The Last Golden Land? Chinese Private Companies Go to Africa

The main driver of Chinese private investment in Africa is market-seeking. There is widely-held perception that Chinese investment in Africa is large state-owned enterprises in search of natural resources. This paper looks at the reality underlying such assumptions, and what this might mean for the potential of Chinese investment to contribute to development in Africa.Available at:

http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/idspublication/the-last-golden-land-chinese-private-companies-go-to-africa?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IDS_only_publications+%28IDS+Only+Publications+Feed%29

Measuring the value of land: The economics of desertification, land degradation and drought

This publication is an attempt to raise awareness of the economic aspects of desertification, land degradation and drought, and of the costs and benefits of sustainable land management (SLM). It is essentially a summary of the discussions and recommendations from the partnership meeting on the assessment of the 'Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought', held Germany late last year. This meeting attracted large participation from government agencies, government ministries, donor organisations and the private sector from countries and regional groupings in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe participated in this meeting. Full report available here.

The state of food and agriculture 2010-2011 Women in Agriculture

According to FAO's 2010-11 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture report, if women in rural areas had the same access to land, technology, financial services, education and markets as men, agricultural production could be increased and the number of hungry people reduced by 100-150 million. The report documents gender gaps in the access to a wide range of agricultural resources, including land, livestock, farm labour, education, extension services, credit, fertilizers and mechanical equipment. Full report available on the FAO website.

Ruthless Exploitation of Nature Endangers the Survival of Indigenous People Worldwide

Millions of indigenous people world-wide are deprived of clean water and adequate land for food cultivation. The right to safe drinking water was only just acknowledged by the United Nations as a human right on July 28, 2010. Unfortunately, the "Water War” in some communities had already come to a bloody confrontation years earlier. Clean drinking water had became unaffordable for the impoverished population for a long time. Details on this interesting issue can be accessed at:
http://www.gfbv.de/show_file.php?type=inhaltsDok&property=download&id=1992

ORI seminar presentation:"Landscape change along the Southern Okavango Buffalo fence-preliminary findings

Large-scale fences for land management are socially and ecologically contentious. Inside the Southern Buffalo Fence in the Okavango there has been a dramatic reduction in standing vegetative biomass since its construction in 1982/3. Notably, the area that has exhibited most vegetation change – an apparent loss in tree cover and diversity and a reduction in standing plant biomass – is inside the protected wildlife management area, while the open access tribal grazing area appears little changed. Anecdotal evidence provided by wildlife veterinarians points to blocked migration routes for zebras, but the heavy presence inside the fence of elephants, along with visible tree damage, indicate that they might also be playing an important role. In her presentation, Dr Lin Cassidy presented preliminary findings from paired point samples of vegetation characteristics and from analysis of satellite derived landscape characteristics: amount of standing vegetation, surface temperature, surface moisture and soil brightness. The data shows that :
• More thornveld on cattle side than on wildlife side (possibly due to ring-barking by elephants –
• More woodland on cattle side, with more scrub on wildlife side
• Greater areas of exposed soil on wildlife side, particularly in the growing (rainy) season
• Clear evidence of reduction in standing vegetative biomass on wildlife side
• Introduction of a sharp boundary into what was previously a gradient of change
Research is ongoing, with next steps being the analysis of differences in grass diversity, woody species diversity and bird species diversity between the two sides.

Dryland Opportunities

Drylands cover 41 percent of the earth’s terrestrial surface and the urgency of and international response to climate change have given a new place to drylands in terms both of their vulnerability to predicted climate change impacts and their potential contribution to climate change mitigation. This book aims to apply the new scientific insights on complex dryland systems to practical options for development. A new dryland paradigm is built on the resources and capacities of dryland peoples, on new and emergent economic opportunities, on inward investment, and on the best support that dryland science can offer. For more visit the IUCN website.

