Non-Governmental Organizations, Rural Communities and Forests: A Comparative Analysis of Community-NGO Interactions

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Wright ◽  
Krister Andersson
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim C. Savelsberg

With the expansion of international criminal law, the causation and exercise of mass violence is increasingly criminalized. However, the fields of humanitarian aid and diplomacy generate representations completely different from what criminal law suggests. A comparative analysis of eight countries reveals variable susceptibilities for these competing narratives. The empirical evidence is based on a content analysis of more than 3,000 newspaper articles on violence in Darfur and on interviews with African correspondents and specialists in non-governmental organizations and foreign ministries of the eight countries. The analysis suggests differentiations in argumentation concerning field theory as well as theories of globalization.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALAINE A. BALL ◽  
PEDRO H.S. BRANCALION

SUMMARYWhile conservation and development projects focusing on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) remain popular approaches to address complex issues of livelihood improvement and conservation, governance of NTFPs is still poorly understood. In the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot of Brazil, non-governmental organizations, researchers and community leaders are encouraging the commercialization of fruit pulp-based products from the endangered palm Euterpe edulis, known as juçara, to replace income from illegal heart of palm extraction. In order to assess the governance of development of juçara pulp as an NTFP and the potential to increase conservation of juçara through management on smallholder properties, we conducted qualitative research in São Paulo State from October 2012 to October 2013. Major challenges include policy barriers, difficulties integrating production and commercialization, problematic assumptions about poverty alleviation and the inability of the most disadvantaged members of communities to benefit. These governance challenges are a function of poor access, or the ‘bundle of powers’ that enables the ability to benefit. However, engagement with juçara fruit pulp production links farmers and former poachers with sustainable agricultural concepts and with networks, changing their perceptions of conservation and enhancing ability to benefit from improved policy.


Author(s):  
Inna Platonova

Worldwide, over 1.3 billion people lack access to energy. Lack of electricity undermines the provision of basic social services, including education and health, and impedes development of income generating opportunities. Renewable energy technologies provide a viable option to rural electrification and are increasingly recognized for their contribution to rural development, energy security, and climate change mitigation. International non-governmental organizations (NGOs), working in partnerships with local actors, play an important role in the diffusion of renewable energy technologies in developing countries. Based on the exploratory case study of the international NGO Practical Action, this chapter explores the nature and effectiveness of development partnerships for the provision of sustainable energy services in remote off-grid rural communities in Cajamarca, Peru. It emphasizes the importance of building effective partnerships with communities and local government; facilitating community participation and ownership; building capacities for sustainable provision of energy services; and providing affordable and appropriate technological solutions that meet people’s needs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan McWalter Richardson ◽  
Kendra V. Sharp

Energy access for all is the seventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) put forth by the United Nations in 2015. This initiative has been taken on by many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), national governments and communities alike. Traditional approaches to cooking often rely on three-stone fires (or other open wood fires). The smoke from these open cooking fires is known to cause significant negative health impacts, thus access to cleaner energy sources is especially important for to improve cooking conditions. One alternative cooking fuel is biogas, which has the advantages of smoke reduction, and decreased reliance on and impact of firewood collection. In this article, we develop a method of analyzing the feasibility of biogas projects for rural communities. The method enables both evaluation of an ideal digester design for specific environments and determination of the scale, cost, and yields of a biogas plant. For example, in a cooking application 1-m3 of biogas can be compared to 1.3 kg of firewood or approximately 10 minutes not spent collecting firewood. Such evaluation is critical to help communities and organizations determine whether or not this type of project is ideal for their environments. All too often, development project concepts are funded prematurely, before the realization that the implemented technology does not function properly or is unsustainable for specific applications. The feasibility analysis we describe is a contribution to the literature because it provides a condensed, simplified resource that enables development practitioners and communities to readily evaluate whether or not a biogas energy solution is appropriate and sustainable for their setting prior to investing valuable resources and time into implementation. 


