Browsing by Author "United States Agency for International Development."

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17
  • Africa Conflict Resolution Act Inter-Agency Plan
    United States Agency for International Development. (1995)
    Presents the US government's view of conflict in Africa and presents a summary of government plans for assisting African conflict management in the future. Historically, most emergency responses have been to drought but now more complex disasters rooted in domestic conflict and political instability have become important. Poverty and food insecurity are seen as both a root cause and barrier to prevention and mitigation since many countries are too poor to address the social and economic problems they face. Sustained economic growth and development is seen as the single most important component of long-term conflict prevention. Ethnicity and religion often serve as means to mobilize the disenfranchised and poor in conflict rural situations. Lessons learned from conflict development and mitigation in Africa include:
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    Agriculture in the new century: FY 2000 report to Congress on Title XII
    United States Agency for International Development. (Washington, DC: USAID, 2001)
    This report summarizes the accomplishments of USAID and our public and private partners in FY 2000, the final year of implementation under Title XII as originally legislated in 1975.
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    Conducting a conflict assessment: A framework for strategy and program development
    United States Agency for International Development. (Washington, D.C.: USAID, 2005)
    A peaceful, stable world order is a key foreign policy priority for the United States and foreign assistance has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. Many of the most important causes of conflict and state failure, such as a stagnant or deteriorating economy, weak or corrupt political institutions, and competition over natural resources, already lie squarely at the heart of traditional development assistance. However, although development and humanitarian assistance programs are increasingly implemented in situations of open or latent conflict, most still do not explicitly incorporate a sensitivity to conflict in their design or execution.
  • Environmental guidelines for small-scale activities in Africa: Environmentally sound design for planning and implementing development activities
    United States Agency for International Development. (USAID, 2007)
    These guidelines were developed to help USAID and its partners meet the challenges posed by the need for environmentally sound design (ESD) in small-scale activities. Specifically, this book is:
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    Examining Sustainable Intensification Research Priorities
    United States Agency for International Development. (USAID, 2013)
    As demand for food grows and constraints to production increase, sustainable intensification (SI) has been proposed as a paradigm to feed the world while conserving natural resources. This paper, a discussion paper for the Agrilinks e-consultation on sustainable intensification, provides an introduction to the SI framework and a review of the related literature. It focuses on the research topics chosen for the forum: farming systems, research rigor, integration and scaling out of science, and biologically-based management of natural resources.
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    Favorable weather in Eastern Africa
    United States Agency for International Development. (1998)
    This newsletter discusses various topics such as food deficits, donor aid, road conditions, and planting crops. Case studies are offered from countries like Kenya, Tanzania, etc.
  • Feed the Future: Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index
    United States Agency for International Development.; International Food Policy Research Institute.; Oxford Poverty and Human Development Index. (International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2012)
    This report discusses the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) which is a measurement of their empowerment, agency, and inclusion in the agricultural sector. Its purpose is to identify constraints and increase understanding between women, agriculture, empowerment, and food security. In turn, this will help understand which women are disempowered and how their autonomy and decision-making can be addressed in order to reach gender equity in production, access to resources, income, leadership, and workload.
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    Integrating Household Nutrition and Food Security Objectives into Proposed Agriculture Projects
    Infant and Young Child Nutrition Project; United States Agency for International Development. (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), 2011)
    This resource offers practical suggestions for incorporating nutrition and household food security objectives into agricultural research as well as how to measure their outcomes, such as a Household Food Insecurity Access Scale.
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    Nature, wealth, and power in Asia: Renewing rural development in Asia
    International Resources Group; United States Agency for International Development. (Washington, D.C.: International Resources Group (IRG), USAID, 2005)
    Asia, particularly South Asia, has the highest number of poor people in the world today. Many of these people are rural and depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and growth. If the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved in the region urgent action is needed on rural poverty. The critical linkages between natural resources, growth and poverty alleviation, and governance and democracy are becoming more evident every day. And these linkages and complementarities are providing a powerful framework with which to analyze and attack rural issues.
  • Nature, wealth, and power in Latin America: Unleashing the potential of rural development in Latin America
    International Resources Group; United States Agency for International Development. (Washington, D.C.: International Resources Group (IRG), USAID, 2005)
    Although highly urbanized the rural areas of Latin America continue to be the home of a large percentage of the poor. In addition rural areas provide a number of essential goods and services for LA economies and quality of life. Many poor people are rural and depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and growth. If the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved in the region urgent action is needed on rural poverty. The critical linkages between natural resources, growth and poverty alleviation, and governance and democracy are becoming more evident every day. And these linkages and complementarities are providing a powerful framework with which to analyze and attack rural issues.
