Your search found 68 records
1 Smith, L. C.; Alderman, H.; Aduayom, D. 2006. Food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa: New estimates from household expenditure surveys. Washington, DC, USA: IFPRI. 122p. (IFPRI Research Report 146)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 338.1 G110 SMI Record No: H040106)
2 Molden, David. (Ed.) 2007. Water for food, water for life: a comprehensive assessment of water management in agriculture. London, UK: Earthscan; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 645p.
Irrigated farming ; Irrigation management ; Decision making ; Water scarcity ; Food security ; Food insecurity ; Food production ; Food supply ; Ecosystems ; Rainfed farming ; Groundwater irrigation ; Water quality ; Fisheries ; Livestock ; Rice ; Farmer-led irrigation ; River basin management
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 630.7 G000 MOL Record No: H040193)
3 De Silva, R. P. (Ed.) 2005. Geo-information for future of Sri Lanka: proceedings of the Second National Symposium on Geo-Informatics, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 26 August 2005. Peradeniya, Sri Lanka: Geo-Informatics Society of Sri Lanka (GISSL) 185p.
GIS ; Remote sensing ; Food insecurity ; Poverty ; Irrigated farming ; Watersheds ; Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Groundwater potential ; Water supply ; Flooding / Sri Lanka / India / Uda Walawe / Matale District / Pallepola / Karso Watershed / Samanalawewa Hydropower Project / Colombo / Ratnapura
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 526.0285 G744 DES Record No: H040866)
4 Tesfaye, A.; Bogale, A.; Namara, Regassa E.; Bacha, D. 2008. The impact of small-scale irrigation on household food security: the case of Filtino and Godino irrigation schemes in Ethiopia. Irrigation and Drainage Systems, 22:145–158.
Irrigation programs ; Food security ; Households ; Models ; Case studies ; Food insecurity / Ethiopia / Ada Liben district / Godino Irrigation Scheme / Filtino Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 631.7.3 G136 TES Record No: H041466)
Ethiopia’s irrigation potential is estimated at 3.7 million hectare, of which only about 190,000 ha (4.3% of the potential) is actually irrigated. There is little information on the extent to which the so far developed irrigation schemes have been effective in meeting their stated objectives of attaining food self-sufficiency and eradicating poverty. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify the impact of small-scale irrigation on household food security based on data obtained from 200 farmers in Ada Liben district of Ethiopia in 2006. The resulting data was analyzed using Heckman’s Two-step Estimation procedure. Studies elsewhere revealed that access to reliable irrigation water can enable farmers to adopt new technologies and intensify cultivation, leading to increased productivity, overall higher production, and greater returns from farming. Our study findings confirm some of these claims. In the study area about 70% of the irrigation users are food secure while only 20% of the non-users are found to be food secure. Access to small scale irrigation enabled the sample households to grow crops more than once a year; to insure increased and stable production, income and consumption; and improve their food security status. The study concludes that small- scale irrigation significantly contributed to household food security.
5 Manning-Thomas, Nadia. 2008. Guided by knowledge sharing. CGIAR News: Quarterly Newsletter of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), 1p.
Food insecurity ; Research projects ; Agricultural research ; Research institutes ; Knowledge management ; Stakeholders
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H041889)
6 Weligamage, Parakrama; Godaliyadda, G. G. A.; Jinapala, K. (Eds.) 2010. Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-11 June 2009. Vol. 1. Irrigation for food security. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 160p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3910/2010.210]
Food security ; Climate change ; River basins ; Water shortage ; Irrigated farming ; Water quality ; Tanks ; Aquatic plants ; Rice ; Food insecurity ; Water resource management ; Zero tillage ; Weed control ; Agroforestry ; Canals ; Surface runoff ; Remote sensing / Sri Lanka / Deduru Oya Basin / Anuradhapura District / Mi Oya River Basin / Inginimitiya Irrigation System / Yan Oya watershed / Aluth Divulwewa sub watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 631.7 G744 WEL Record No: H042888)
(2.97 MB)
This is the first volume on the proceedings of the national conference on ‘Water for Food and Environment’, which was held from June 9–11, 2009 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The volumes two and three have been produced as separate documents of this report series. In response to a call for abstracts, 81 abstracts were received from government institutes dealing with water resources and agriculture development, also from universities, other freelance researchers and researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Forty Seven of the eighty-one abstracts that were submitted were accepted for compiling full papers. In the past couple of years the sharp increase in food prices worldwide has raised serious concerns about food security, especially in developing countries. To effectively address these concerns a holistic approach is required that encompasses improved agricultural water productivity, adaptation to climate change, targeted and appropriate institutional and financial measures, and a consideration of environmental issues. The main purpose of the conference was to share experiences in these areas and to find opportunities to improve farmers’ incomes and food production, and to promote environmentally sustainable practices in Sri Lanka in the face of growing water scarcity and the challenges of climate change.
