Several of our articles in this issue share a common aim to understand the complexity of factors affecting the lives of people, and are implicitly critical of one-dimensional approaches to solving developmental problems, especially those which seem intractable and seem to entail people being stuck in poverty with little obvious means of escaping it. Single issue “golden bullet” approaches tend to either flounder or, despite appearing seemingly successful, may in fact do little to lift people out of extreme poverty. Therefore it is of interest to see the emergence of more approaches which look at a range of interacting variables, some of which may be contradictory and create tensions and constraints in themselves when operationalised.
In an article on value chains, it comes over very strongly that it is usually not one single variable which impedes improving value chains for the benefit of poor agricultural producers. Helene Lie, Karl M. Rich, and Stefan Burkart explore an exercise of participatory modelling of value changes in a rural development setting, contributing to an increasing interest in value chains and their role in agricultural development. This is considered as an alternative to the more traditional emphasis on a single product or sector when constructing value chains. The authors argue that the participatory model provides a better understanding of the overall system within which small farmers operate and live. The case is based on dairy farming in Nicaragua, and moves away from a purely qualitative approach more commonly used in value chains, to encompassing quantitative data within a model they describe as “group model building”.
Samapti Guha, Hemangi Patel, and Nadiya Parekh explore the financial practices of tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh in India, in light of major changes in the Indian economy which seem to be bypassing tribal communities despite, or perhaps because of, the role of the Indian state. A complex set of negative conditions from cultural traditions (excessive marriage costs), to failings in the state systems (corruption), imbalanced personal budgets (high repayments on loans for consumption), and other factors come together to constrain the tribal economies studied. A range of actions are likely to be necessary to break these constraints.
Sanaullah Panezai, Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, and Shahab E. Saqib set out to research gender-based barriers to access to primary health care services in Balochistan, Pakistan. They found that, overall, services are poor in both outreach and quality, hence there is a low level of access. Although women tended to use the services more than men due to their health problems, a range of gender-based barriers existed for women to access primary health care services, including transport, lack of female staff, and cultural barriers.
Jackline Kabahinda’s article seeks to explore in depth land rights as they affect women in Uganda. The author looks at the overlapping and sometime contradictory pluralism of legal and customary approaches to land tenure which work against the equality of women. The study is based on a detailed review of two communities and the way that these pressures work out in practice. It reviews the legal and customary approaches to women’s land rights, noting how they are interpreted in very different ways in the two communities, and often due to the views of local leaders rather than adherence to national law.
Kelvin Mulungu, Elias Madzudzo, Samuel Adjei-Nsiah, and Mulani Akatama review experiences using an approach to livelihoods support utilising “livelihood enhancement groups”. These groups are seen as a way to improve the transfer of technologies and skills in a Zambian context through peer exchange of views and experience at a community level. Use of these groups has seen an accumulation of savings, and improved nutrition, livestock, natural resource management, and gender relations. It is argued that by bringing people together in these learning groups local people have been able to gain from positive experiences and learn from negative ones.
Xavier Rambla, Antoni Verger, D. Brent Edwards Jr, Clara Fontdevila, and Xavier Bonal evaluate the global Civil Society Education Fund, designed to support the implementation of the Education for All policy and the MDG on education, through enabling civil society groups to advocate for the provision of improved educational services by their governments. The unique study both evaluates the progress and weaknesses of the fund, while also commenting on issues around such experiments in global governance.
Paratta Promme, John K.M. Kuwornu, Damien Jourdain, Ganesh P. Shivakoti, and Peeyush Soni have analysed rubber marketing in Thailand, and amongst other factors note the positive influence of membership of farmers’ organisations on accessibility to markets.
Sharon McLennan provides a fascinating account of those working in development without the usual large institutions supporting them. These independent development volunteers, often self-funded, and working on their own with little contact with mainstream agencies, provide an interesting group which encompass a mixture of passion and commitment on one hand, but can be regarded as characterised by paternalism and a colonial outlook on the other. A case study of volunteers in Honduras is used to illustrate the tensions and motivations of such volunteers.
Although Development in Practice does not normally carry conference reports, we have made an exception for a practical note given the undoubted importance, yet neglect, of the role of women in agriculture in Africa. The report from Rahma Isaack Adam, Philip Osano, Joan Birika, Atieno Ndede Amadi, and Henry Bwisa describes a range of discussions and practical options for improving and recognising the roles and participation in agriculture of women, and how they can be enhanced.
Finally, Daniel Wroe reviews a new book by Swidler and Watkins reporting on an unusual long-term study of relationships between key stakeholders engaged with HIV/AIDS work in Malawi, which tracks very different motivations and perspectives among the different actors. It would seem that encouraging local people to keep diaries over a long period of time and using a mixture of methods captured the range of perspectives, aspirations, and objectives of donor agencies, intermediary local professionals, and community groups.