Author(s):  
Francesca Colli

Abstract Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play an important role in the representation of citizens' interests towards policymakers. However, they increasingly run their campaigns not only against policymakers, but also against corporations. While the choice among strategies has been examined either in the state (targeting policymakers) or in the market (targeting companies), the choice between the two remains unexamined. Moreover, conventional studies of advocacy have failed to comparatively assess how groups combine strategies. This study fills these gaps, examining when NGOs target their campaigns at (a) the market, (b) the state and (c) both. It examines 24 NGO campaigns in the UK and Italy using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. Three main findings emerge. First, structural factors – especially the openness of the market – are most important in determining which target an NGO chooses. Second, campaigns that combine strategies tend to be either market- or state-oriented. Finally, high resources are the factor that pushes NGOs to combine strategies across the market and the state.


2019 ◽  
Vol 125 ◽  
pp. 10009
Author(s):  
Budi Setiyono ◽  
Agus Setyawan ◽  
Jamari ◽  
Heru Susanto ◽  
Eko Punto ◽  
...  

The development of renewable energy is an important step to reduce dependence on fossil energy. Geothermal energy is one source of renewable energy in Indonesia. However, when a geothermal project is not managed properly, the social political and cultural conditions of the community can be a failure factor in geothermal development. Through mix methods, this research undertakes social mapping in the project of Mount Ungaran as one of the geothermal development sites. Socially the people in the project area typically are rural communities where the role of informal leaders is very influential. There are a number of communities and non-governmental organizations that disagree with the development plan due to environmental, cultural and economic damage concerns. Yet, political support was obtained from the regional government and village government.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 453-474
Author(s):  
Subhash Kumar

Media Lab Asia (MLA) has been incepted in 2001 with the collaboration of MIT Media Lab and Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DEITY), Government of India. It is working on the paradigm of collaborative research from the lab to land in developing and operationalizing technologies to bridge the gap through educating, equipping and empowering common man. MLA is working in four sectors: livelihood, healthcare, empowerment of the disabled and education. MLA is successful in collaborating with Research & Development (R&D) organizations, institutions in Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), academia and industry. A long list of collaborators of MLA includes 59 partner agencies. MLA role, however, had confined to provide funding to the partner agencies. The collaborative organization develops product, tests and launches the projects. The reach of the project touches major states in India. eGalla, Chic, mDhanwanthari, and Sehat-Saathi are some of the projects developed by MLA and collaborators. eGalla is a retail management software, and Chic is developed to simplify the traditional craft for livelihood generation. mDhanwanthari and Sehat-Saathi are based on healthcare to rural communities. MLA has developed 75 projects since its inception. The projects have reached the beneficiary but lack in scale and commercialization. The parameter of success for MLA includes the potential for commercialization of the products or projects and self-sustaining mechanism of the impact of these products and projects. There are not many obligations for commercial success being a Section 25 company; however, a self-sustaining mechanism was critical. DEITY, the parent organization, has sought external support to develop a new business model to overcome the limitation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Moraes de Almondes ◽  
Lisiane Bizarro ◽  
Maria Cristina Oliveira Santos Miyazaki ◽  
Maria Rita Zoéga Soares ◽  
Ana Carolina Peuker ◽  
...  

The BRICS Forum, an independent international organization encouraging commercial, political, and cultural cooperation between Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was formed in 2011, and these countries have a significant influence on their regional affairs. These nations were hit by COVID-19 at different times, and all adopted home quarantine to reduce the spread of the virus. We present a comparative analysis of actions of psychology and potential outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in BRICS nations regarding five aspects: psychology in health policies, social roles of psychology, socioeconomic context, actions for the general population, and health professionals during stage 1 of the pandemic, and possible actions in stage 2. Various types of actions were taken by psychologists in BRICS, with different levels of coordinated cooperation with respective governmental and non-governmental organizations, multiple and parallel efforts from different scientific societies, and professional regulatory agencies. Scientific societies have had an important role in coordinating some of these efforts, especially because they congregate the psychologists from different parts of these countries, improving communication and access to key information. The aim of these actions varies from improving situational skills and competences to increase the accessibility of psychological services and provide psychoeducation and telepsychology. We will consider the social importance of these actions within these countries as a global opportunity for psychology to stage in a complex context involving human health. The way psychology in BRICS will face this challenging situation is likely to produce important regional influence, stimulate scientific contribution, and increase the accessibility of psychology.


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