7 Fernando, A. P. S.; Perera, A. M. S.; Karunagoda, K. 2010. Instability of paddy production and regional food insecurity in Sri Lanka. In Weligamage, Parakrama; Godaliyadda, G. G. A.; Jinapala, K. (Eds.). Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9- 11 June 2009. Vol. 1. Irrigation for food security. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.33-45.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 631.7 G744 WEL Record No: H042892)
Addressing food insecurity has become an important policy issue due to a host of factors such as climate change, export restraints, alternative uses of food, e.g., as bio-fuels and income induced demand changes. The world has to find avenues to provide sufficient food to cater for the new developments in the food sector taking into consideration the risks of the changes these may effect on the environment. Paddy, the staple food crop of Sri Lankans, plays a significant role in stabilizing food security in the country. The production levels of paddy have been accompanied with wide regional variations due to irregularities in the rainfall patterns and cyclical effects of the production fluctuations. More thrust has been placed on irrigated paddy production in the areas of the dry zone, while traditional areas of the wet zone have been subjected to immense population pressure amidst various institutional arrangements. At present, more than half of the paddy output comes from the major irrigation schemes. The wide fluctuations in paddy production levels in these areas indicate the potential for regional vulnerability for food insecurity. This paper examines the growth of paddy production and evaluates the instability of paddy production in terms of the areas cultivated, productions and yields for the dry zone (DZ), intermediate zone (IZ) and wet zone (WZ) and districts in these climatic zones. The growth rates for different zones were estimated using a log linear function. The instability of area, production and yield was measured using a coefficient of the variation (CV). The CV of production, area and the yield for three major climatic zones and seasons are estimated. In addition, the indices for the risk of cultivation and amount of green vegetation on the island were used as indicators of instability. Paddy production has increased at the rate of around 2 % and 1 % per annum in the DZ and IZ, respectively; and has decreased in the WZ at the rate of 9 % per annum. The CVs for paddy production in the DZ, IZ and WZ in the maha and yala seasons are 18.15, 18.36, and 9.2 and 30.33, 25.38 and 19.22, respectively. The results indicate that instability of paddy production in the WZ is much lower than those of the other two zones. The lowest levels of instability with respect to production (Matara), yield (Kegalle) and harvested extent (Ratnapura) were observed in the wet zone districts. The highest level of instability with respect to area, yield, production and harvested extent was observed in the Anuradhapura District. In the maha season, the IZ shows the lowest variation in the sown extent and highest variation in the harvested extent, and it indicates the higher risk of production at the later stage of the crop. The IZ shows the general risk in paddy production in the yala season, indicated by the highest instability in both sown and harvested extents. Similar observations for the IZ were observed in the sown to harvest and CV of vegetation index. The negative growth rate observed in the WZ was brought about by the reduction of the cultivated area. The higher stability in production could be utilized to augment regional food security as well as the supply of seed paddy for other regions. Thus the results highlight the importance of maintaining WZ as a buffer zone of production and investments in irrigation in the IZ to secure the availability of paddy.
8 Norton, G. W.; Alwang, J.; Masters, W. A. (Eds.) 2010. Economics of agricultural development: world food systems and resource use. 2nd ed. Abingdon, Oxon, UK: Routledge. 465p.
Agricultural development ; Farming systems ; Food insecurity ; Poverty ; Famine ; Malnutrition ; Health hazards ; Income ; Economic growth ; International trade ; Trade policy ; Population growth ; Urbanization ; Environmental degradation ; Agricultural research ; Agricultural extension ; Land tenure ; Land reform ; Price policies ; Marketing
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 338.1 G000 NOR Record No: H043411)
9 Tesfaye, A.; Bogale, A.; Namara, Regassa E. 2008. The impact of small scale irrigation on household food security: the case of Filtino and Godino Irrigation Schemes in Ada Liben District, East Shoa, Ethiopia. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Loulseged, Makonnen; Yilma, Aster Denekew (Comps.). Impact of irrigation on poverty and environment in Ethiopia: draft proceedings of the symposium and exhibition, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27-29 November 2007. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.179-192.