Habitat fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation refers to habitat being altered and resulting in a spatial separation of habitat units from a previous state of greater continuity. This phenomenon occurs naturally on a geologic time-scale or in unusual and catastrophic events. However, since the Holocene era, humans have produced dramatic and swift transformation of landscapes throughout the world, resulting in a level of habitat fragmentation that has induced worldwide reduction in biodiversity and interuption of sustainable yields of natural resources. Activities which cause this habitat fragmentation are mainly from agricultural land conversion, urbanization, pollution, deforestation and introduction of alien species.Prior to the dominance of mankind, long term changes engendered by geologic processes or climate oscillations contributed to habitat fragmentation. You can read the rest of the article from the Earth Portal site.

Land Inventory in Botswana: Processes and Lessons

This report on the Botswana Tribal Land Information and Management Systems focuses on the use of modern digital technology. It notes that the decentralization of land administration can bring benefits for the poor. The report documents challenges, opportunities, processes and lessons learned for implementing a successful land inventory. It recommends that countries planning to embark on a land inventory process should adapt to their respective jurisdictions, while taking into account the political, economic, technological, socio-cultural and institutional arrangements. For more on the report visit the UN Habitat site.

The Struggle over Land in Africa Conflicts, Politics & Change

The book seeks to analyse the role of land as a place and source of conflict, especially with regard to policy development, crisis management and post-war/post-conflict reconstruction. The authors’ main aim is to gain insight into the nature of policy-making concerning land and to delve into the underlying causes of these land issues, not only at national level but also in terms of broader Africa. The book covers land issues in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, northern Cameroon, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Some of the themes explored in this powerful volume include: Ethnic and indigenous land conflicts, Traditionalism versus modernity, renewed land interests, land use and conflict, state building, politics and land policy development, planning, inclusiveness/non-inclusiveness; regional scopes of land conflicts and changing norms. Full report available at
http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/The_Struggle_over_Land_in_Africa_-_Entire_Ebook1280053451.pdf

REDD+ in dryland forests: Southern Africa

The paper addresses Implementing Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) programs which involves not only providing sufficient incentives to land users but requires a supportive policy, legal and institutional environment. Community-based natural resources management (CBNRM) in the miombo ecoregion of east and southern Africa has addressed these issues in its evolution. This has resulted in the evolution of policy, legal and institutional mechanisms that attach market value to commonly controlled resources and facilitate market-led conservation, leading to some successful sustainable management of natural resources. The lessons from CBNRM in the miombo ecoregion provide a basis on which REDD+ in dry-land forests can build. While there has been a general positive trend in the development of supportive policies at regional level, individual countries are at different stages of a policy continuum. In a region where poverty is high and is also a key driver of land use change, REDD+ mechanisms need to be pro-poor, explicitly addressing and building the assets and capability of the poorest households at policy level and in practice. To view the full report visit the IIED site.

The First Africa Agriculture and Water Dialogue:Cape Town 2011

Sustainable land and water management in Africa is becoming more critical than ever. Crop output is dwindling and water management and storage infrastructure is desperately needed more than ever before to fast track and sustain socio -economic development on the Continent. Dialogue is now overdue to find solutions that will help charter a path to guarantee sustainable food production. So the 1st Africa Agriculture and Water Dialogue (AAWaD) is an event bringing together various institutions, individuals from the private and public sector, academia and NGOs to discuss solutions on the impact of climate change on agriculture and sustainable land and water management.

New at HOORC's Library: wildlife resources: a global account of economic use

The management and use of natural resources such as forests, grasslands, rivers and lakes were formerly considered purely in a financial context. However, there has been a consciousness of their social function and the indirect economic benefits which can be derived from them. Conservation of natural resources for sustainable consumptive as well as non consumptive uses has been recognised as a key element for maintaining economic development all over the world. Fortunately, the industrialised countries have started to apply this principle themselves and in their technical and financial aid to the developing Third world countries. This is derived from policy documents such as the World Bank Policy on Development of Wild Lands, issued in 1987. While it was previously unthinkable that any development bank would invest in the conservation of natural resources of the management of natural forests, wetlands and other wildlands for long term sustainable utilisation, this has now become a legitimate area for loan consideration. The book is available in the HOORC library.

