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Strengthening the humanity and dignity of people in crisis through knowledge and practice
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Introduction 3
PART I
Research and Institutional Change Programs 4
Introduction 4
Livelihoods and Nutrition of Marginalized People (Program Overview) 5
Darfur: Livelihoods,Vulnerability, and Choice (Program Overview) 8
Understanding the future of pastoralism in Africa (Program Overview) 12
Uganda: Upholding Rights in the Face of Violence (Program Overview) 16
The Evolving Global Environment of Crisis and Crisis Response (Program Overview) 18
International Outreach 21
The Summer School 21
Visiting Fellows and Practitioner Expert Programs 21
Books in progress 22
(continued)
Contents (continued)
PART II
Livelihoods and Nutrition of Marginalized People 26
Advancing Financial Resilience (Karen Jacobsen, Kim Wilson) 26
Linking Microfinance to Mobile Payphones: The Impact on Livelihoods 27
(Karen Jacobsen, Daryl Collins and Kim Wilson)
Livelihoods Change over Time: Responses of Communities and Agencies to 28
Chronic Crisis (Dan Maxwell, Jennie Coates)
Longitudinal Study of Market- and Credit-Based Livelihood Interventions 29
in Ethiopia (John Burns)
Profiling Internally Displaced Persons in Urban Areas, Phase II (Karen Jacobsen) 30
Building Capacity among Refugee Mutual Aid Associations in Maine (Lacey Gale) 31
Community-based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Bangladesh: 32
Reducing Vulnerability to Malnutrition in Poor Cyclone-prone
Communities (Kate Sadler)
Promoting Evidence-based Livelihood Programming in Karamoja, 33
Uganda (Elizabeth Stites)
Livelihoods-based Programming and Impact Assessment in Pastoral Areas 35
of the Horn of Africa (Andy Catley, Berhanu Admassu and Yacob Aklilu)
Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards: Raising Awareness, Ensuring 36
Uptake (Andy Catley)
ACRONYMS 76
INTRODUCTION
We crafted our vision statement, which appears rights, and organizational issues. We have greatly
on the inside cover, three years ago. It still inspires expanded our networking with local researchers,
us. It is why we do what we do. We believe that community-based organizations, national govern-
evidence-driven, field-based research must play a ment teams, and universities in the marginal
central role in addressing the suffering found in environments where we work.
humanitarian crises, human right failures, and war.
Research which asks why and how, but then goes Over the next three years we will:
on to also ask “so what” is the hallmark of the 1. Deepen the quality of our research
Center. 2. Strengthen the linkages between research
We have proven over the past years that good and institutional change
research can be directly linked to programs which 3. Continue to improve our educational
effect change in the systems, organizations, and mission within The Friedman School of
policies that constrain the futures of communities Nutrition Science and Policy
on the margins. 4. Use partnerships with Southern-based
Over the next three years we will be driving researchers, local associations, and aid agencies
five major research and institutional change to both improve the quality of our work and
programs, encompassing a total of 34 projects, to promote the evidence-based changes we
better understand the world of crises, and to effect believe are needed and possible.
positive change in the lives of those caught up in
these crises. With the recent addition of one senior faculty,
In keeping with our grounded approach, we who focuses on the interface of the corporate
actively build partnerships with local researchers world and humanitarian crises, and the pending
and civil groups, seeking to empower them appointment of another, who studies climate
through the knowledge we jointly generate. Using change and political violence, we will have
our university base, we are also privileged to invest achieved our full complement of senior staff. Over
in the next generation of researchers and aid the next three years we will be adding more
workers through the educational programs we run junior-level researchers to existing teams rather
and the courses we teach. than adding new teams, seeking to deepen the
Research and education should make a work of our research teams, and at the same time
difference. They are tools for social change, not providing opportunities for young researchers to
just personal advancement. This is why we believe move from graduate studies to internships to
our work will make a difference. This is why we junior research positions and on into the main-
do what we do. stream of action-oriented research. We will also be
We have reshaped Tufts/FIC in the past three focusing on increasing our links with other
years, evolving it from a collection of individual like-minded institutions and individuals to
researchers studying famine and complex increase the influence of our work through local
emergencies to a coherent body focused on and global coalitions.