Irrigation schemes ; Small scale systems ; Households ; Food security ; Models ; Case studies ; Food insecurity / Ethiopia / Ada Liben District / East Shoa / Filtino Irrigation Scheme / Godino Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044135)
(0.15 MB)
Irrigated production is far from satisfactory in the country. The country's irrigation potential is estimated at 3.7 million hectare, of which only about 190,000 hectare (4.3 percent of the potential) is actually irrigated. The aim of this paper is to identify the impact of small-scale irrigation on household food security based on data obtained from 200 farmers in Ada Liben district of Ethiopia. Different studies revealed that access to reliable irrigation water can enable farmers to adopt new technologies and intensify cultivation, leading to increased productivity, overall higher production, and greater returns from farming. In the study area also about 70 percent of the irrigation users are food secure while only 20 percent of the non-users are found to be food secure. Access to irrigation enabled the sample households to grow crops more than once a year; to insure increased and stable production, income and consumption; and improve their food security status. The study concludes that small-scale irrigation is one of the viable solutions to secure household food needs in the study area but it did not eliminate the food insecurity problem.
10 United Nations World Food Programme, Sri Lanka. 2003. Vulnerability of GN divisions to food insecurity - Badulla District 2003. A pilot study jointly conducted by the United Nations World Food Programme and Badulla District Secretariat. Colombo, Sri Lanka: United Nations World Food Programme. 61p.
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 338.19 G744 UNI Record No: H044165)
http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/vam/wfp109142.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044165.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044165.pdf
(1.54 MB) (1.54MB)
11 Dooley, J. F. 2005. An inventory and comparison of globally consistent geospatial databases and libraries. Rome, Italy: FAO. 177p. (FAO Environment and Natural Resources Working Paper No. 19)
GIS ; Spatial database ; Databases ; Libraries ; Surveys ; Terminology ; Statistical data ; Data analysis ; Poverty ; Food insecurity ; Mapping ; Transport ; Mathematical models ; Geology ; Geomorphology ; Hydrogeology ; Soils ; Hydrology ; Drainage ; Watersheds ; Satellite imagery ; Land cover ; Vegetation ; Climatic data ; Agroecology ; Assessment ; Agricultural production
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 910.285 G000 DOO Record No: H044234)
This report presents an inventory of global data sources which can be used to provide consistent geospatial baselines for core framework data layers in the support of generalized base mapping, emergency preparedness and response, food security and poverty mapping. In the report, only globally consistent data sources at the scales of 1:5 million or larger for vector data and a nominal pixel size of 5 arc minutes or higher resolution for raster data, were considered. The sources of data presented in the inventory were identified based on a review of on-line Internet resources conducted in the first quarter of 2004 and updated in January 2005.The inventory is divided into two parts: with Part One of the inventory presenting overview, terminology and summary sections of globally consistent data libraries; while Part Two contains a categorization of the data sources identified broken into topical subsections based on the individual core data layers specified by UNGIWG and FAO. The report also includes a matrix rating the suitability of the various data sources identified to each of the core data layers specified by UGIWIG and FAO, and introduces Virtual Base Maps as a potential cost-effective means for: providing spatial referencing to remote field offices, enhancing Internet map serving capabilities, and facilitating mapping via GPS handheld devices.
12 Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele. 2011. Water-centered growth challenges, innovations and interventions in Ethiopia. In Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Balcha, Y. (Comps.). Irrigation and water for sustainable development: proceedings of the Second Forum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 15-16 December 2008. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.18-42.
