Development Studies Commons^™

Developing The Food Navigator Role At Everyone's Harvest, Chase Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Everyone’s Harvest (EH) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates farmers’ markets. In order to reduce hunger in Monterey County, Everyone's Harvest offers several food assistance programs for low-income people including the Market Match (MM) incentive program which matches CalFresh money, modern day food stamps, dollar for dollar. The problem is that in Monterey County 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 3 children are food insecure. The purpose of the Food Navigator (FN) at EH is to engage with the local community and connect low-income people with food assistance resources, primarily the MM program. This project was a role development …

Evolving Deforestation Narratives In Practice: A Study Of The Un-Redd+ Readiness Programme In Nigeria, Stuart Clive Blackwell

Master's Theses

The UN-REDD+ Readiness Programme was conducted between 2009 and 2015. The REDD+ Programme in Nigeria began once the readiness program was completed. This study conducts a document analysis of the program utilizing a political ecology lens to determine the extent to which the program adheres to or strays away from critical narratives surrounding both drivers of deforestation and inclusion and autonomy of federal, state, and local communities. By examining the entirety of the available documentation of the REDD+ Readiness program in Nigeria using a political ecological lens, this study demonstrates both an evolution of the program itself, and an evolution …

Taking The Bull By The Horns: Gender Analysis In A Cattle Project In Indonesia, Febrina Prameswari

International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE)

Women play a crucial role in agriculture, especially in cattle farming. However, gender inequality in livestock production remains a critical issue, as women usually have less engagement with livestock production, less control over finances, and less access to markets. The IndoBeef program in Indonesia was one of the first livestock projects to incorporate gender-specific activities in its implementation. The project used women-only focus groups, utilizing the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) combined with farm production data to address women’s needs in the cattle industry. I conducted a gender analysis of one of IndoBeef’s subsidiary projects, CropCow. The project did …

Program Design Features Attracting Youth In Diepsloot To Urban Agriculture: Exploring Rhiza Babuyile's Tiny Farm Agri-Program, Nyasha Frank Chibanda

Capstone Collection

The COVID-19 crisis has brought to the fore the fragility of our local, national, and regional food and economic systems. Urban Agriculture (UA) is one solution to rebuilding local food system resilience and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for the region's growing youth population. Although there is an acknowledgment of the utility of the growing number of interventions promoting youth participation in UA, research on specific program design features that attract youth participation is limited. This Capstone research aimed to determine the program design features that attract unemployed youth (18-35 years) living in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, to participate in UA.

The study …

Egyptian Women’S Agriculture Contribution; Assessment Of The Gender Gap For Sustainable Development, Noha El Khorazaty

Theses and Dissertations

Women’s contribution to the agriculture sector in developing countries is undeniable, yet they do not have equal access to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. Sustainable development entails inclusive and effective management of natural resources, this entails gender equity in agriculture. Bridging the gender gap in agriculture far exceeds the benefits of the individual. According to the latest estimates bridging the yield gap in agricultural productivity could possibly decrease the numbers of undernourished people in the world by around 100 – 140 million people. Sustainable agriculture development and gender equity necessitate policy interventions targeting the gender …

Changing The Industry’S Dynamics Covid 19’S Reversible Impacts On Pakistan’S Reviving Tourism, Mohammad Ali Syed

MSJ Capstone Projects

Pakistan’s tourism industry, still in its infancy, has taken a major hit during the corona virus pandemic.One such example is the Shigri’s native region of Gilgit-Baltistan welcomes millions of tourists during the spring-summer season, but with the pandemic in full spring during peak travel season, his guest house along with hundreds of hospitality businesses across Pakistan remained shut for months causing millions in losses to the economy.