African Union Endorses Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa

Heads of States and Government of the African Union, in their 13th Ordinary Session in Libya , committed to ensure that land laws provide for equitable access to land especially by the landless, women, youth, displaced persons and other vulnerable groups, through the adoption of the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa. UN-HABITAT has worked closely with the Pan African Land Policy Framework and Guidelines Initiative, which is being led by the African Union Commission, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank (AUC/ECA/AfDB), in collaboration with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and other partners. The initiative aims to develop a framework and guidelines for land policy and land reform in Africa, with clear benchmarks and indicators for its implementation. The adoption of the Heads of State and Government of the Declaration on Land Policy is a landmark decision that reflects the critical role of land in African Development. The complete text of the Declaration can be downloaded here: assembly_decision_-_land 20.91 Kb.

Conference on Botswana land policy

INVITATION FOR PAPERS

DITSHWANELO, the Botswana Centre for Human Rights, is is inviting submission of abstracts for a land conference to be held during the last week of August 2009.

The objective of the conference is to provide key stakeholders with the opportunity to engage on the role of land and related resources in poverty alleviation, particularly among the marginalized sections of the Botswana society.

Topics on which papers are invited:

1. Land Tenure and the marginalized in Botswana: Issues of a productive and caring nation
2. The effectiveness of the Tribal Land and State Land Acts in alleviating poverty in Botswana – the case of marginalized communities
3. Land use planning, efficiency and poverty alleviation
4. The role of land and related resources towards promoting socio - economic and cultural rights.
5. The role of Civil Society in land and related resources debate/advocacy.
6. Environmental externalities and their impacts on marginalized groups
7. The role of gender in the utilization of land, water and related resources for poverty alleviation.

Abstracts should be no fewer than 500 words or more than a single page (A4), indicating the problem of land and related resources in poverty alleviation, its importance to human rights achievement (literature review), especially the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Vision 2016 Pillars. The abstract should further indicate objectives of the proposed topic in relation to addressing the identified problem, the procedure of addressing the topic in terms of sources of information, and the method of analysis.

Abstracts should be e-mailed to: admin.ditshwanelo@info.bw and landrights.ditshwanelo@micro.co.bw or faxed to 6252712/3907778 the first week of July 2009.

BIOKAVANGO community of practice meeting

In his presentation at the monthly BIOKAVANGO community of practice (COP) meeting this week, HOORC's Professor Lars Ramberg discussed the impact of flood pulses on vegetation. He pointed out that, in general, floodplains have a much higher productivity than permanent rivers because of the accumulation of nutrients caused by floods. However, he stressed that these activities pose a challenge in the collection of statistics, which is crucial for research purposes. That being the case, it is difficult to convince decision makers to change certain policies because of this lack of quantitative results. In his closing remarks, he hoped that the 2010 Floodpulse Symposium would address some of these issues.

For more information about these monthly meetings, you can contact Anastacia Makati or Olebogeng Suwe at the HOORC Library at 6817241.

Government notices of interest to the Okavango Community

From the Botswana Government Gazette, Vol. XLVII, no. 30, 5 June
2009

Republic of Botswana: Tender: Works contract for the procurement of proposed alterations and renovations to the Botswana Wildlife Training Institute at Maun-Tender No. PR 9/3/3/09.
Republic of Botswana Tender: Services for: implementation of the Integrated Geographic System Tender No. PR/18/1/10 (1).

Republic of Botswana Tender: Supply installation and maintenance of high frequency radio telecommunications system with high frequency desktop base station, navigator software, vehicle tracking system and inbuilt GPS receiver to twenty-five cartographic census project field mapping vehicles for the 2011 population and housing census for a period of 22 months. Tender No FDP/TC/3/3/09-10.

Republic of Botswana Tender: Consultancy services for tribal land integrated management system (TLIMS) data collection and conversion: Gumare sub-land board and Nokaneng Sub-land Board
Tender No MTC/MLH/DOL/TLIMS/GUM-NOK/407/29052008.

Republic of Botswana Tender Consultancy services for tribal land integrated management system (TLIMS) data collection and conversion: Mmadinare sub-land board and Bobonong sub-land Board.
Tender No MTC/MLH/DOL/TLIMS/MMAD-BOB/409/29052008.

North West District Council Tender: Gravelling 10km on Maun internal roads
Tender No.NW/RDS/01/2009.