Water management ; Water resources ; Socioeconomic development ; Sustainable development ; Policy ; Rural poverty ; Rain ; Agricultural production ; Yields ; Food insecurity ; Economic aspects ; Investment ; Degradation ; Institutions / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044260)
(0.28 MB)
Ethiopia’s economy and majority of the people’s livelihoods are dependent on agriculture. To develop the socioeconomy of Ethiopia and eradicate poverty, the policy and interventions should focus on agriculture as an entry point. In line with this, the government, bilateral and multilateral donors, NGOs and various institutions share the concepts and priorities identified in the “Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP).” There are key challenges that need to be strongly addressed on transforming agriculture by overcoming a multitude of problems including biophysical and water management issues to help achieve the targets of PASDEP and sustainable socioeconomic growth in Ethiopia. This particular paper aimed at addressing the water management challenges that Ethiopia has faced in the past and is facing today, and to stimulate ideas on how to manage water resources to meet the growing needs for agricultural products, to help reduce poverty and food insecurity, and to show how water can be used as an important entry point to transform its socio-economy and contribute to sustainable development and the environment. The issues discussed will focus on innovations, policies and technologies that enable better investment and management decisions in water use, particularly focusing on agriculture and irrigation but also briefly looking into other water-related subsectors such as hydropower, water supply, watershed, drought and flood management as well as other biophysical aspects. It has also been attempted to make the paper suitable for decision-makers rather than scientists, in order to raise useful ideas for dialogue and further discussions, studies and researches. The paper, therefore, does not claim exhaustiveness. The target audiences of this paper are the people who make the investment and management decisions in water and water management for agriculture, and other subsectors - agricultural producers, water managers, investors, policymakers and civil society. The paper has benefited from the review of key policy and strategy documents of Ethiopia, outputs of various outcomes of research, civil society meetings and workshops, data and information available in government institutions, and global knowledge. The key major issues that are discussed in the paper include the following: Socioeconomic development challenges of Ethiopia, viewed from a water resources perspective., The water resources endowment, development extent, potentials and economic/socioeconomic development linkages., Water-related innovations and agriculture., Water-related interventions in various agro-ecologies., Policy and strategy actions needed. This paper should also be viewed with other components such as river basin growth pole/corridor concept, institutional reform and research capacity building. It focuses on analyzing key problems and associated interventions, and can be applicable in the contexts of the current situation and the future possible reform under growth zones that can be taken as plausible pathways for development.
13 Sharma, Bharat; Amarasinghe, Upali. 2011. Unleashing the agricultural potential of Eastern India: understanding the constraints to forge a new paradigm. Invited paper presented at the 10th Agricultural Science Congress on Soil, Plant and Animal Health for Enhanced and Sustained Agricultural Productivity, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences at NBFGR, Luknow, India, 10-12 February 2011. 15p.
Poverty ; Food insecurity ; Flooding ; Flood control ; Water resources ; Water productivity ; Water use ; Agricultural production ; Groundwater ; Tube wells ; Pumping ; Energy ; Diesel oil / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044559)
ftp://ftp.solutionexchange.net.in/public/wes/resources/res-09061101.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044559.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044559.pdf
(0.51 MB) (534.96KB)
Development in India, though impressive; has been unbalanced and uncoordinated, leaving a vast population in the east poor, vulnerable and food-insecure. Poverty in this region is intense and multi-faceted. Curiously, the region is abundant in water, with fertile lands and vastly-un (/under)employed population but seriously lacks in innovative models, attractive policies and effective institutions. Small and half-hearted efforts made in the recent past have met with some measures of success. Impacts of climate change shall be fast and large as the region is squeezed between the mighty Himalayas and its numerous rivers on one side and ever-increasing sea-levels and cyclones in the Bay of Bengal on the other. Our hypothesis is that “efforts in the past have yielded little dividends as the states have been trying to make ‘the east’ as good as its ‘neighbourly rich west’. This is not working and is less likely to work in future as well, due to inherent contradictions. The more appropriate strategy shall be to transform ‘the east’ to the ‘southeast’ by following its small and productive farming systems dependent largely on local innovation, skilled manpower, regulated and supportive water resources, tiny but hugely productive land holdings, and vibrant market systems”. Such a paradigm shift has the potential to unshackle the persistent water-land-poverty nexus and a pathway out of poverty and also improve nutrition and health of the vastly poor population. We shall argue our case with some specific studies from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, this needs to be tested and validated through good research on systems, policies and cross-learning platforms across the entire eastern region.
14 Jyotishi, A.; Amerasinghe, Priyanie; Archarya, Sreedhar; Kumar, V.; Yadava, Chenna Basappa; Deshpande, R. S. 2011. Urban agriculture: a sustainable solution to alleviating urban poverty, addressing the food crisis, and adapting to climate change - Case study, Bangalore, India. Bangalore, India: Amrita School of Business; Hyderabad, India: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Hyderabad, India: Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture and Food Security (RUAF). 77p.