marginalized communities. We have built an Part one of this document outlines our five
integrated program of research, institutional planned research programs and linked institutional
change, and education. We have also greatly change. It also describes our educational mission
increased our standing with the international and partnership-building along with a review of
community we seek to influence. We now occupy our staffing and institutional needs, and our
a key position at the intersection of research and expected budget.
institutional change. We are increasingly looked to Part two contains detailed descriptions of
by aid agencies, UN bodies, donor institutions, each of the planned 34 projects which make up
and national agencies to provide evidence-based, the five key research and institutional change
impartial knowledge and advice on livelihoods, programs.
innovative approach to programming and policy systematic organization of and access to informa-
change linked to humanitarian action, local peace- tion and local resources essential for Darfur early
building, recovery activities, and wider peace recovery planning and programming purposes. To
processes. This shift in thinking will be accompa- promote inter-sectoral coordination for humani-
nied by enhanced capacities based on engagement tarian and early recovery activities, the third area
with the project and its activities. of technical support, UNOCHA (with technical
The Darfur program’s three areas are designed support from Tufts/FIC) will engage directly with
to be complementary and mutually supporting. GoS (government of Sudan) Ministries across the
Each is necessary yet on its own insufficient to various sectors as part of an initiative and request
achieve the desired project outcomes. The program from the GoS for greater involvement and
will develop and foster professional and academic capacity development. This is supported by FAO
networks, and a Darfur Resource Network (a and agencies in Darfur. This technical assistance to
consortium of local NGOs) whose enhanced UNRCO/OCHA will be undertaken in collabo-
capacities will contribute to the various activities. ration with the Darfur Resource Network and
Enhanced academic and research capacities will local universities.
contribute to the technical assistance and also to
the research and institutional development. Darfur University Development
Tufts/FIC has a long record of supporting and
Technical Assistance To Support Coordination And working in partnership with Sudanese academics
Capacity Development In Relation To Livelihoods from Khartoum and Darfur. The Universities of
The UN Resident Coordinators Office Nyala in South Darfur, Zalingei in West Darfur,
(RCO) has committed to enhancing livelihood and Ahfad University for Women are now seeking
and protection support activities through im- stronger institutional relationships and support to
proved coordination, livelihood assessments, and enable them to strengthen their academic, re-
information management by UNOCHA. Gov- search, and networking capacities. In addition to
ernment ministries at the state level have ex- developing academic capacities, this program aims
pressed an increased desire to be more engaged to build bridges and strengthen relationships
technically in such assessments, which will require between the Sudan universities, agencies, and
capacity building and orientation. UNOCHA has government with wider international networks.
invited Tufts/FIC to provide technical support in Three program areas have been identified: aca-
three areas: developing capacity in livelihoods demic support, including curricula review and
assessment and coordination; information man- development, a program of scholarships, and
agement and development of a virtual, real-time targeted training of academic staff; development of
database; and inter-sectoral coordination for research, including support of PhD supervision,
humanitarian and early recovery activities. development of research capacities, initiating of
The first area, capacity development in national and regional workshops to disseminate
livelihoods assessment, will require coordination research and bring together academic, professional,
with the Darfur Resource Network and local and international networks; and strengthening
government through workshops and inter-agency academic resources, including development of a
livelihoods assessments through UNOCHA. digital library, academic networks, and research
Training and materials will be generated to guides in core thematic areas.
