Your search found 10 records
1 Otoo, Miriam; Ibro, G.; Fulton, J.; Lowenberg-Deboer, J. 2012. Micro-entrepreneurship in Niger: factors affecting the success of women street food vendors. Journal of African Business, 13(1):16-28. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2012.657937]
Gender ; Women ; Employment ; Female labor ; Urban areas ; Street foods ; Merchants ; Entrepreneurship ; Informal sector ; Income ; Market research ; Regression analysis ; Models ; Cowpeas / Niger / Niamey / Maradi / Zinder
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044858)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15228916.2012.657937
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044858.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044858.pdf
(0.46 MB) (467.56KB)
Micro-entrepreneurship in the informal sector plays a vital role in generating employment and income in West Africa. In this article, the authors examine business success factors for micro-entrepreneurs involved in the production and sale of street foods in Niger, drawing on the resource-based view theory. Business success was measured by size of firm and vendor’s perception of enterprise growth. Their results indicate that business experience is an important success factor, while the need for cash is a constraint for business success. A rare resource, limited access to financial assets translates into limited opportunities for growth of these informal micro-enterprises into viable businesses.
2 Seleshi, S.; Alemu, B. A.; Hanjra, Munir A. 2013. Informal sector employment, food security and vulnerability of households in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In Hanjra, Munir A. (Ed.). Global food security: emerging issues and economic implications. New York, NY, USA: Nova Science Publishers. pp.201-229. (Global Agriculture Developments)
Food security ; Households ; Employment ; Models ; Informal sector ; Income ; Data analysis ; Econometrics / Ethiopia / Addis Ababa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046153)
(9.05 MB)
People across Africa are urbanizing and cities act as magnets that attract poor migrants from rural areas, looking for employment and better life. During the last few decades, the informal sector has been growing fast in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia due to the influx of many young workers into the sector who come from rural areas of the country with the expectation of a better life in the city. The informal sector employment includes casual, temporary jobs such as lottery selling, street vending, petty trade and other similar activities – coping strategies and earning strategies to escape food poverty. The informal sector is believed to play an important role in food security as it provides jobs, reduces unemployment, bolsters economic activity, and helps alleviate poverty. However, there is limited local knowledge about the role of this sector in enhancing food security and reducing vulnerability of the emigrants. There is also limited research about the problems and prospects of the informal sector, and via-a-vis its potential contribution towards food security. Therefore, this research was conducted with the major objective of examining the food security level and vulnerability status of emigrants worker and their households to identify the major challenges and prospects for future policy interventions. Primary data were collected from 240 respondents (60 from each of the four sub-cities) who were selected randomly. Secondary data were also collected from government offices. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and econometric approaches. Probit model was used to determine food security status of respondents; whereas ordered probit model was used to identify the factors affecting their vulnerability level. Results suggest that the daily life of the majority of migrants in Addis Ababa (most of them are young school dropouts) is highly connected with street-based informal economic activities such as marketing, vending and lottery selling, etc. Results show that the annual mean income a household would earn is Eth. Birr 7,786.2 ($442). Results of the vulnerability analysis show that informal activities in the study area serve migrants only as temporary safety nets, not as sustainable earnings/livelihood strategies. Results further show that lack of access to bank credit (due to collateral requirements), fluctuating market prices and lack of working premises impacts their work. Data shows that the workers are forced to consume less food or poor quality food. Therefore, future urban policy may need to give due consideration to informal sector employment in order to realize synergies between the formal and informal sectors for addressing food security and poverty issues.