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    Nature, wealth, and power: Emerging best practice for revitalizing rural Africa
    United States Agency for International Development. (Washington, D.C.: International Resources Group (IRG), 2005)
    Building on lessons learned from more than 20 years of natural resource-based development in rural Africa, this document presents principles and action steps intended to serve as a guide to investment there.
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    Recovery continues, but transport problems plague relief to Rwanda and Sudan
    United States Agency for International Development. (1998)
    This newsletter focuses on Southern Africas response to El Nino, and also discusses topics such as below-average harvests, dry spells, etc. Cases studies are offered from countries such as Niger, Mauritania, etc.
  • Responding to Sahel food shortages in 1996/7: What went wrong?
    United States Agency for International Development. (USAID, 1997)
    A particularly difficult hungry season in Chad, Mauritania and Niger has meant considerable food shortages and depleted cereal reserves despite the fact that early warning systems were in place and indicated the gravity of the situation in advance of the November 1996 harvest. The purpose of early warning is to allow households to implement their own strategies for dealing with shortage, and to give aid agencies the information they need in order to pre-empt and mitigate a disaster. The lesson from the Sahel is that co-ordinated and effective response does not necessarily follow early warning. One of the chief problems faced is that of communication of information. The size of the region covered meant that there were inconsistent reports on the scale or impact of the drought, and the slow onset of drought means that it is of little interest to the media. Once relevant information has been gathered there are political obstacles such as the orientation of donor and recipient countries development plans which may be interrupted by inefficient emergency food provision. Food security is an internal political issue, and a normal harvest at national level does not guarantee the security of all households; similarly, national level assessments may not be adequate monitoring mechanisms. The report concludes with an upbeat message of hope that there is no reason for loss of life due to food shortages resulting from drought, and that consensus amongst donors is an important part of ensuring food security.
  • Sahel development program
    United States Agency for International Development. (1983)
    This report reviews the analysis of US AID programs and their relationship to the overall regional strategy in the Sahel. Futhuer, this report provides a forum for discussing new themes and their integration into USAID strategy.
  • The Sahel in depth. Living on the edge
    United States Agency for International Development. (1997)
    The Sahel is an area of chronic vulnerability to food insecurity; about 80% of their needs are met by local production in conditions which are characterized by poor soil fertility, low rainfall, underdeveloped marketing channels and marginal land. Rainfall is uncertain and the 1970s and 1980s were particularly dry years, although there seems to be some increase in the rainfall levels recently. Many areas lack the phosphorous, nitrogen, organic matter and water retention necessary for cultivation; the FAO estimates that only 4% of the area covered by the Sahelian countries is suitable for crops, although another 32% is marginally suitable for rainfed agriculture. Over the last twenty five years, human and animal populations have grown at an average annual rate of 2.6% and 1% respectively, and this has limited the mobility that was formerly enjoyed. Fallow periods have been reduced and marginal land cultivated. Institutional weaknesses and declining terms of trade have made for a sharp decline in the economic viability of Sahelian farmers. Sahelian farmers have responded to their environment by intensifying input where water is available, and by soil conservation and reclamation techniques. The adoption of yield-enhancing technologies for staple crops is more likely when there are important synergies with cash crops. Institutional changes such as the liberalization of the cereal market in Mali also have effects on the priority placed on agricultural production. Meat production also responds to market conditions, such as the 1994 CFA franc devaluation which boosted the competitiveness of Sahelian meat. Diversification, mobility and trade enable Sahelian farmers to purchase what they are not in a position to grow. This has contributed to urbanization, and urban growth in Sahelian countries averages at 5.9%. Foreign assistance provides some buffer against food insecurity, particularly in the form of emergency food aid; it is likely that this will remain a necessary part of Sahelian food security, at least in the short term.
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    Slowdown of rainfall and high temperatures increase risk of crop stress
    United States Agency for International Development. (1998)
    This newsletter describes how the decrease of rainfall and high temperatures are adversely affecting crops. Various case studies, such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, etc, are then described to the adverse effects of the lack of rain.
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    USAID Policy: Gender equality and female empowerment policy
    United States Agency for International Development. (Washington D.C.: USAID, 2012)
    This report is an update on USAID's progress towards gender equity and female empowerment since 1982. This policy strives towards positive development that is beneficial to men, women, and children. The goals are to reduce gender disparity in access to resources, reduce gender-based violence, and increase women's agency, leadership, and decision-making.