Browsing by Author "Brown, David"

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Climate Change, Agricultural Policy and Poverty Reduction: How Much Do We Know?
(2007) Slater, Rachel; Peskett, Leo; Ludi, Eva; Brown, David
"Projections suggest that, by the end of the 21st century, climate change could have had substantial impact on agricultural production and thence on the scope for reducing poverty. This paper seeks to trace the likely impacts through changes in the quality of the physical asset base, access to assets, and impacts on grain production and on agricultural growth more generally. At moderate degrees of warming, impacts are likely to be negative in some regions, but positive in others, making it important to understand the possible implications for trade between the regions. The short term impacts of climate change, particularly changes in the frequency and severity of adverse weather events, remain uncertain, but their impacts on many developing countries are likely to be negative. There is likely to be time to make appropriate policy responses to some of the longer-term impacts."
Common Elements of EC Tropical Forestry Aid
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"European Community (EC) aid to tropical forestry, like all forms of EC development assistance, is strongly influenced by the structure of the European Union and by its political and financial procedures. Before discussing the manner in which tropical forestry aid is managed within the various Directorates-General, we need to review the structure and procedures of the Union and consider the ways in which these features affect the definition and administration of aid policy. The centre of power in the EU is the Council of the European Union. This consists of representatives of the European Member States and the Commission, the actual attendance varying according to the issue under debate. The highest-level body is the Council of the Heads of Government which meets twice yearly and formally approves the policies of the Union. The Council also meets periodically at Ministerial level. For example, the General Affairs Council deals with external affairs and is attended by the Foreign Ministers of the Member States, while Eco®n is attended by the Ministers of Finance."
Creating Social Institutions for Fisheries Co-Management in the CARICOM Region
(1998) Brown, David
"The central thesis of this paper is that the building and strengthening of institutional structures provide for both sustainability and change, which are essential ingredients for the operation of co-management regimes. The region is on the verge of moving from the centrally controlled administration of resource management to decentralized forms of conservation and resource management, and inter-state co-operative management of shared stocks. Old attitudes which cling to the fishing effort expansion and the transfer of technology mode, will take sometime to give way to the order of the day. The public awareness and education programmes for resource user groups and other stakeholders should continue to have the desired effects of building the capacities of the target audiences, and preparing them for the tasks of participating efficiently in the management of the fisheries resources of the region. "Significant progress has been made towards the creation of social institutions which could favour the establishment of co-management systems in the region; the latter to be manifested at both the state level and the local level. The creation of community based co-management structures is still in its infancy, although the progress made so far is encouraging. The implementation of the Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) and the formation of the Fisheries Advisory Committies (FACs) through the newly embraced participatory approach to resource management, will in the long run, go a long way to enhance the sustainable development and management of the regional resources. "There are two problems which need to be tackled. The first is the structural and operational weakness of the existing resource user organizations. This reduces their ability to effectively participate in decision making and management planning processes. The combined strategy of public sensitization and education programs and the development of incentive schemes from which benefit streams will accrue to the generality of the fishing population will go a long way to improve the situation. "The second issue has to do with the uncertainties concerning the genuine-ness of the political directorates' readiness to effect the devolution of central authority to peripheral entities, for the creation of institutional structures which will further promote the decentralization of the decision making process, and lead to the mushrooming of functional co-management institutional structures. The attainment of the sustainable development and management of the fisheries resources of the region will be greatly enhanced if additional solutions to these problems are found as soon as possible."
DG V, DG VI and DG XVI [Directorates General V, VI, and XVI]
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Brown, David; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"Structural Funds are available as non-reimbursable grants, on the basis of co-financing ('part-financing') with the relevant Member States. The level of co-financing depends on the objective of the programme, and is up to a maximum of between 50 and 85%. There are five sets of priority objectives: Objective 1: Structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind Objective 2: Economic conversion of areas seriously affected by industrial decline Objective 3: Combatting long-term unemployment and facilitating integration into working life of young people and those threatened with exclusion from the labour market Objective 4: Preventive measures to combat unemployment associated with industrial change Objective 5a: Structural adaptation of agriculture and fisheries Objective 5b: Economic diversification of vulnerable rural areas The relevance of the Structural Funds in the present context relates to the few overseas territories of the Member States located in the tropics. The main ones are the four overseas Departements of France, Martinique, Guadeloupe, ReÂunion and Guyane, all of which have the same legal status as any other French departements."