3 Kummu, M.; Keskinen, M.; Varis, O. (Eds.) 2008. Modern myths of the Mekong: a critical review of water and development concepts, principles and policies. Espoo, Finland: Helsinki University of Technology (TKK). 187p. (Water and Development Publications 1)
Water resources development ; River basins ; Stream flow ; Water management ; Water policy ; Riverbank protection ; Erosion ; Flooding ; Upstream ; Downstream ; Water levels ; Dams ; Lakes ; Fisheries ; Community involvement ; Gender mainstreaming ; Living standards ; Community organizations ; Sustainable development ; Economic sectors ; Informal sector ; Urban areas ; Population density ; Community organizations ; Natural resources ; Environmental effects ; Human behaviour ; Ecosystems / Cambodia / China / Mekong River Basin / Tonle Sap Lake / Angkor / Phnom Penh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 333.91 G800 KUM Record No: H047272)
http://www.wdrg.fi/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Myths_of_Mekong_book.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047272.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047272.pdf
(6.74 MB) (6.73 MB)
4 Venkatachalam, L. 2015. Informal water markets and willingness to pay for water: a case study of the urban poor in Chennai city, India. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 31(1):134-145. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2014.920680]
Water market ; Informal sector ; Consumer behavior ; Urban areas ; Water supply ; Public sector ; Private sector ; Manual pumps ; User charges ; Water demand ; Drinking water ; Water quality ; Households ; Poverty ; Income ; Expenditure ; Case studies / India / Chennai
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047564)
(0.30 MB)
The present study analyzes the role of informal markets in fulfilling the water requirements of poorer households in Chennai City, India. The results of a survey reveal that a significant number of poor people purchase water from informal markets and that they incur a sizeable expenditure on water purchases; some of these households are also willing to pay additional amounts for improved water supply from public sources. The results suggest that improvements in public water supply would significantly increase the welfare of the poor. The informal markets need to be regulated and monitored so that they can serve the households in a better way.
5 Romallosa, A. R. D.; Kraft, E. 2017. Feasibility of biomass briquette production from municipal waste streams by integrating the informal sector in the Philippines. Resources, 6(2):1-19. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6010012]
Energy resources ; Fuels ; Biomass ; Briquettes ; Urban wastes ; Informal sector ; Socioeconomic environment ; Feasibility studies / Philippines / Iloilo City
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048219)
(2.50 MB)
A technical and socio-economic feasibility study of biomass briquette production was performed in Iloilo City, Philippines, by integrating a registered group of the informal sector. The study has shown that the simulated production of biomass briquettes obtained from the municipal waste stream could lead to a feasible on-site fuel production line after determining its usability, quality and applicability to the would-be users. The technology utilized for briquetting is not complicated when operated due to its simple, yet sturdy design with suggestive results in terms of production rate, bulk density and heating value of the briquettes produced. Quality briquettes were created from mixtures of waste paper, sawdust and carbonized rice husk, making these material flows a renewable source of cost-effective fuels. An informal sector that would venture into briquette production can be considered profitable for small business enterprising, as demonstrated in the study. The informal sector from other parts of the world, having similar conditionality with that of the Uswag Calajunan Livelihood Association, Inc. (UCLA), could play a significant role in the recovery of these reusable waste materials from the waste stream and can add value to them as alternative fuels and raw materials (AFR) for household energy supply using appropriate technologies
6 Ebeke, C. H.; Etoundi, S. M. N. 2017. The effects of natural resources on urbanization, concentration, and living standards in Africa. World Development, 96:408-417. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.026]
Natural resources ; Urbanization ; Living standards ; Water availability ; Sanitation ; Informal sector ; Governance ; Urban population ; Slums ; Off farm employment ; Income ; Gross national product ; Econometrics ; Models / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048239)
(0.30 MB)
This paper examines the effects of natural resource abundance on urbanization and living standards in Africa. Our central hypothesis is that the exploitation of natural resources in a context of poor governance quality creates the conditions for rapid urbanization and urban concentration, and ultimately lowers living standards in primal cities. Using a large panel of African countries, our results show that an increase in the share of natural resources leads to a rapid increase in urbanization and urban concentration, even after taking into account endogeneity issues, or after using more exogenous measures of resource dependency. The paper also establishes a negative association between the resource abundance, the quality of life in large cities and the degree of informality via the increase in urbanization rate and urban concentration. Importantly, we have established that these results mostly hold in the context of bad governance. More specifically, the resource-led urbanization and concentration booms take place mainly in countries characterized by poor governance records. Furthermore, poor governance quality is associated with a more detrimental effect of urbanization and urban concentration on the quality of life in African cities. These results suggest that ongoing transformations experienced by these countries call for complementary policies to ensure a more balanced and efficient urbanization process.