support assessments, programming, monitoring,
and evaluation. For the second area of informa- Research Projects
tion management and development of a virtual The six priority research areas have been
real-time database, Tufts/FIC will provide profes- identified with partners (including UNEP, IOM,
sional support to design and establish the system, UNOCHA, and local actors) and build on the
to be lodged with UNDP and FAO (Food and growing body of earlier research by Tufts/FIC and
Agriculture Organization) in coordination with others working in Darfur. All the research projects
local technical assistance and universities. The aim to deepen understanding and knowledge in
system will respond to agencies’ need for more order to inform policies, program strategies, and
Markets, Trade, And Livelihoods: Darfur, Sudan Remittances To Conflict Zones: Phase 2:
Building on the earlier Tufts/FIC study Transition Countries: The Sudanese
‘Adaptation and Devastation: Impact of Conflict Diaspora In Cairo
on Trade and Markets in Darfur’, this second stage The proposed study is the second phase of a
will deepen the analysis by gaining more under- larger study of remittances to Darfur, Sudan
standing of market transactions outside the main conducted by Tufts/FIC. For the proposed Cairo
urban markets, and will review how ongoing study, the research will be extended to explore
monitoring systems (by UNDP and others) can remittance patterns of different Sudanese groups.
integrate data collection and analysis of these Refugees and migrants in transit countries like
important and insightful market trends. This Egypt are linked into wider diaspora networks
second phase will include a capacity development that help support them, and in turn enable the
component by working collaboratively with the migrants to support their families and communi-
Darfur Resource Network to run training work- ties back home. We will explore the significance
shops and offer mentoring support. of remittances for Sudanese in Cairo, to under-
stand whether and how remittances impact their
Pastoral Perspectives: Vulnerability, urban livelihoods and influence migrants’ political
Power, And Choice involvement in their home regions.
This research will build on the earlier 2008
scoping study by Tufts/FIC that analyzed the causes Markets, Information, And Mobile Phones:
of vulnerability, both pre-conflict and currently, Darfur, Sudan
among specific pastoral groups of the Darfur The goal of this research is to investigate the
region. This study will focus on a gender analysis of impact of mobile phones on market performance
current adaptations to conflict, climate variability for key agro-food products (cereals, cash crops,
(and by implication climate change), and processes and livestock), as well on different livelihood
of marginalization, with the aim of re-building groups’ trading behavior and welfare. This project
social capital and re-establishing local governance. will work closely with UN price monitoring
systems, the local Darfur Resource Network and
Conflict, Livelihoods, And Household mobile phone companies (such as Zain) to
Food Security In Darfur determine how mobile phones might be used to
This research will examine the nature of the collect and share market information among
conflict in Darfur and undertake a comparative different livelihood groups.
analysis of its effect on the livelihoods and food
security situation of different groups living in
North Darfur state, including IDPs, farmers living
under coercion of other groups, pro-government
rural farmers, and pastoral groups. The research
will inform policies that seek to establish liveli-
hoods security, reliable entitlements, and access to
sufficient food as part of the peace processes.
food security, humanitarian assistance, and devel- Cross-Sectoral Learning For Service Provi-
opment strategies, the institutional focus remains sion In The Somali Region Of Ethiopia
locked into emergency responses and the business This project aims to conduct comprehensive
of food aid. Few actors are taking a long-term participatory impact assessments of veterinary and
perspective which views events such as drought as human health and education services in the Somali
inevitable and therefore, to be anticipated and region, and identify cross-cutting lessons to be
planned for. Through policy reform at different shared and applied between sectors. In the mid
levels—government, donors, and aid agencies— 1990s Save the Children UK and the Somali
the program aims to strengthen pastoralists’ regional government embarked on an alternative
livelihoods, and foster more long-term develop- approach to delivering primary veterinary services.
ment planning and implementing capacity. A brief Rather than relying on fixed-point government
description of each project follows. Full details can clinics and a very limited government budget for
be found in part II of this document. medicines and equipment, a privatized and com-
munity-based approach was designed. Rapid and
Regional Policy Support On Food Security superficial assessments by Tufts/FIC indicate that
In Pastoral Areas With The Common the approach has been successful, but a comprehen-
Market For Eastern And Southern Africa sive impact assessment has not been conducted.