DG VIII [Directorate General VIII]
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Stoneman, Catherine; Brown, David; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"As the Directorate-General responsible for Development Co-operation with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, DG VIII occupies an unusual position with regard to development aid. Not only does it control `budgetary allocations' voted by the European Parliament to the respective development-related budget lines, but it also has access to the so-called `nonbudgetary funds' in the form of the periodic pledges which are made directly by the Member States to the European Development Fund. Unlike the budget lines, the EDF does not form part of the EC Budget and is thus outside direct Parliamentary control. Unusually, therefore, DG VIII action is conditioned not only by Commission-wide influences such as the Maastricht Treaty, but also by the bilateral and extra-budgetary financing arrangements associated with the multi-annual Lome Conventions. DG VIII's geographical mandate reflects the history of the European Union and the colonial history of several of its Member States."
Fishermen as Co-Managers of Communal Property in the CARICOM Region
(1996) Brown, David
"This paper examines the existing and past models of fisheries management in the CARICOM region and argues that there are trends leading towards the adoption of the co-management model in the region, and that this should be followed through in the management of fisheries at the community level. It clarifies the concepts of property rights and co-management as used in the article, and makes a conceptual differentiation between the co-management of the 'open-access' off-shore fisheries and the co-management of the in-shore, communal common property. It assesses the possibilities and problems involved in the fishermen's organizations and communities playing the role of co-managers of these fisheries. Additionally, based on empirical data re: the position of the fishers on the issue, argues for the adoption of the co-management of communal common property model in the region. It examines the past and present forms of traditional systems of the management of communal common property, and argues that elements of these could be formalised and upgraded, through existing institutional arrangements in the region, for the enhancement of the capabilities of the fishermen's organizations and communities to play the role of co-managers of communal common property. Finally, it identifies the rights and responsibilities of the state and the fishermen as co-managers of communal common property in fisheries, and poses the question, 'Are the governments and fishermen of the CARICOM region prepared and ready to assume the additional responsibilities involved?' The possibilities are analyzed, using empirical data from recent research in fishing communities in the region, and concludes that certain vital conditions must be fulfilled, in order to upgrade the capabilities of the fishermen for the tasks involved in the adoption of the co-management of communal common property in the fisheries of the region."
Forestry as an Entry Point for Governance Reform
(2002) Brown, David; Schreckenberg, K.; Shepherd, Gill; Wells, Adrian
"Tropical forestry provides a useful entry point for governance programmes. The very factors which make it a challenging sector for development assistance commend it also as a crucible for governance reform: its inclusive focus, linking the global to the national and local; the high levels of income and other benefits which it generates; its local fiscal base; the centrality of issues of tenure and collective rights; and its importance in rural livelihoods, all reinforce the linkages between good governance, public accountability and poverty alleviation. Ensuring that the forest sector fulfils this brief is a major challenge not just to host country governments but also to the donor community."
France
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Bedel, Jean; Brown, David; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"The pattern of forest ownership, like agricultural land ownership in general, has been significantly influenced by the egalitarian ideology of the French Revolution. The principle of equal inheritance of all heirs was enshrined in the Code NapoleÂon of 1804 which still forms the basis of French civil law. One result of this has been a tendency to fragmentation of land holdings. Today, more than 70% of the total forest area is under private ownership, and 25% of this is in small ownerships(less than 4 ha).2 Only 12% of forests are under state ownership, while 18% are owned by collectivite publiques (local government authorities3). The forests of France are notably diverse in species type; 89 tree species are found, 61% of them broadleaf, especially oak (Quercus spp.) and beech (Fagus spp.), with the remaining 39% conifers, particularly pine (Pinus spp.), or (Abies spp.) and spruce (Picea spp.). Coppice woodlands still cover almost one half of the forest area. The fragmented nature of many of the forest holdings poses some difficulties for the operation of the processing industries, which tend to be concentrated near the ports, far from many small producers, and the economics of small-scale management in France are a subject of debate among forestry professionals. France is the leading producer of hardwoods in Europe, while in production of conifers it is surpassed only by the Scandinavian countries and Germany. In addition to timber, France's forests provide a range of other products and services, including a number of important and distinctive non-timber products (various fruits and nuts; cork from the cork oak [Quercus suber]; mushrooms and truf¯es; etc). The French are renowned for their love of hunting; revenue from the issue of hunting permits for government forests alone brought in more than FF 170 m. in 1992."