7 Vij, S.; John. A.; Barua, A. 2019. Whose water? whose profits?: the role of informal water markets in groundwater depletion in peri-urban Hyderabad. Water Policy, 21(5):1081-1095. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.129]
Water resources ; Water market ; Informal sector ; Profit ; Groundwater ; Water depletion ; Economic aspects ; Periurban areas ; Farmers ; Villages / India / Hyderabad / Kokapet / Adibatla / Malkaram
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049462)
https://iwaponline.com/wp/article-pdf/21/5/1081/614407/021051081.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049462.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049462.pdf
(0.36 MB) (372 KB)
Urbanising cities of India are engulfing the peri-urban land and water resources. Informal water sellers, who transfer water from peri-urban to urban areas, meet the growing water demand in Hyderabad, one of the fastest growing cities in India. This article qualitatively explores how informal water tankers are changing the flows of water, posing challenges to water access for peri-urban residents. We conclude that apart from the state's infrastructural and capacity challenges to provide piped water, power interplay between actors is responsible for the mushrooming of informal water markets. The transfer of water has contributed to groundwater depletion as well as to the water insecurity of peri-urban residents.
8 Makochekanwa, A.; Matchaya, Greenwell. 2019. Regional trade integration in eastern and southern Africa. In Bouet, A.; Odjo, S. P. (Eds.). Africa agriculture trade monitor 2019. Washington, DC, USA: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). pp.134-179.
Regional development ; International trade ; Trade agreements ; Economic integration ; Agricultural trade ; Domestic markets ; Tariffs ; Imports ; Exports ; Market research ; Indicators ; Informal sector ; Monitoring ; Costs ; SADC countries / Eastern Africa / Southern Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049471)
http://ebrary.ifpri.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15738coll2/id/133390#img_view_container
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049471.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049471.pdf
(2.40 MB) (12.2 MB)
9 Bellwood-Howard, I.; Ansah, I. G. K.; Donkoh, S. A.; Korbeogo, G. 2021. Managing seasonality in West African informal urban vegetable markets: the role of household relations. Journal of International Development, 20p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3562]
Agricultural products ; Markets ; Vegetables ; Informal sector ; Marketing ; Seasonality ; Profit ; Urban agriculture ; Farmers ; Gender ; Role of women ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Social aspects ; Policies / West Africa / Burkina Faso / Ghana / Mali / Bamako / Ouagadougou / Tamale
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050502)
(1.80 MB)
Seasonality influences African informal agricultural markets, but existing literature inadequately explores its interactions with market actors' social relations and livelihood outcomes. Thus, agricultural commercialisation policy ineffectively supports such actors to manage seasonality. Across Bamako, Ouagadougou and Tamale, we conducted interviews, focus group discussions, and a survey of farmer and marketer profits across seasons. Hot, dry season lettuce transactions performed by marketers are more likely to make profit. Farmers and marketers rely on household and community relations and reproduce gendered skills to optimise profit and secure future income streams. Policies supporting household reproduction, and infrastructure, may best support their marketing activity.
10 Prain, G.; Simon, D.; Halliday, J.; Drechsel, Pay. 2022. Investment priorities for research and innovation in urban agri-food systems: toward more resilient cities in the Global South. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6:965011. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.965011]
Agrifood systems ; Urban agriculture ; Peri-urban agriculture ; Investment ; Research ; Innovation ; Resilience ; Cities ; Markets ; Informal sector ; Circular economy ; Bioeconomy ; Resource recovery ; Waste management ; Food production ; Governance ; Planning ; Policies
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051503)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.965011/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051503.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051503.pdf
(0.28 MB) (288 KB)
Urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is widely distributed throughout the Global South. Despite urban population growth and diversifying food habits, UPA delivers an important part of urban food supply, as well as other types of services to cities, such as employment and waste reuse. Nevertheless, the extent and importance of UPA varies between different urban areas, while challenges like limited recognition, land conversion, and water pollution and competition threaten the potential of UPA to contribute to urban resilience. Key investment priorities for research and innovation for overcoming current challenges include incentivized peri-urban zoning, urban allocation of productive lands, and increasing capacities for controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Innovative repositioning of food marketing can help to strengthen supply of healthy food from UPA production, increase decent employment, and turn food markets into nutrition hubs. Priority innovations for contributing to the circular bioeconomy of cities include scaling the safe use of wastewater for irrigation through investments in the adoption of multiple risk-barrier approaches and scaling UPA-based ecosystem services for valorising solid waste and environmental management. Innovations in urban governance are required to support these processes by bringing food systems into urban planning through food mapping and the multisectoral platforms for dialogue and policy formulation across city regions and with vertical levels of government.
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