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on Africa |
| By: | Melkani, Aakanksha; Liverpool-Tasie, Lenis. S.O.; Snapp, Sieglinde |
| Abstract: | This study critically reviewed policy documents and associated budgets of six sub-Saharan African countries (accounting for about 40% of Africa’s population and (gross domestic product) GDP and almost 60% of inorganic fertilizer use in the region) to gauge government’s commitment to agricultural intensification (AI) and sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI) during the last two decades. This is this is the first systematic assessment of African ag policy documents in relation to Sustainable Intensification and three key findings emerge. First, we find that all study countries have consistently prioritized AI as a key policy objective over the last two decades. This commitment to AI is supported by significant resource allocation to AI programs and interventions. Second, we find that policy focus on SAI is a more recent phenomenon and resource allocation to SAI is generally low. Though all study countries demonstrate interest in some aspect of SAI by 2010, this enthusiasm is not proportionately reflected in the resources allocated to SAI. Third, we find that all countries emphasize the need for investment in agricultural research and extension, but the resource allocation varies substantially and is not always proportionate to the expressed interest in the sector. Together these findings indicate that the focus of agricultural investments in Africa remains agricultural intensification in the main with only modest sustainable agricultural intensification and that only in recent years. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy |
| Date: | 2022–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:miprrp:324030&r= |
| By: | Vorrath, Judith; Zuñiga, Laura Marcela |
| Abstract: | There are currently a significant number of protracted armed conflicts worldwide. Illicit economies and their links to violent actors are frequently cited as reasons for their persistence. Drug cultivation, production, and trafficking in places as diverse as Afghanistan, Colombia, and Myanmar have been garnering attention recently since they can undermine peace processes and contribute toward rising levels of insecurity. Nevertheless, it is particularly difficult to grasp the situation in conflict zones and understand the networks of internal and external actors linked to illicit economies due to the limited information base. This also holds true for the violent conflicts in Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR) that have been going on for extended periods of time. However, since United Nations (UN) sanctions apply in all three contexts, there are extensive and regularly available sources of information provided by the reports of the UN Panels of Experts that monitor sanctions implementation. These investigative teams provide valuable insights into illicit economies in conflict zones and their links to peace and security. Looking at the reports for Mali, the DRC, and CAR from the last five years helps to identify some common patterns that defy simple solutions, but that can also show entry points for action. |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpcom:362022&r= |
| By: | SHEUNESU ZHOU (UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND); Ayansola Ayandibu (University of Zululand); Tendai Chimucheka (University of Fort Hare); Mandla Masuku (University of Kwazulu Natal) |
| Abstract: | This study evaluates the impact of government social protection interventions on households? welfare in South Africa. The study uses survey data comprising 393 observations and the multinomial logistic regression technique to analyse the effect of government interventions. For robustness purposes, a negative binomial regression model is also estimated, whose results corroborates the main results from the multinomial regression model. Our findings show that government economic interventions through social protection significantly reduced the likelihood of a reduction in household income. Covid-19 grant/social relief grant, unemployment insurance, tax relief and job protection & creation were all significant in sustaining household income and consumption during the pandemic. The findings support the use of government social protection in providing a safety net for low-income groups in South Africa. |
| Keywords: | Social protection, Government intervention, Households? welfare, Covid 19 pandemic, Multinomial logistic regression |
| JEL: | D10 D12 D60 |
| Date: | 2022–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iefpro:13015534&r= |