From Supervising 'Subjects' to Supporting 'Citizens': Recent Developments in Community Forestry in Asia and Africa
(2002) Brown, David; Malla, Yam; Schreckenberg, K.; Springate-Baginski, Oliver
"Drawing on two contrasting cases 'Nepal (multiple purpose, relatively low value upland forests) and Cameroon (humid lowland forests of high commercial value)' this paper argues that policy development in community forestry has involved many unknowns, necessitating a learning process orientation and considerable flexibility."
Good Governance: What Can We Learn from the Forest Sector?
(2003) Brown, David; Schreckenberg, K.; Shepherd, Gill; Wells, Adrian
"Achieving good governance dominates today's development agenda. But what does this mean in practice? This paper examines some of the key elements of good governance, including transparent and equitable relationships between stakeholders, public accountability and participatory decision-making. It takes as an example the forest sector, which has made surprising gains in its application of good governance ideas. Forestry's inclusive focus, linking the global to the national and local; the centrality of issues of tenure and collective rights; and its importance in rural livelihoods, all reinforce the linkages between good governance, public accountability and poverty alleviation. The impact of improving governance is evident at several levels: decentralization has changed the balance of power and decisionmaking between central government and the periphery; relationships between government and civil society have benefited as donor-promoted participation has created significant space for civil society voices to be heard; and new models are being developed for relationships within civil society and particularly within communities. Forestry's experience shows that both `bottom up' and `top down' pressures may be needed to build public accountability. The transfer of rights over resources is important for turning `participation' into citizenship. Forestry offers experience with a wide variety of pro-poor growth strategies, and the legal, institutional and policy reforms necessary to secure these. Pro-poor regulatory reform is a challenging but essential aspect of better governance in the forest sector, for instance. Similarly, the national resolution of conflicts related to international policies is essential including, for example, debates about whether forest conservation can best be achieved through the protection or sustainable use routes."
Institutional Development of Local Organisations in the Context of Farmer-Led Extension: The Agroforestry Programme of the Mag'uugmad Foundation
(1997) Brown, David; Korte, Caroline
"This paper reviews the attempts of the NGO, World Neighbors, and its indigenous successor, the Mag'uugmad Foundation Inc., to develop the local institutional capacity of farmer organisations on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, building on a highly successful programme of farmer-led extension of agroforestry technologies. The paper describes the history of the programme from its inception inl982, and considers the grounds for its success in the transformation of the farming system over a wide area of the Cebu uplands. It then examines progress to date in the area of local institutional development, and assesses the likelihood of the substantial transfer of management functions to the community."
Ireland
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Tuite, Philomena; Brown, David; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"The history of Ireland is reflected in the history of its forests. The rural idyll which characterises external perceptions of Ireland belies a land which is one of the most deforested in Europe, and whose deforestation has been, to a significant extent, a manifestly political phenomenon. Ireland, never itself a colonial power, was long a colony of another European nation (Britain). This dependent status, and the injustices and hardships which accompanied it (most notably the Great Famine of 1845-9), have had their influence on Irish attitudes to humanitarian aid. They have contributed to the solidarity which many Irish people feel with the developing world, a solidarity underwritten by Ireland's long history of missionary work and its prominent role in international peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs."
