scholarly journals Water security and rangeland sustainability: Transdisciplinary research insights from Namibian– German collaborations

2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Luetkemeier ◽  
Meed Mbidzo ◽  
Stefan Liehr
Keyword(s):  
Water Security ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Global South ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Transdisciplinary Research ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Scientific Disciplines

The Global South is facing severe challenges in ensuring livelihood security due to climate change impacts, environmental degradation and population growth as well as changing lifestyles. These complex problems cannot be solely solved by single scientific disciplines – they require transdisciplinary research (TDR). Stakeholders from civil society, the corporate sector, government and science need to pool their knowledge to find solutions for sustainable transformations. In Namibia, we have been involved in TDR projects on water supply, and sanitation services as well as livestock management in rangeland systems. In this paper, we review two TDR projects that differ in multiple ways and hence allow us to carve out structural differences and critically discuss research outcomes, lessons learned and the challenge of North–South collaborations. Our review builds upon published and unpublished project documents as well as expert interviews with Namibian and German researchers who were involved in the projects. Our results show that TDR can be put into practice in different ways, depending on the research focus and the period available. The TDR phases of problem framing, inter- and transdisciplinary integration were implemented with different tools and foci points. We discuss the role of project length and funding conditions for project success and outcome generation. In addition, we critically consider the role of Namibian and German researchers in these international collaborations. The conclusions we draw touch upon the points of preparatory research funding, the equal acknowledgement of Global South contributions to joint research projects and the explicit handling of TDR components in project work.

scholarly journals How is water security conceptualized and practiced for rural livelihoods in the global South? A systematic scoping review

Water Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sameer H. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Global South ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Solution Strategies ◽  
Related Risk

Abstract In the global South, rural and resource-based livelihoods increasingly face water-related risks. The conceptualization and application of the water security concept in relation to rural livelihoods has not been reviewed in this context. To fill this gap, a systematic scoping review of refereed journal articles (2000–2019) was conducted to examine how water security is defined, driven, and addressed for rural livelihoods in the global South. Publications (n = 99) featured diverse methodologies and geographical contexts, and recognized simultaneous drivers of water insecurity and solution strategies for water security. Several shortcomings were evident. First, only 30.3% of publications defined the concept, mostly using frames of ‘adequate’, ‘sufficient’, and ‘acceptable’ water-related risks. Few definitions recognized the role of water security interventions in increasing capabilities and prosperity. Second, technical and managerial responses to proximate drivers of water-related risk – namely climate-related dynamics, water re-allocation, extraction, and mismanagement – outnumbered efforts to identify and transform the underlying social, economic, and political inequities that create and sustain water insecurity. Last, studies focused heavily on agriculture, while labour, transhumance pastoralism, and aquaculture were underrepresented. A research agenda that increases the synergies between the wider water security and rural livelihoods scholarship is advanced to address these shortcomings.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Tir ◽  
Johannes Karreth
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Intergovernmental Organizations ◽  
State Fragility ◽  
International Environment

After summarizing the theoretical arguments and findings of this book, we discuss key lessons learned from our study. The international environment has a significant influence on civil war development and prevention. Amplifying their conflict-preventing influence on member-states, highly structured intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) often coordinate their activities, especially in the area of political violence and state fragility. We then identify a number of tangible, economic incentives as the main pathways of this influence. Overall, this book suggests that the economic benefits of peace provide a potent temptation—for both governments and rebels—to settle low-level armed conflict before it can escalate to full-scale civil war. With these lessons learned, we also identify suggestions for both the research into and practice of conflict management. The chapter closes by pointing to opportunities for making use of our findings to further capitalize on the role of highly structured IGOs in civil war prevention.

scholarly journals Crisis and Water Services: How a 2007 Public Health Emergency in Finland Helped Shape Its Response to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70
Author(s):  
Tapio S. Katko ◽  
Jarmo J. Hukka
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
Clean Water ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Sound Management

This paper aims at shedding light on the significance of water epidemics and their potential positive impacts on improving preparedness in water and sanitation services. We explore the water epidemic of Nokia in 2007 and preparedness-related reactions since then. The corona case confirms the fundamental role of clean water for well-being in communities, the need for sound management of water services to proactively promote public health, as well as the need for expanding conventional water and environmental engineering education and research to offer more holistic views.

scholarly journals Educating for the Environment: The Role of the Host Destination in Education Travel Programs

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8351
Author(s):  
Brack W. Hale
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Global South ◽  
Professional Experience ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Educational Travel ◽  
Local Partnerships

The benefits from educational travel programs (ETPs) for students have been well-documented in the literature, particularly for programs looking at sustainability and environmental issues. However, the impacts the ETPs have on the destinations that host them have been less frequently considered; most of these studies focus, understandably, on destinations in the Global South. This paper draws on a framework of sustainable educational travel to examine how ETPs affect their host destinations in two case study destinations, based on the author’s professional experience in these locations, interviews with host organizations that use the lens of the pandemic, and information from government databases. The findings highlight an awareness of the sustainability of the destination, the importance of good, local partnerships with organizations well-connected in their communities, and educational activities that can benefit both students and hosts. Nonetheless, we have a long way to go to understand the full impacts of ETPs on their host destinations and thus truly learn to avoid them.

scholarly journals Lessons learned: new insights on the role of cytokines in COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-411
Author(s):  
Maja Buszko ◽  
Aleksandra Nita-Lazar ◽  
Jung-Hyun Park ◽  
Pamela L. Schwartzberg ◽  
Daniela Verthelyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned

Securing the future of statistics in Africa through National Strategies for the Development of Statistic

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Ben Kiregyera
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Global Level ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Implementation Challenges ◽  
Statistical Systems ◽  
Development Agendas ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Statistical Development

Adoption of development agendas at different levels – national, regional, continental, and global level – has led to an unprecedented increase in demand for official statistics. This increase has not only brought to the fore a litany of challenges facing National Statistical Systems (NSSs) in Africa but also it has created opportunities for strengthening statistical production and development. This paper underscores the need for countries to take full advantage of these opportunities and increase investments in statistics, undertake data innovation, and expand and diversify data ecosystems, leveraging on the foundations of the data revolution for sustainable development and in line with current international statistical frameworks. The paper posits that these improvements will not happen coincidentally nor through ad hoc, piecemeal and uncoordinated approaches. Rather they will happen through more systematic, coordinated and multi-sectoral approaches to statistical development. The National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) is presented as a comprehensive and robust framework for building statistical capacity and turning around NSSs in African countries. The paper unpacks the NSDS; elaborates the NSDS processes including; mainstreaming sectors into the NSDS, the stages of the NSDS lifecycle and the role of leadership in the NSDS proces; highlights NSDS extension; presents the design and implementation challenges, and the key lessons learned from the NSDS processes in Africa in the last 15 years or so.

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