Urban agriculture ; Poverty ; Food insecurity ; Food security ; Nutrition ; Climate change ; Case studies ; Surveys ; Water resources ; Lakes ; Households ; Water supply ; Policy / India / Karnataka / Bangalore
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044640)
(6.30 MB)
15 Sharma, Bharat R.; Amarasinghe, Upali. 2013. Unleashing the agricultural potential of eastern India: understanding the constraints to forge a new paradigm. In Singh, R. B.; Devakumar, C.; Chhonkar, P. K.; Lakra,W. S.; Jena, J. K. (Eds.). Soil, plant and animal health for enhanced and sustained agricultural productivity: proceedings of the 10th Agricultural Science Congress, Luknow, India, 10-12 February 2011. New Delhi, India: National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. pp.498-513.
Poverty ; Food insecurity ; Flood control ; Water resources ; Water productivity ; Water use ; Agricultural production ; Groundwater ; Tube wells ; Pumping ; Energy ; Diesel oil / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045903)
(3.85 MB)
16 Magombeyi, M. S.; Taigbenu, A. E.; Barron, J. 2016. Rural food insecurity and poverty mappings and their linkage with water resources in the Limpopo River Basin. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 92:20-33. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2015.10.020]
Food insecurity ; Rural poverty ; Mapping ; Rural areas ; Water resources ; Water availability ; Households ; Income ; Living standards ; Socioeconomic environment ; Population growth ; River basins / Botswana / Mozambique / South Africa / Zimbabwe / Limpopo River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047330)
(5.35 MB)
The mappings of poverty and food insecurity were carried out for the rural districts of the four riparian countries (Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe) of the Limpopo river basin using the results of national surveys that were conducted between 2003 and 2013. The analysis shows lower range of food insecure persons (0 – 40%) than poverty stricken persons (0 – 95%) that is attributable to enhanced government and non-government food safety networks in the basin countries, the dynamic and transitory nature of food insecurity which depends on the timings of the surveys in relation to harvests, markets and food prices, and the limited dimension of food insecurity in relation to poverty which tends to be a more structural and pervasive socio-economic condition. The usefulness of this study in influencing policies and strategies targeted at alleviating poverty and improving rural livelihoods lies with using food insecurity mappings to address short-term socio-economic conditions and poverty mappings to address more structural and long-term deprivations. Using the poverty line of $1.25/day per person (2008–2013) in the basin, Zimbabwe had the highest percentage of 68.7% of its rural population classified as poor, followed by Mozambique with 68.2%, South Africa with 56.1% and Botswana with 20%. While average poverty reduction of 6.4% was observed between 2003 and 2009 in Botswana, its population growth of 20.1% indicated no real poverty reduction. Similar observations are made about Mozambique and Zimbabwe where population growth outstripped poverty reductions. In contrast, both average poverty levels and population increased by 4.3% and 11%, respectively, in South Africa from 2007–2010. While areas of high food insecurity and poverty consistently coincide with low water availability, it does not indicate a simple cause-effect relationship between water, poverty and food insecurity. With limited water resources, rural folks in the basin require stronger institutions, increased investments and support to enable them generate sufficient income from their rain-fed farming livelihood to break out of the poverty cycle.
17 Mabhaudhi, T.; Mpandeli, S.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Nhamo, Luxon; Backeberg, G.; Modi, A. T. 2016. Prospects for improving irrigated agriculture in southern Africa – linking water, energy and food. Paper presented at the 2nd World Irrigation Forum, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 6-8 November 2016. 10p.