The livelihoods of many pastoral communi-
ties in Africa are cross-border in nature. Pastoralists Pastoral Livelihoods And Destitution In
are often geographically located at the margins of Northern Kenya
countries and their livelihood depends on the This research was initially developed with
movement of livestock to and from seasonal FAO Kenya and aims to clarify the extent and
grazing areas, which in turn may require move- characteristics of destitution in the settlements of
ment across national boundaries. The cross-border northern Kenya, and potential ways to help
nature of pastoralism indicates that regional communities out of extreme poverty. The goal of
approaches to both development policy and the research is to generate quantitative informa-
humanitarian assistance are needed. The goal of tion of the extent and causes of pastoral destitu-
this project is to improve the food security of tion in northern Kenya, describe the aspirations of
pastoral communities in the COMESA region pastoralists who opt to leave the pastoral system,
through facilitating the development of pro-pasto- and review the success of alternative livelihoods
ralist regional food security policy. strategies adopted by former pastoralists. The
research findings are intended to inform policies
Towards Pro-Pastoralist Policies In Ethiopia and programming in Kenya related to pastoral
This project builds on Tufts/FIC’s work with development and alternative pastoral livelihoods.
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Develop-
ment and the Ministry of Federal Affairs (MoFA) Alternative Approaches To International
in Ethiopia under the Pastoralist Livelihoods Trade In Livestock Products: Commodity-
Initiative, in which strong relationships were Based Trade
developed with these ministries at the federal The current international standards governing
level, and with relevant pastoral and livestock trade in livestock commodities insist that animal
development bureaus at the regional level. Al- products be derived from areas which are free
though the MoFA role covers the promotion of from certain animal diseases. In partnership with
good governance and pastoral development the African Union, Tufts/FIC conducted a review
policies, its policies reflect limited understanding of international standards in 2003 which conclud-
of pastoralism. The goal of this project is to raise ed that safe trade in livestock products need not
understanding of the benefits of pastoralism depend on the disease situation in the area of
among senior federal-level policy makers and product origin. The goal of this project on
incorporate pro-pastoralist policies into national commodity-based trade is to contribute to a
development policies. growing international, but largely Africa-driven
effort, to revise the international standards on
livestock trade, and to clarify the standards related
to trade in livestock commodities.
qualitative interviews will be done during the enable humanitarian agencies to better address the
follow-up survey, in order to explore the views of protection of livelihoods, and to enable policy
the entrepreneurs that cannot be uncovered by makers to have a better understanding of the
the survey questionnaire, such as their plans for institutional drivers of livelihoods change.
the future, views about successes or failures in the
individual’s management of this new business, and Background
what the most important impacts were to the There have been numerous studies of the impact
individual. of recurrent crisis on livelihoods and the institu-
tions that shape livelihoods, but a major constraint
Outputs to improved understanding is that most of these
Outputs will include a full report, with summaries studies are one-off assessments, usually conducted
translated into Arabic, to be shared with mobile well after the crisis. Few studies have actually
phone companies and other UN agencies. This captured the process of change as it occurs in a
work will contribute to the ongoing market mon- crisis. To address the gaps in current knowledge
itoring by UNDP and others in the Darfur region about the how livelihoods change in crisis, this
and elsewhere in Sudan. We anticipate debriefings research will include a number of community
to be held in Khartoum and Darfur and New studies capturing change over time in response to
York (UNDP), and training workshops for the crisis and the response to humanitarian program-
agencies and banks working with us on the ming in crisis and programming aimed at prevent-
evaluation. ing or mitigating crisis.
The research will be conducted collabora-
Impact tively with humanitarian agencies and research
The study will allow us to evaluate the impact of institutes in the host country. A total of four
the mobile payphone initiative on both the country studies are anticipated, including Sudan,
operational feasibility for the microfinance Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Haiti. In each country, a
providers and on poverty alleviation and increased geographic-area prospective longitudinal study
livelihood security of the pay phone operators, in will be conducted initially over a three-year time
terms of income generation and risk reduction. period, with the possibility to extend it to five
years. One of the important elements of the study
Collaboration will be to ramp up the measurement of change in
This action research project links closely to the the event of a shock or acute crisis, so that change
Tufts/FIC work on livelihoods in Darfur and to processes as directly influenced by such crises can
the project ‘Advancing Financial Resilience.’ The be better understood and mitigated.