The Politics Of Seeds And Their Effects On Small-Scale Paraguayan Farmers, Maeve Mallozzi-Kelly

Capstone Collection

International corporate seed companies have manipulated Paraguay’s politics and agricultural development since 1995, increasing Paraguay’s use and protection of genetically modified seeds, while also undermining farmers’ control over their production and financial stability by almost eliminating markets for heirloom varieties. Paraguay continues to be excluded from research critiquing the effects of neoliberal policies on global agricultural systems. Therefore, this study aims to illuminate small-scale farmers’ experiences and bring Paraguay into the global conversation on seed sovereignty by critically examining the effects Paraguay’s national seed policies have on small-scale farmer’s development opportunities and resilience to climate change. This question guides the …

Estimating Treatment Effect Heterogeneity In A Comprehensive Microenterprise Intervention, Mary Gathungu

Master's Theses

Do cash transfer programs have heterogeneous treatment effects within the treatment group? Why do some households in these interventions seem to benefit more than others? What is the overall treatment effect of the Microenterprise Intervention? I address these questions through the study of a comprehensive microenterprise intervention program carried out in Kenya, Africa by a non-profit organization called the Village Enterprise Organization and I obtain economic outcome data from a randomized control trial that gives out conditional cash transfer that is conditional on business formation. The Microenterprise Intervention combines cash grants and mentorship and training to achieve long term economic …

Understanding The Impact Of Psychological Empowerment, Workplace Motivation, And Social Capital On The Job Performance Of Farmers In Honduras: A Mixed Methods Study, Susan Lale Karimiha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A farmer’s job performance is critical to the production of raw materials such as food, fiber, and fuel and is therefore an important concern for individuals, businesses, and economies across the world. The literature on improving farmers’ job performance has focused more on introducing new technologies, and less on the psychosocial factors that improve job performance. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of psychological empowerment, workplace motivation, and social capital on farmers’ job performance in Honduras.

A mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. For quantitative data, a …

The State And War On Poverty: British Welfare Development And Its Legacies For Malawi, 1930s-1983, Gift Wasambo Kayira

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation documents the struggles and dilemmas that the Malawian state endured as it attempted to achieve its developmental goals from the 1930s to 1983. It contributes to histories of development by focusing on the interventions both the colonial and postcolonial states made to improve the living standards of African rural communities, the ideas which shaped state programs, and the behavior of the state which such interventions reveal. Scholars typically argue that state policy in Malawi was necessarily destructive and limited the economic progress of the local communities. The state deliberately pursued land, market, and other agricultural policies that constrained …

Community Forest In Liberia: The Interface Between Sustainable Charcoal Production And Deforestation, Amavie Clement

Capstone Collection

The available data establishes a direct correlation between charcoal production and forest degradation and deforestation in Liberia. Charcoal is the primary energy source for Liberians, especially in urban areas where the bulk of the population lives. It is expected to be the mainstay energy source for years to come because it is affordable, accessible, and convenient to use compared to other forms of energy (i.e. electricity and petroleum gas). However, the current model of charcoal production, based on indiscriminate felling of trees, poses a danger to the environment as it results in widespread forest degradation and deforestation. Therefore, any successful …

Earth Alienation And Space Exploration: Uncharted Territory For Sociology, Sam Arroyo

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Postcolonial Exploitation Through Economic Development Tools: A Case Study On France And The Ivory Coast, Keshav R. Prabhu-Schlosser

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Abstract: French monetary control over their colonies in Africa did not decrease after decolonization. Instead, the monetary union, the CFA Franc Zone set the stage for French domination of West Africa for decades to come through their control of pricing and exchange rates. This dominion causes repeated economic downturns, which the governments of the CFA countries are unable to counteract due to the monetary and fiscal restrictions placed upon them through the currency union. These downturns are only offset by repeated injections of capital, which can only come from abroad. In a case study of France and the Ivory Coast, …

An Evaluation Of The Chinese Economy 1949-1972, Gerald Green

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This 46 page thesis examines trends within the economy of China, focusing on the Five Year Plans, advances in agriculture and industry, and factors influencing economic growth.