Farming systems ; Small scale farming ; Irrigated farming ; Agriculture ; Rainfed farming ; Cultivated land ; Food security ; Food insecurity ; Food production ; Water productivity ; Water scarcity ; Water use efficiency ; Nutritional losses ; Energy demand ; Energy consumption ; Infrastructure ; Dam construction ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Capacity building / Southern Africa / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047846)
(0.63 MB)
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces high incidence of food and nutrition insecurity. Consequently, increasing agricultural productivity has always featured prominently on regional agenda. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s (CAADP) set a target to expand the area under irrigation by at least 5 million ha by 2025. This review assessed the current status of irrigated agriculture in SSA from a water–energy–food nexus perspective, focusing on southern Africa. Gaps and opportunities for improving irrigated agriculture were also assessed in terms of the feasible limits to which they can be exploited. Sub-Saharan Africa faces water scarcity and projections show that countries in SSA will face increased physical and / or economic water scarcity by 2025. However, with agriculture already accounting for more than 60% of water withdrawals, increasing area under irrigation could worsen the problem of water scarcity. Recurrent droughts experienced across SSA reaffirm the sensitive issue of food insecurity and water scarcity. The region also faces energy insecurity with most countries experiencing chronic power outages. Increasing area under irrigation will place additional demand on the already strained energy grids. Projections of an increasing population within SSA indicate increased food and energy demand; a growing middle class also adds to increasing food demand. This poses the question - is increasing irrigated agriculture a solution to water scarcity, food insecurity and energy shortages? This review recommends that, whilst there are prospects for increasing area under irrigation and subsequent agricultural productivity, technical planning should adopt a water–energy–food nexus approach to setting targets. Improving water productivity in irrigated agriculture could reduce water and energy use while increasing yield output.
18 Zereyesus, Y. A.; Embaye, W. T.; Tsiboe, F.; Amanor-Boadu, V. 2017. Implications of non-farm work to vulnerability to food poverty-recent evidence from northern Ghana. World Development, 91:113-124. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.10.015]
Food security ; Nonfarm income ; Food consumption ; Household expenditure ; Forecasting ; Non-farm employment ; Participation ; Food insecurity ; Poverty ; Hunger ; Public health ; Socioeconomic environment ; Linear models ; Regression analysis / Ghana / Brong Ahafo Region / Northern Region / Upper East Region / Upper West Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048046)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X16305174/pdfft?md5=da180e20bb4e04280feb14bdeb445e03&pid=1-s2.0-S0305750X16305174-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048046.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048046.pdf
(0.33 MB) (340 KB)
Using survey data from northern Ghana, this study seeks to establish the impact of participation in non-farm work on the vulnerability of resource poor households to food poverty. Vulnerability to food poverty is assessed based on expected future food expenditure of households. The potential endogeneity problem associated with participation in non-farm work by households is overcome using a novel instrumental variable approach. Analysis of the determinants of expected future food expenditure is done using a standard Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) method. Demographic and socioeconomic variables, location variables, and household facilities are included in the model as control variables. Our study finds that participation in non-farm work significantly increased the future expected food consumption, thereby alleviating the vulnerability of households to food poverty. Our study also confirms that current food poverty and future food poverty, i.e., vulnerability to food poverty, are not independent from each other. Non-farm work plays a crucial role in providing the means to overcome the risk of food poverty in these resource poor households. Policies that promote off-farm income generating activities, such as small businesses and self-employment, as well as the creation and support of businesses that absorb extra labor from the farm, should be encouraged in the study region. Because households in the study region are exposed to above average levels of hunger and food poverty, the study recommends the government of Ghana and development partners to take measures that enhance the resilience of these resource poor households.
19 CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 2017. Building resilience through sustainable groundwater use. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 12p. (WLE Towards Sustainable Intensification: Insights and Solutions Brief 1) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2017.208]
Sustainability ; Groundwater irrigation ; Groundwater recharge ; Water use ; Water resources ; Water policy ; Water table ; International waters ; Agricultural production ; Food production ; Food insecurity ; Farmers ; Intensification ; Resource depletion ; Environmental flows ; Income ; Policy making ; Aquifers ; Energy generation ; Solar energy ; Community management / Asia / Africa / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048141)
(2 MB)
Using groundwater for agricultural production has the potential to build resilience in food insecure regions of the world. Use of groundwater can boost agricultural production, improve rural incomes and strengthen farmers’ ability to withstand climate shocks and water variability. However, for groundwater to contribute to sustainable intensification of agriculture, it is essential to know where to invest in groundwater development and how to sustainably manage groundwater resources. WLE has identified potentially usable groundwater resources in Africa, supported important policy changes to enhance the sustainable use of groundwater in eastern India, and has developed maps and new tools that can be used to implement new policies supporting sustainable use of groundwater.