work will be supported locally by UNDP, the
Central Bank of Sudan, and several INGOs, and Overview
we will be collaborating with Zain. The overarching objective of the proposed
research is to enhance the understanding of how
Livelihoods Change Over Time: Responses livelihoods change in response to stress and crisis,
Of Communities And Agencies To Chronic and to improve humanitarian practice in respond-
Crisis (Dan Maxwell, Jennie Coates) ing to disaster and improving livelihoods. The
study has four specific objectives: to understand
Goal and Rationale livelihood changes at both the household and
Disasters and the ensuing humanitarian response institutional level, and the factors driving these
significantly change the livelihoods, institutions, changes over the long term; to develop improved
and power relations of affected communities.Yet methodologies for measuring livelihood change
there are many gaps in the understanding of the over time in crisis situations to facilitate cross-
impact of crisis on people’s livelihoods and on the contextual analysis and permit broader analysis of
humanitarian programs designed to address the livelihoods change; to work with agencies to
impacts of crisis. The study is designed to im- improve livelihoods programming in humanitar-
prove our knowledge of livelihoods in crisis, to ian emergencies and facilitate institutional change
variety of interventions. The research aims to influence the formulation of future food security
measure the effectiveness of these projects in policies and program design, in Ethiopia and
addressing food security, asset accumulation, and elsewhere.
PSNP graduation through an independent
livelihoods study. Collaboration
This program will involve collaboration with
Overview GOE food security actors at both the federal and
The research will test a causal model which national level. Although the actual research
assumes that NGO interventions that link people activities will be carried out independently from
to microfinance and markets do indeed result in NGO partners, it will require a learning partner-
asset accumulation and improved food security at ship with the NGOs implementing the projects.
the household level. The research will involve an The nature of the research and the objectives will
investigation of at least three similar market-ori- also imply collaboration and a learning partner-
ented microfinance projects being implemented ship with donors involved in food security
in different geographical locations and livelihoods programming in Ethiopia. In carrying out the
zones. research Tufts/FIC will seek to work in direct
Changes in livelihoods assets which can be partnership with regional Ethiopian universities.
attributed to the project interventions will be
assessed as part of a longitudinal livelihoods study. Profiling Internally Displaced Persons In
This will incorporate a wide range of research and Urban Areas, Phase Ii (Karen Jacobsen)
impact assessment designs and methodologies. The
most compelling evidence on the impact and Goal and Rationale
effectiveness of the projects will arise from a The first phase of our urban internally displaced
randomized case control study in which changes persons (IDP) profiling study conducted surveys
in intervention households are compared with in three cities to develop data-gathering tools and
changes in non-intervention households, with the sets of data that allowed us to make population
latter acting as a control group. The longitudinal estimates of urban IDPs and compare their
study will be designed during the early stages of experiences with their non-IDP neighbors. In
the projects once the project participants and Phase II, we want to work closely with aid
specific project activities have been identified. The agencies and donors to conduct a fourth study in
study team will work independently of NGO a new city, and to develop practical program and
implementers as a means to improve objectivity. policy initiatives based on all the data from our
four surveys.
Outputs
Key outputs will include a number of compre- Background
hensive reports, including at least one impact Based on the recognition by the UN Inter-Agen-
assessment report for each project case study, and cy Standing Committee of the need for better
one combined report on lessons learned drawing empirical data about urban internally displaced
from all the case studies. Where relevant and people, the Internal Development Monitoring
appropriate, the results of the research will also be Center commissioned Tufts/FIC in 2005 to
synthesized into policy briefing papers. These develop data gathering tools and to conduct
reports will be disseminated among key govern- studies of urban IDP populations in conflict-
ment, donor, and NGO stakeholders in Ethiopia. affected countries. From 2006-08, we conducted
surveys in three urban locations: Khartoum,
Impact Sudan; Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; and Santa Marta,
We are seeking primarily to inform the govern- Colombia. The surveys generated population
ment of Ethiopia, key donors, and NGOs involved estimates of IDPs, and compared the situations of
in food security and PSNP programming in IDPs and non-IDPs in each city. In addition to
Ethiopia. This will be done through workshops, developing tools and generating data, one of the
discussion with relevant stakeholders, and through study’s main objectives is to use the data from the
the dissemination of reports and briefing notes. It three case studies to assist governments and
is anticipated that the findings of the research will humanitarian organizations in the development of
nature of refugee communities (people are on the organizational profiles, and training evaluations is
move, leadership changes, and organizations valuable for a range of practical purposes as well as
collapse) as well as their limited extra-community for advancing our understanding of how refugee
networks. MAAs struggle to serve their communities and
This project is designed to gather information create bridges to the mainstream population.
