Can climate information salvage livelihoods in arid and semiarid lands? An evaluation of access, use and impact in Namibia 20-09
EfD Authors:
Climate forecasting is a crucial tool for managing risks in climate- sensitive economic sectors like agriculture. Although rainfed farming dominates livelihoods in Africa, information on access, use and impact of improved seasonal climate forecasting remains scanty. This paper addresses this gap using representative data from Northern Namibia. The study employed propensity score matching, with a sensitivity analysis for hidden bias, to evaluate the impact of
Smallholder responses to climate anomalies in rural Uganda
EfD Authors:
Recent research suggests that sub-Saharan Africa will be among the regions most affected by the negative social and biophysical ramifications of climate change. Smallholders are expected to respond to rising temperatures and precipitation anomalies through on-farm management strategies and diversification into off-farm activities. However, few studies have empirically examined the relationship between climate anomalies and rural livelihoods.
The Economics of REDD through an Incidence of Burdens and Benefits Lens
EfD Authors:
Forests in lower-income countries provide a global public good, carbon sequestration. REDD, "reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" is a performance-based payment designed to align private incentives at the country level with the socially optimal level of forest loss. This review article focuses on the distributional implications of REDD, specifically on whom the burdens and benefits fall. First, REDD implementation has proven more difficult and costly than originally anticipated.
The effect of FDI on environmental emissions: Evidence from meta-analysis
EfD Authors:
A frequently-raised issue about foreign direct investment (FDI) is the potentially negative consequences for the environment. The potential environmental cost resulting from increased emissions may undermine the economic gains associated with increases in FDI inflow. Although the literature is dominated with this adverse view of FDI on the environment, there is a possibility that FDI can contribute to a cleaner environment, especially, if FDI comes with green technologies and this creates spillovers for domestic industries.
Carrot or Stick: What Works for CAMPFIRE Communities in Zimbabwe?
EfD Authors:
Local communities in Africa benefit from protected areas through a number of activities such as grazing their livestock and revenues gained from touristic activities such as trophy hunting. These two activities are not independent because the feeding habits of large herbivores such as elephants prevent bush encroachment, thus maintaining healthy grasslands or pastures for livestock.
Local Communities and Wildlife Conservation in Zimbabwe
EfD Authors:
Zimbabwe’s community-based conservation model, which brings together peasant farmers in a tourism-focused approach to wildlife management, has enjoyed limited success since its inception during the mid-1980s, due to a number of reasons. There has been increased human-wildlife conflict, and it is hard to enforce rules against poaching. Community involvement in wildlife conservation is one of the major factors influencing the success of integrated conservation and development projects. These projects can fail if there is lack of ownership of the project.