20 Stevenson, E. G. J.; Ambelu, A.; Caruso, B. A.; Tesfaye, Y.; Freeman, M. C. 2016. Community water improvement, household water insecurity, and women’s psychological distress: an intervention and control study in Ethiopia. PLoS ONE, 11(4):1-13. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153432]
Water supply ; Community development ; Water availability ; Households ; Water insecurity ; Gender ; Womans status ; Psychological factors ; Stress ; Socioeconomic environment ; Food insecurity ; Harvesting ; Villages / Ethiopia / Amhara Region / South Wello / South Gondar
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048338)
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0153432&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048338.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H048338.pdf
(0.24 MB) (244 KB)
Background
Over 650 million people worldwide lack access to safe water supplies, and even among those who have gained access to ‘improved’ sources, water may be seasonally unreliable, far from homes, expensive, and provide insufficient quantity. Measurement of water access at the level of communities and households remains crude, and better measures of household water insecurity are urgently needed to inform needs assessments and monitoring and evaluation. We set out to assess the validity of a quantitative scale of household water insecurity, and to investigate (1) whether improvements to community water supply reduce water insecurity, (2) whether water interventions affect women’s psychological distress, and (3) the impacts of water insecurity on psychological distress, independent of socio-economic status, food security, and harvest quality.
Methods and Findings
Measures were taken before and one to six months after a community water supply improvement in three villages in rural northern Ethiopia. Villages similar in size and access to water sources and other amenities did not receive interventions, and served as controls. Household water insecurity was assessed using a 21-item scale based on prior qualitative work in Ethiopia. Women’s psychological distress was assessed using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Respondents were either female heads of household or wives of the heads of household (n = 247 at baseline, n = 223 at endline); 123 households provided data at both rounds. The intervention was associated with a decline of approximately 2 points on the water insecurity scale between baseline and endline compared to the control (beta -1.99; 95% CI’s -3.15, -0.84). We did not find evidence of impact of the intervention on women’s psychological distress. Water insecurity was, however, predictive of psychological distress (p <0.01), independent of household food security and the quality of the previous year’s harvest.
Conclusion
These results contribute to the construct validity of our water insecurity scale, and establish our approach to measuring water insecurity as a plausible means of evaluating water interventions. Improvements to community water supplies were effective in reducing household water insecurity, but not psychological distress, in this population. Water insecurity was an important predictor of psychological distress. This study contributes to an emerging literature on quantitative assessment of household water insecurity, and draws attention to the potential impact of improved access to water on women’s mental well-being.
Over 650 million people worldwide lack access to safe water supplies, and even among those who have gained access to ‘improved’ sources, water may be seasonally unreliable, far from homes, expensive, and provide insufficient quantity. Measurement of water access at the level of communities and households remains crude, and better measures of household water insecurity are urgently needed to inform needs assessments and monitoring and evaluation. We set out to assess the validity of a quantitative scale of household water insecurity, and to investigate (1) whether improvements to community water supply reduce water insecurity, (2) whether water interventions affect women’s psychological distress, and (3) the impacts of water insecurity on psychological distress, independent of socio-economic status, food security, and harvest quality.
Methods and Findings
Measures were taken before and one to six months after a community water supply improvement in three villages in rural northern Ethiopia. Villages similar in size and access to water sources and other amenities did not receive interventions, and served as controls. Household water insecurity was assessed using a 21-item scale based on prior qualitative work in Ethiopia. Women’s psychological distress was assessed using the WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Respondents were either female heads of household or wives of the heads of household (n = 247 at baseline, n = 223 at endline); 123 households provided data at both rounds. The intervention was associated with a decline of approximately 2 points on the water insecurity scale between baseline and endline compared to the control (beta -1.99; 95% CI’s -3.15, -0.84). We did not find evidence of impact of the intervention on women’s psychological distress. Water insecurity was, however, predictive of psychological distress (p <0.01), independent of household food security and the quality of the previous year’s harvest.
Conclusion
These results contribute to the construct validity of our water insecurity scale, and establish our approach to measuring water insecurity as a plausible means of evaluating water interventions. Improvements to community water supplies were effective in reducing household water insecurity, but not psychological distress, in this population. Water insecurity was an important predictor of psychological distress. This study contributes to an emerging literature on quantitative assessment of household water insecurity, and draws attention to the potential impact of improved access to water on women’s mental well-being.
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