents in Nepal have addressed the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change. Through a gendered lens, the policies are evaluated as to whether they are gender-blind or gender-aware. We have reviewed 24 documents with climate change as a thematic area of focus along with other climate change-related national policy documents on the environment, forestry and watershed, agriculture, and disaster. Out of the 24 documents reviewed, 19 were found to be gender-aware and 5 were found to be gender-blind. We recommend gender-transformative policy development as it has been made clear that unless prevalent structural inequalities are addressed, the vulnerable cannot adapt to climate change impacts.

20 Balasubramanya, Soumya; Stifel, David; Alvi, M.; Ringler, C. 2022. The role of social identity in improving access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and health services: evidence from Nepal. Development Policy Review, 40(4):e12588. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12588]
Water, sanitation and hygiene ; Social status ; Inclusion ; Drinking water ; Hand washing ; Public health ; Health services ; Toilets ; Households ; Economic indicators / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050673)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/dpr.12588
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050673.pdf
(0.47 MB) (484 KB)
Motivation: COVID-19 has revived focus on improving equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and health services in developing countries. Most public programming tends to rely on economic indicators to identify and target vulnerable groups. Can expanded targeting criteria that include social status help to improve not only targeting, but also equity in access to WASH and health services?
Purpose: This paper assesses the role of social identity in mediating access to WASH and health services, controlling for economic disadvantages such as household wealth, income sources and assets.
Methods and approach: We use regression analysis applied to the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to estimate the relationships between social identity and access to WASH and health services, controlling for wealth (using wealth index quantiles), and remittances (using indicator variables for domestic and international remittances).
Findings: We find that differences in access are mediated in large part by caste, and religious and ethnic identity, especially in rural areas; suggesting that the supply of such services is lower for historically disadvantaged communities. In addition, communities with lowest access are not necessarily the most economically disadvantaged, indicating that relying solely on traditional economic indicators to target programs and interventions may not be sufficient to improve equity in access to public health services.
Policy implications: The results make a case for broadening indicators beyond the economic criteria for improving targeting of public funds for more inclusive development.

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