Making Environmental Management More Responsive to Local Needs: Decentralisation and Evidence-Based Policy in Ghana
(2003) Amanor, Kojo S.; Brown, David
"This paper reports on research in Ghana’s Brong-Ahafo Region concerning the implications of democratic decentralisation on management of the natural environment, particularly forest resources. It argues that, despite nominal decentralisation, environmental policy remains largely unresponsive to rural interests. The paper considers the types of interventions which could enhance the flow of information between rural dwellers and policy makers, so as to strengthen local-level influence."
Netherlands
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Lette, Henk; Linden, Bert van der; Brown, David; Shepherd, Gill; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"In the country which is now known as the Netherlands, the human influence on the landscape has long been intense. It was not always so. The two most westerly provinces of the Netherlands derive their name from their once heavily wooded character (wood is 'holt' in old Dutch, hence `holt-land' - Holland). However, records show that even by the time of Charlemagne (742-814) most of the natural forest had been lost. By the thirteenth century, shortage of forest resources was severe, particularly in the north."
Participatory Biodiversity Conservation Rethinking the Strategy in the Low Tourist Potential Areas of Tropical Africa
(1998) Brown, David
"Converting international interest in biodiversity conservation into a positive development strategy represents a major challenge for governments and the donor community. While defensive strategies in line with the fines and fences approach are now widely rejected, attempts to provide positive incentives through alternative income generating strategies have not proven very effective. The way forward is increasingly seen to lie in the consolidation of existing livelihoods through the integration of biological and socio-economic information supported by efforts to increase local management capacity."
Participatory Methodologies and Participatory Practices: Assessing PRA Use in the Gambia
(2002) Brown, David; Howes, Mick; Hussein, Karim; Longley, Catherine; Swindell, Ken
"This research examines the conduct and consequences of the use of participatory rural appraisal techniques in four rural development projects in The Gambia. The research included a review of literature on PRA and the identification of a series of key themes that would allow an assessment of its utility. Fieldwork in The Gambia included reviews of project documentation, key informant interviews, and periods of village-based research using PRA methods. The conclusions of the study were presented and discussed in a national workshop."
Shifting Cultivators as Agents of Deforestation: Assessing the Evidence
(1998) Brown, David; Schreckenberg, K.
"Increasing concern on two fronts - the international environmental movement and growing interest in biodiversity conservation - has brought shifting cultivation back into the foreground of rural development forestry. Opinions remain divided as to the part that shifting cultivation plays in accounting for the high levels of deforestation in the tropics. While it is viewed in some quarters as a major cause of tropical deforestation, recent research suggests that the reality is often more complex, and that explanations for deforestation must be sought in a variety of factors, many of which should be placed at the door of governments and international capital rather than of shifting cultivators."
UK [United Kingdom]
(Overseas Development Institute, 1998) Hussey, Susie; Gordon, James; Shepherd, Gill; Shepherd, Gill; Brown, David; Richards, Michael; Schreckenberg, K.
"The future of UK forestry development assistance appears to be fairly secure. The position within the natural resources sector is a convenient one for collaboration with other sectors, particularly agriculture, and does not affect the level of funding available to forestry. This depends on priorities set within Country Strategy Papers, where forestry is well represented. Although public concern for tropical rainforests may no longer appear as great as it was, 80% of all letters received by the Department are still from schoolchildren asking questions about this issue."
What's Special About Wildlife Management in Forests? Concepts and Models of Rights-Based Management, with Recent Evidence from West-Central Africa
(1999) Inamdar, Amar; Brown, David; Cobb, Stephen
"This paper focuses on consumptive use of wildlife in the informal sector, particularly the consumption and trade in bushmeat in Equatorial Africa, the levels of which are widely believed to be unsustainable. It does not directly address the issues of consumptive and non-consumptive uses in areas of high tourist potential (such as is often the case in southern Africa). Several interesting models of the 'safari' type exist for community involvement in wildlife management in contexts such as these - 'Campfire' being the best known example - and these have been well publicised. Outside these high tourist potential areas, wildlife management is still highly problematic, though it is in such areas that the biodiversity concerns are often greatest (Brown, 1998)."