North West District Council: Tender: Gravelling 10km on Gwexwa-Nxaraga Road
Tender No.NW/RDS/02/2009.

North West District Council: Tender: Gravelling 10km on Xharaxhe-Kareng Road
Tender No.NW/RDS/06/2008.
Tender announcements and documents may also be found on the Government of Botswana web site. The entire issue of the Government Gazette may be read in HOORC’s Library.

New resource at HOORC's Library: LANTEEAL

HOORC is hosting training today in the use of LANTEEAL -- an electronic resource that provides full text access to more than 140 journals in fields related to agriculture. A searchable bibliographic database comprised of abstracts from CABI, Biosis, Econlit and more, makes finding relevant articles fast and easy. TEEAL is a project of Cornell University’s A. R. Mann Library with the continued cooperation of over 50 publishers and societies, and with the ongoing support of the Rockefeller Foundation and other international funding agencies. HOORC's Library acquired the resource this year to provide better coverage of the journal literature in areas such as aquaculture, crop and soil science, economics and rural development, natural resources management, food science and nutrition, livestock production, microbiology, plant protection, sustainable agriculture and veterinary medicine. You can access the contents of the resource for the years 1993-2007 at HOORC's Library.

International land deals in Africa

A new report published collaboratively by the FAO, IIED and IFAD analyzes a recent trend in large scale acquisition of land in sub-Saharan Africa by international investors. Land grab or development opportunity? Agricultural investment and international land deals in Africa draws on a literature review, on qualitative interviews with key informants internationally, on national inventories of approved and proposed land acquisitions since 2004 in five African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali and Sudan), as well as qualitative case studies in Mozambique and Tanzania, and on legal analysis of applicable law and of a small sample of land deals.

The authors identify food security concerns, increasing use of biofuels, agricultural rates of return and policy reforms that have improved attractiveness of investments as drivers in this trend. They point out the risks and conditions that accompany these land transfers and recommend improved mechanisms to ensure transparency and better understanding of contracting processes.

IUCN consultancy

Kalahari-Namib Project: enhancing decision-making through Interactive Environmental Learning and Action in Molopo-Nossob River Basin in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa

As part of the Project Preparation for the Kalahari-Namib Project, IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is recruiting a consultant to provide technical support to three national consultants (Botswana, Namibia and South Africa); provide a broad sub-regional overview of drylands Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Sustainable Land Management (SLM); provide technical input to a regional project planning meeting and assist in the facilitation of that meeting.

Terms of Reference

Provide the national and sub-regional level context to improve understanding of the macro-level driving forces of land use, land use change, and land degradation, with specific details on cross-border politics, policies, laws and agreements that influence land use and degradation in the Kalahari Namib ecosystem;

Provide an insight to the regional status of integrated rangeland and water management, identifying key information gaps, areas of conflict or misunderstanding, gaps in policy and law, and opportunities for influencing changes at different levels;

Provide an overview of existing and past regional SLM/NRM initiatives and resources, and other stakeholders and investments in related regional and cross-border work, in order to propose the main regional-level components of the project, including relevant national, sub-regional and international policy components;

Technically advise three national consultants, providing technical review of their draft reports and attending one national meeting in each country, and incorporate the key findings of the three national studies into the final regional study so that it provides a comprehensive overview of issues at local, national and regional scale;
Co-facilitate a regional workshop to bring together the national studies into one over-arching regional proposal.

More specific Terms of Reference will be shared with the successful applicant.

Applications should submit a detailed CV highlighting relevant experience and letter of motivation (maximum length 1 x A4 page) to iucnsa@iucn.org. Closing date of all applications is 28th May, 2009.

GIS training for Tawana Land Board at HOORC

GIS trainer Kent Burger with Tawana Land Board participants

Surveyors from the Tawana Land Board have been at HOORC this week, participating in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training. The course has been sponsored by BIOKAVANGO as part of a project to identify potential tourism locations in the Okavango Delta Ramsar Site.

In HOORC's Library you can find a range of books about using GIS, including Environmental land use planning and management by John Randolph and Spatial multicriteria decision making and analysis : a geographic information sciences approach edited by Jean-Claude Thill.