scholarly journals The Politics of Decentralization: Competition in Land Administration and Management in Ghana

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 948
Author(s):  
James Natia Adam ◽  
Timothy Adams ◽  
Jean-David Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Local Competition ◽  
Land Administration ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Decentralization Reforms

Decentralization policy forms part of a broader global ideology and effort of the international donor community in favor of subsidiarity and local participation, and represents a paradigm shift from top-down command-and-control systems. Since 2003, the formalization of property rights through titling became an integral component of decentralized land administration efforts in Ghana. The creation of new forms of local government structures and the related changes in the distribution of responsibilities between different levels of government have an impact on natural resource management, the allocation of rights, and the unequal distribution of powers. This paper aims to understand how decentralization reforms modify the balance of power between public administration, customary authorities, and resource end-users in Ghana. Decentralization’s impact is analyzed based on two case studies. Relying on purposive and snowball sampling techniques, and mixed methods, we conducted 8 key informant interviews with local government bureaucrats in land administration, 16 semi-structured interviews with allodial landholders, 20 biographic interviews and 8 focus group discussions with small-scale farmers. The interviews analyzed the institutions and the roles of actors in land administration. Our case studies show that decentralization has the tendency to increase local competition in land administration where there are no clear distribution of power and obligation to local actors. Local competition and elitism in land administration impact the ability of small-scale farmers to regularize or formalize land rights. Thus, the paper concludes that local competition and the elitism within the land administration domain in Ghana could be the main obstacles towards decentralization reforms.

Who and what set the price of walnuts for small-scale farmers in Southwest China?

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Yan ◽  
Anne Terheggen ◽  
Dagmar Mithöfer
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Village Level ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
The Village

Purpose Domestic demand for walnuts has been on the rise for the last decades. Consumption outstrips domestic production capacities, which led to increasing prices until recently. Small-scale farmers are at the centre of walnut tree planting and walnut collection efforts. Farmers are now integrated into rapidly expanding agrifood value chains. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the walnut value chain originating in Yunnan (the dominant producer of walnuts in China). The authors are especially interested in the position of small-scale farmers in the chain and the factors affecting the price that they receive. Design/methodology/approach Price and intra-chain governance information were collected through structured interviews with value chain actors like certified and conventional small-scale farmers, traders, processors, food manufacturers and wholesalers. The resultant price data set was analysed using a multiple regression analysis. Findings Timing of harvest, distance to market and sales volume are correlated with the village-level price. Farmers are in a market governance segment of the chain. Lead firms (e.g. supermarkets) are price-setters and determine the value distribution, with farmers receiving a smaller share relative to downstream actors’ shares. Research limitations/implications Improved connectivity to markets, transparency of standards and price (formation), processing and certification could improve farmers’ profits. Originality/value The authors contribute to the growing literature of value chain studies focussing on farmers’ integration into food systems at different scales. The authors investigated the price determinants at the village level and additionally provide information on an organic marketing arrangement.

scholarly journals PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS OF BENISEED (SESAME) PRODUCTION IN LAFIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-53
Author(s):  
Bello D ◽  
Agwale AO ◽  
Zaknayiba DB ◽  
Moren S ◽  
Ndor E
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Family Needs ◽  
Gross Margin ◽  
Access To Credit ◽  
Profitability Analysis ◽  
Married Men ◽  
Government Data ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Margin Analysis

The research was designed to examine the profitability analysis of beniseed (Sesame) production in Lafia Local Government. Data collected was analysed using simple descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency count, percentage and gross margin analysis to satisfy all the objectives. From the data collected, it was deduced that majority of the respondents 94.2% that engaged in sesame production are male. Also, most of the respondents 37.5% are married men and women who participated in the production of beniseed in order to carter for their family needs. Most of the respondents have one form of education or the other but majorities of them 33.8% have primary education predominantly, people who engaged in the production of beniseed in the study area are the small-scale farmers. Most of the respondents have an average number of family 3 – 4 per household. Most of the respondents spend only few number of years 3 – 5 years in beniseed production, 66.67% of the respondents being small-scale farmers make use of their family as a source of labour. In terms of extension awareness, 70.8% of the respondents are aware of extension services while only few number 29.2% are not. In terms of access to credit facilities majority of the respondents 65.0% have no access to credit while only scanty number 35.0% have access to credit facilities majority of the respondents 46.7% have problem of inadequate fund as a source of capital.

scholarly journals Endangered European Municipalities: A Systematic Outline of the Problem and Its Political Impact

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-256
Author(s):  
Jakub Hornek
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Government Role ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
Scholarly Discussion ◽  
Empirical Case Studies

AbstractDrawing on the experiences of Czech municipalities that cannot perform their local government role due to grave indebtedness, this article seeks to identify other European countries where municipalities may be facing existential problems. It can be assumed that grave indebtedness is not the only potential threat to communities in Europe. One aim of this study is, thus, to identify other possible threats to municipalities and provide specific examples. My goal, among other things, is to start a scholarly discussion about endangered municipalities and bring this phenomenon into the realm of political science. My methodology uses qualitative research and content analysis to identify potential threats that could in extreme cases wipe out European municipalities. To obtain data about specific endangered municipalities in Europe, I rely on snowball sampling, a method used by researchers to identify potential subjects who may be hard to locate. My findings identify five potential threats to European municipalities, which I divide into two groups: common and less common. I highlight the locations of endangered municipalities and those where problems are pending as well as the groups of municipalities in the greatest peril from individual threats. I also highlight potential political impacts. My approach uses empirical case studies to model possible scenarios. Based on this analysis and the experiences of specific endangered municipalities, I outline six general forms of endangerment and eight different courses of municipal endangerment.

Corrigendum to: Rodent management issues in South Pacific islands: a review with case studies from Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Peter R. Brown ◽  
Ken P. Aplin ◽  
Lyn A. Hinds ◽  
Jens Jacob ◽  
Sarah E. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
The South ◽  
South Pacific Islands ◽  
Small Scale Farmers

Rodents are a key pest to agricultural and rural island communities of the South Pacific, but there is limited information of their impact on the crops and livelihoods of small-scale farmers. The rodent pest community is known, but the type and scales of damage to different crops on different islands are unknown. Knowledge about rodent pest management in other geographical regions may not be directly transferable to the Pacific region. Many studies on islands have largely focussed on the eradication of rodents from uninhabited islands for conservation benefits. These broadscale eradication efforts are unlikely to translate to inhabited islands because of complex social and agricultural issues. The livelihoods, culture and customs of poor small-scale farmers in the South Pacific have a large bearing on the current management of rodents. The aim of the present review was to describe the rodent problems, impacts and management of rodents on South Pacific islands, and identify gaps for further research. We compared and contrasted two case studies. The situation in Papua New Guinea is emergent as several introduced rodent species are actively invading new areas with wide-ranging implications for human livelihoods and conservation. In Vanuatu, we show how rodent damage on cocoa plantations can be reduced by good orchard hygiene through pruning and weeding, which also has benefits for the management of black pod disease. We conclude that (1) damage levels are unknown and unreported, (2) the impacts on human health are unknown, (3) the relationships between the pest species and their food sources, breeding and movements are not known, and (4) the situation in Papua New Guinea may represent an emergent crisis that warrants further investigation. In addition, there is a need for greater understanding of the invasive history of pest rodents, so as to integrate biological information with management strategies. Ecologically based rodent management can be achieved on Pacific Islands, but only after significant well funded large-scale projects are established and rodent ecologists are trained. We can learn from experiences from other locations such as Southeast Asia to guide the way.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document