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2262. The economics of certified organic farming in tropical Africa: A preliminary assessment
- Author:
- Simon Bolwig and Peter Gibbon
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The paper examines the relative profitability of certified organic and conventional farming operations in tropical Africa as well as differences between organic and conventional farmers in rates of adoption of farming practices and in household factor endowments. The paper is based on three surveys in Uganda of smallholder farmers of respectively, organic coffee, cocoa, and pineapple and of matching control groups of conventional farmers. Organic production was in all cases organised on a contract farming-type basis, in schemes operated by the firm exporting the organic product. The central conclusion from the study is that farms that engaged in certified organic export production were significantly more profitable in terms of net farm income earnings than those that engaged only in conventional production. This was the result of generally significant differences between organic and conventional farmers' gross farm incomes, although these differences were further amplified by differences in costs. Income differences related partly to differences between organic and conventional farmers' factor endowments. Preliminary analyses indicted that, among factor endowments, area under crops subject to organic certification (CSC) and numbers of CSC plants had the strongest relations to farmers' sales volume and incomes,. Labour availability and average age of CSC plants had a much lower level of importance. As for other factors, yields were strongly related to sales volumes, but average price received was of lesser importance. The precise relative contribution of these different factors to sales volumes and incomes remains to be established in a further paper, however. The results for average net income also show enormous differences in profitability between organic farmers of different cash crops, with pineapple farmers earning three and five times more than cocoa and coffee farmers, respectively. It is worth underlining that, in contrast to the experience in developed countries, we found that organic conversion in tropical Africa is associated with increases rather than reductions in yield, which relates to the low-input characteristics of conventional farming on the continent. Focus group interviews suggest that organic farmers enjoyed higher yields due to more effective farm management technique, but the survey results on rates of adoption of yield-enhancing farming practices could not verify this.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- Uganda and Africa
2263. The extraterritorialisation of asylum and the advent of "protection lite"
- Author:
- Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- When does the refugee encounter the State? The straightforward and traditional answer to this question would be, when arriving at the border and surrendering herself to the authorities uttering the magical word, “asylum”. Reality, however, only seldom conforms to this picture. Today, the person seeking asylum in the EU is much more likely to encounter the State before reaching the EU border – at the visa consulate, through the EU Immigration Liaison Officers posted at the airports of key migration transit and origin countries, during passage over the Mediterranean where navy vessels are patrolling. Alternatively, the refugee may not meet EU in persona, but through delegation, either in the form of an airline company bound by EU regulations to carry out migration control or as a third State having in EU cooperation to perform exit border control or provide alternative protection in the region.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, and Government
2264. Agricultural development for poverty reduction – some options in support of public policy interventions
- Author:
- Helle Munk Ravnborg and Julio A. Berdegué
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- A renewed focus on agriculture is emerging among donor organizations. In 2005, The World Bank published its report Agricultural Growth for the Poor. An Agenda for Development and Dfid published a policy paper entitled Growth and poverty reduction: the role of agriculture, and soon, the World Development Report 2008 entitled Agriculture for Development will be published. The key concern driving this renewed focus is the wish to increase the contribution of agriculture and agricultural growth to poverty reduction. This DIIS brief provides a short introduction to the main messages of the above documents and proposes five main elements of a strategy for supporting public policy interventions in favour of pro-poor agricultural growth.
- Topic:
- Agriculture, Development, and Poverty
- Political Geography:
- Africa
2265. New Political Contestation in the European Union
- Author:
- Catharina Sørensen and Ian Manners
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The recent and widespread sense of crisis in the European Union (EU), with competing demands for a more social Europe, limiting further enlargement, greater protection of the environment, and less immigration, for example, suggest that new lines of political contestation are challenging conventional ways of thinking about EU politics. The EU Internal Dynamics (EU ID) unit at the Danish Institute for International Studies is launching a project, subject to external research funding, to analyse the extent and ways in which new political issues such as climate change, immigration, security and enlargement, are leading to new lines of political contestation in the EU. The objective is to understand if and why the two conventional lines of contestation over more or less integration and left or right politics in the EU need to accommodate emerging lines of political contestation over a more cosmopolitan versus a more communitarian EU. The project is intended to assess in a systematic manner the relevance of three existing models of the relationship between 'integrationist' (more/less EU), 'horizontal' (left/right politics), and 'new politics' (cosmopolitan/communitarian) in the 21st century European Union.
- Topic:
- Development, Environment, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe
2266. Danish positions on key developments in the European Union
- Author:
- Gry Thomasen
- Publication Date:
- 02-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The biggest surprise in the current Danish debate is that there is still very broad coverage of EU issues involving the media and public conferences, particularly regarding the Constitutional Treaty; energy and the environment; enlargement to South Eastern Europe and beyond; and more recently the difficult relations between Russia and the EU. The public debate over the Constitutional Treaty is active, while the government looks forwards to what the German Presidency, as well as the 'No' countries, put forward as suggestions after the French Presidential elections. Following Denmark's four-point suggestion at Lahti for an EU energy policy, the Danish concerns over renewable supply, increased efficiency, a liberalised market, and more research in order to improve energy security have heightened. After the Commission's report of enlargement and integration capacity, the Danish debate has focused on support for the Croatian bid for EU membership, whilst emphasising the need for considerable reforms in Turkey. Finally, following the rebuke by Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and Poland in Lahti on the question of human rights in Russia after the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the failure to overcome the Polish-Russia impasse at the EU-Russia summit is also important in the Danish debate.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- Russia and Europe
2267. Working in "Fragile States": Problems, Dilemmas, and Guidance
- Author:
- Finn Stepputat
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- This brief provides a concise overview of the problems and dilemmas that confront organizations and companies working in fragile states and presents the major guidelines, recommendations and ethical frameworks that have emerged to address these issues.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Security, Development, and Non-Governmental Organization
- Political Geography:
- Africa
2268. Changes in the Distribution of Wealth in China, 1995-2002
- Author:
- Renwei Zhao and Shi Li
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper investigates some major changes in the wealth distribution in China using the data from two national household surveys conducted in 1995 and 2002. The surveys collected rich information on household wealth and its components, enabling a detailed analysis of changes in wealth distribution among Chinese households. Our analysis indicates that the wealth distribution in China as a whole became much more unequal in 2002 than it was in 1995. The housing reform, in which public apartments were sold to urban households at extremely low prices, has accelerated the accumulation of wealth among urban households on the one hand, and widened the wealth gap between urban and rural areas on the other.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia
2269. Rehabilitating Health Systems in Post-Conflict Situations
- Author:
- Gilbert Burnham, Brinnon Garrett, and Hugh Waters
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- Although baseline data for post-conflict situations are frequently unavailable, there is a clear deterioration in the health conditions of populations during and following conflict. Excess mortality and morbidity, displaced populations, and vulnerability to communicable diseases during and following conflict all call for immediate relief and restoration of basic services. As much as possible, short-term relief and assistance programmes should be implemented in a manner compatible with longer term health system rehabilitation.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Development, Health, and War
2270. Regional Income Inequality in Rural China, 1985-2002: Trends, Causes and Policy Implications
- Author:
- Guanghua Wan
- Publication Date:
- 01-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- United Nations University
- Abstract:
- This paper depicts the trend of regional inequality in rural China for the period 1985- 2002. The total inequality is decomposed into the so-called within- and between components when China is divided into three regional belts (east, central and west). A regression-based accounting framework is then used to explore root sources of the rising inequality. Policy implications are discussed.
- Topic:
- Demographics, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- China and Asia