about the refugee communities, livelihood
strategies, and MAA structure in Maine and to use Collaboration
this information to create capacity-building Tufts/FIC is working in partnership with the
trainings or Learning Institutes. The project will Maine Association for Nonprofits and the State of
generate organizational profiles from the inter- Maine Office of Multicultural Affairs.
views that will provide the basis for MANP’s
Learning Institute curriculum as well as provide Community-Based Management Of Severe
feedback to the CBOs. The project will also Acute Malnutrition In Bangladesh: Reduc-
evaluate the Learning Institutes and debrief ing Vulnerability To Malnutrition In Poor
participants so that lessons learned are incorpo- Cyclone-Prone Communities (Kate Sadler)
rated into the curriculum on an ongoing basis.
The Learning Institutes are based on a weekend Goal and Rationale
residential, cohort model, designed to build peer Malnutrition is a major public health problem
networks, connect participants to statewide throughout the developing world and is an
funding, mentoring, advocacy resources, and to underlying factor in over 50% of the 10–11
build leadership and organizational capacity million children under five years of age who die
through an experiential program that involves each year of preventable causes. In many areas
community leaders in identifying and overcoming where chronically high levels of acute malnutri-
organizational and professional challenges. The tion have been identified, there is a dearth of
sponsor for this three-year project is the Depart- feasible strategies for identifying the condition
ment of State’s Office of Refugee Resettlement and for delivering treatment within ongoing child
(ORR) as part of their ethnic community self- survival programming. Improvements in care at
help priority area. This project began in October health facilities are necessary, but in the poorest
2008 and will continue through September 2010. areas of the world primary health care facilities are
often a long way from people’s homes and the
Outputs opportunity and financial costs of seeking care for
Key stakeholders and interested groups will be these families are high. This means that children
consulted throughout the study. These groups from the poorest families are significantly less
include Maine-based MAAs and key community likely to be brought to health facilities, and may
members, the funding community in Maine, and receive lower quality care once they arrive.
other MAAs across the United States. There has This study aims to test the effectiveness of
been positive feedback on the need for such adding the diagnosis and treatment of severe acute
research and the application it would have to malnutrition (SAM) to the integrated manage-
informing community development. A final ment of childhood illness package, delivered by
report on the project’s findings will be prepared community health volunteers (CHVs) outside
for distribution, as well as an article for a peer- health facilities, against the standard of care for
reviewed scholarly publication. SAM in Bangladesh, which is referral from
primary health care facilities for treatment in
Impact inpatient centers. The findings will be used to
This project will provide comprehensive training inform policy and practice for the diagnosis and
and direct support to refugee MAAs in Maine in treatment of SAM both in Bangladesh and across
order to develop and sustain their capacity. In the developing world.
addition, it is clear that mainstream service provid-
ers, funders, and state and federal government Background
agencies are eager to learn more about these The principal investigator on this project has, over
MAAs and how to support them. Therefore, the the last six years, been involved with the develop-
information that emerges from interviews, ment of a new approach for the treatment of
camps, populations living in contested and have changed over time and how households and
insecure areas, and gender and generational communities prepare and respond to the regular
differences. Not surprisingly, major gaps exist in cycles of drought. We will pay particular attention
knowledge regarding livelihood systems, food to the roles of women and children and the
security, mobility strategies, decision making, and parallel protection threats. Research will be
gender roles at the household and community conducted in both settled villages and mobile
level. cattle camps.
