Rural 21 (Englische Ausgabe)

Focus 1/2017: Trade and development II: The global dimension
Since the turn of the century, global agricultural trade flows have roughly tripled, reaching 1.2 trillion US dollars in 2015. However, the forecasts for future developments are mixed – also because of uncertainty caused by the new US President’s statements on trade policy. This second part of our trade focus isn’t meant to be a rehash of the familiar “free trade versus protectionism” arguments. But the framework really is different. Climate change, price volatility in the agricultural markets as well as Agenda 2030 all call for a review of how individual aspects relate to one another in the overall context. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 4/2016: Trade
In December 2005, the Aid for Trade initiative was launched at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference. It was to enable developing countries to draw optimum benefits from global trade by assisting them in overcoming trade-related constraints. Today, just over a decade later, the success of the initiative is given a sometimes very mixed assessment. However, this has not been the case regarding its basic notion that trade can make an important contribution to sustainable economic development and poverty reduction provided that it can be made fair and inclusive. This is also reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals, in which the community of nations resolves to “correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets” (SDG target 2.b), to “increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries” (SDG target 8a) and to “significantly increase the exports of developing countries” (SDG 17, target 11). But it is also borne testimony to in the latest changes in development co-operation policy, which is increasingly focusing on trade and markets. The approaches and instruments applied in the context of agriculture and rural development are presented in this edition of Rural 21. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 3/2016: Land Governance
Land is a major source of people’s identities and livelihoods as well as being a key asset for households. Land ownership and land use rights crucially affect both equality of opportunity and economic and environmental stability. It is entirely justified to include these rights in the Sustainable Development Goals and not without reason that the adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) attracted so much attention four years ago. Often, land remains the only source of livelihood for poor and marginalised households. Thus improved security of land rights first of all creates secure access to basic necessities such as housing and nutrition. When such needs are met, the poor are more likely to be able to afford education, which helps people exit the vicious cycle of poverty. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 2/2016: Rural transformation
A comprehensive societal change is in progress in many rural regions throughout the world. More and more people are moving to the cities, the role of agriculture is diminishing, while the manufacturing and service sectors are increasingly determining economic development. These developments, which shaped the fortunes of the now highly industrialised countries in the nineteenth century and those of the middle-income countries in the late twentieth century, are now confronting many countries of the developing world with major challenges. How can they make this transformation process not only effective and efficient, but also socially equitable and sustainable? Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 1/2016: Nutrition-sensitive agriculture
The concept of “nutrition-sensitive agriculture” sets out from the assumption that agriculture has a role in providing food security – which means access for all people at all times to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. However, judging from the number of close to 800 million people who are classified as chronically hungry and an estimated two billion people suffering from micronutrient malnutrition, it would appear that agriculture is not fulfilling this role, or at least not doing so adequately. How can this be remedied? Our authors show how closely agriculture, nutrition and health are linked and take a look at the various entry-points for improving nutrition through agriculture: from the choice of adequate seed systems and breeding programmes through agricultural policy interventions to promoting market access, production diversification und better functioning value chains to capacity building, nutrition education and gender equality. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 4/2015: Lessons learnt from Ebola
It is now two years ago that a two-year-old boy in Guinea called Emile caught the deadly Ebola virus and died. In next to no time the disease then spread to the neighbouring countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia. So far, it has infected 25,601 persons and led to 11,300 deaths in the three countries. But these are only the official statistics – the true number of victims is thought to be considerably higher. How could the crisis assume such dramatic proportions? The authors in this edition give accounts of their analyses on Ebola outbreak and response, but also of their personal experiences during their work in the countries concerned. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 3/2015: Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture
In the debate about food security and poverty alleviation the fishery sector is mostly mentioned only in passing, if at all, even though at least one billion people depend on fish as the main source of animal food and at least one-tenth of the world population depend for their livelihood on fisheries and aquaculture. The World Bank and FAO estimate that demand for aquatic food will continue to rise. But around one-third of all fish populations are already overfished. Large-scale illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries worsen the problem, and also contribute to loss of revenues, employment and fish supplies for local populations. Numerous other factors, such as environmental pollution, littering and increasing extraction of raw materials from the seabed, and also natural disasters and climate change have an impact on the state of the oceans. How can we succeed in using aquatic resources sustainably while at the same time ensuring that inequalities in access to them are eliminated so that small-scale fishers and aquaculture communities also benefit from the value chains? Our authors present the challenges, lessons learned and approaches to solutions from the point of view of development cooperation, civil society and science. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 2/2015: Rural mechanisation
It’s easy to find arguments in favour of raising the degree of farm mechanisation. People’s living conditions improve, for the drudgery that also makes farming so unattractive for young people is no longer necessary. Standardised, optimised processes along the entire value chain raise the quality of primary and processed goods; harvest and post-harvest losses are reduced. Furthermore, a services sector develops around production, marketing and the use and repair of technical equipment that creates jobs, boosting the economic power of rural areas. And last but not least, coupled with higher purchasing power, the quality and volume of food produced also improves the food situation of the population. However, even the finest technology will be of no use if it is not applied or not properly employed – perhaps because its operation or maintenance is too complicated, because it doesn’t fit into the societal context or sections of society – often women – are barred from using it, because farmers do not benefit from it or simply because they lack the (financial) resources. Our authors show why and how the individual regions throughout the world have developed differently in terms of mechanisation and which concepts are really forward-looking, i.e. sustainable with a view to climate change and scarce natural resources, and that are above all also suitable for smallholders. Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 1/2015: Hopes pinned on SDGs
When the international community of states adopts the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York in September 2015, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will once and for all be a thing of the past. Although it cannot be denied that the MDGs have been successful – absolute poverty has been halved since 1990, and 90 per cent of children in developing countries are today completing primary education – the positive results should not distract attention away from the weaknesses. The MDGs have neglected one important factor in poverty reduction, that of empowering people, as they have the specific conditions in conflict-affected countries and the aspect of environmental sustainability. In addition, they have continued the traditional paternalist aid relations between the Global North and the Global South instead of abandoning them. Therefore – and also because power relations in the world have shifted immensely since the MDGs were adopted – countries agreed to replace the MDGs by a new set of goals. In this edition, our authors explain the essence of these Sustainable Development Goals, what is expected of them and, above all, what is needed for their ambitious agenda to be implemented. After all, the latest proposal has 17 goals and 169 targets … Erfahren Sie mehr

Focus 4/2014: Livestock
The livestock sector creates livelihoods for an estimated one billion people world-wide. Not only is the consumption of milk, meat and eggs an important source of protein and micronutrients and hence a crucial pillar of food security for the rural poor in particular. For many people, the sale of animal products is the most important, if not the only, source of income. In addition, the animals are a significant multifunctional asset. They provide dung, raising soil fertility, they are simultaneously beasts of burden and tractors, and they represent “hoofed insurance”, not to mention the social prestige that they endow their owners with in several societies. In spite of its important role, animal production has been an unfavourable topic in the development debate – mainly because of its environmental impact. After all, animals account for two thirds of all climate gas emissions from agriculture; water pollution and loss of biodiversity are attributed to animal husbandry as are the transmission of animal-borne diseases to humans and unhealthy food, not to mention competition with other areas of food production. With this edition of Rural 21, we want to take a look at the current state of debate. Erfahren Sie mehr