Save the Children in Uganda (SCIU) has Second, we will seek to document the impact
been working in the Karamoja region since 1996, and effectiveness of SCIU interventions on
making it one of the international organizations livelihoods and food security in select communi-
with the greatest extent of institutional knowl- ties. This will entail collecting qualitative data on
edge on the region. SCIU is currently seeking to coping mechanisms, drought mitigation and
expand and diversify their programs in Karamoja. preparedness, and drought recovery at the house-
The Tufts/FIC team will work in collaboration hold and community level. We will explore
with SCIU on a research project designed to communities’ perspectives of the positive, negative,
inform programming, policy making, and advo- or zero impact of SCIU’s interventions, and will
cacy through the collection and dissemination of seek to document any gender-specific outcomes.
qualitative data on key livelihood issues. We will The partnership between SCIU and Tufts/
also seek to understand how SCIU livelihood and FIC will be flexible in nature to allow for timely
food security interventions influence local coping response to issues that emerge in the regularly
mechanisms in response to the drought cycle in evolving environment of Karamoja. This will give
Karamoja. The findings from this work will feed SCIU and the Tufts/FIC team the ability to
into SCIU programming but will also be shared gather information on emerging issues thought to
with local and national authorities and other be indicative of a wider trend to have a broad and
agencies working in the region. This research is far-reaching impact.
particularly timely, as a growing number of
international agencies are turning their attention Outputs
towards Karamoja, but few have in-depth experi- Each research trip (estimated at two per year) will
ence or understanding of the local conflict be followed by a concise briefing paper for Save
dynamics or livelihood constraints. We aim to help the Children in Uganda on the specific topic or
to inform and improve the programming of these area studied. These papers will be shared with
organizations as they expand into the complex national authorities, other national and interna-
region of Karamoja. tional agencies working on Karamoja, and inter-
ested donors. Regular formal and informal
Background briefings will be provided to Save the Children
This project builds on the continuing work of throughout the partnership. The research will
Tufts/FIC in Karamoja and will draw from the culminate in a final report of the overall findings
lessons learned by our teams working in other and recommendations where relevant.
pastoral areas in the Horn of Africa. We will also
be building on the experience and expertise of Impact
SCIU staff in the Karamoja region and learning This research collaboration is designed to have an
from their past programming and from their important impact on the programs of one of the
extended network of partners and key informants. most experienced international NGOs working in
Karamoja. SCIU is well aware of the importance
Overview of evidence to improve and inform their program
Our research in collaboration with SCIU will design, policy planning, and advocacy efforts, and
have two components. First, we will collect and Tufts/FIC is in a unique position to provide this
analyze data on specific aspects of Karamojong information. The outcomes of this work are
livelihood strategies and how these aspects affect designed to have a broader influence as well
food security, drought preparedness, crisis mitiga- through sharing of information with national and
tion, and protection threats and responses. We will international stakeholders currently working in or
seek to understand how these livelihood strategies expanding their work into Karamoja. Lastly, we
Background
Trade is one of the main ways in which different
livelihood groups interact in Darfur. Farmers and
pastoralists in particular traditionally have been
dependent on one another through market
transactions. In many areas, markets (especially
rural ones) and trade have simply collapsed. In
other areas, markets have adapted and are still
functioning. For example, the private sector has
responded to meet some of the needs of pastoral-
ists. But how trade patterns have shifted, who now
controls them, and the implications for livelihoods
DARFUR: LIVELIHOODS, and for understanding conflict dynamics more
VULNERABILITY, AND CHOICE generally are still poorly understood.
Tufts/FIC has previously identified various
Markets, Trade, And Livelihoods: Darfur, market adaptations in response to (and to some
Sudan (Helen Young, Margie Buchanan- extent influencing) security and shifting conflict
Smith) dynamics. While trade in some key export com-
modities has declined (livestock, gum arabic,
Goal and Rationale tombac, and groundnuts), other conflict-related
Trade is the lifeblood of the economy of the sectors have increased. This emergence of aspects
Darfur region and one of the main ways in which of a war economy is of concern: trade in timber
different livelihood groups interact. Normal has massively increased as a result of the construc-
trading patterns have been severely disrupted by tion boom in Darfur’s main towns and in the
five years of devastating conflict. A growing body absence of other economic opportunities, but the
of knowledge on how livelihoods have been felling of trees in Darfur is mostly unregulated and
affected by the conflict has fed into livelihoods often illegal. The evidence indicates this situation
programming. Missing from much of the analysis is destroying some of Darfur’s fragile natural
is a clear understanding of how trade and markets resource base.
have been impacted. The goal of this research is to
investigate the shifting patterns of trade and Overview
markets in the Darfur region for the key com- Much of the ongoing market monitoring in
modities (cereals, livestock, and cash crops) Darfur is focused on quantitative data such as
including trading networks and routes, and prices, rather than on qualitative analysis of trends,
implications of these shifts for different livelihood stakeholders, and implications for livelihoods,
groups. peace, and recovery. A more nuanced understand-
This work will build on the earlier Tufts/FIC ing of market trends is critical for understanding
study ‘Adaptation and Devastation: Impact of the dynamics of war economies, and the role of
Conflict on Trade and Markets in Darfur’ by markets and trade in promoting recovery or in
Margie Buchanan-Smith and Abdaljabbar Fuddle. fuelling conflict. The research will be based on a
This second stage will deepen the analysis by more qualitative analysis of changing trade routes,
gaining more understanding of market transac- shifts in the importance of different commodities,
tions outside the main urban markets, and will the changing profile of traders, and the implica-
review how ongoing monitoring systems (by tions for different livelihood groups.
UNDP and others) can integrate data collection
and analysis of these important and insightful
market trends. This second phase will include a
Pastoralism in Africa,’ the African Union Pastoral recently appointed a Council for the Develop-
Policy Framework for Africa (currently being ment of Nomads, with whom the research team
developed), and the Oxfam GB Regional Pasto- already collaborates closely. The research team will
ralist Initiative for the horn of Africa. It will also also work closely with the Darfur Resource
engage with UNEP and others in relation to the Network.
climate variability and climate change component.
Conflict, Livelihoods, And Household Food
Overview Security In Darfur (Helen Young)
The research will adopt qualitative methods,
building on the earlier Tufts/FIC livelihoods Goal and Rationale
methodological approach, and will be undertaken The Darfur conflict and crisis stands as an extreme
by a multi-disciplinary team drawn from Tufts/ example of a complex, protracted political emer-
FIC, local academic partners, and the Darfur gency caused by a governance gap, combined
Resource Network. Field visits and contacts with with natural resource conflict between competing
these potentially hard-to-reach groups will be livelihood groups. This presents particular chal-
facilitated by our local contacts and networks in lenges to humanitarian actors to ensure their
Khartoum and the Darfur region. actions are not only humanitarian but also impar-
tial, neutral, and independent. Unwittingly, these
Outputs actors can be drawn in and inadvertently fuel local
A full report and a number of summary briefing tensions and conflict unless they have some
notes in English and Arabic will be produced for understanding of local power dynamics, conflict
dissemination in Sudan and internationally. between groups, and the links with higher-level
Increasing attention is being given to capturing political processes.
raw data, in the form of transcripts, photographs, This research will examine the nature of the
etc., which can be carefully coded and analyzed conflict in Darfur and undertake a comparative
using qualitative software. analysis of its effect on the livelihoods and food
security situation of different groups living in
Impact North Darfur state, including IDPs, farmers living
The camel-herding nomads known as abbala have under coercion of other groups, pro-government
been relatively excluded from various forms of rural farmers, and pastoral groups. This work will
international action on Darfur, including humani- build on the earlier Tufts/FIC livelihoods initia-
tarian programming, international peace processes, tives in the Darfur region.
and international advocacy campaigns (except as
antagonists). This research will provide evidence Background
of their real situation, the impact of conflict on There has been an increasing interest in using a
their livelihoods, and their current issues and livelihoods approach as an analytical tool to assess
future goals, which will directly inform the the nature of violence and its impact on different
international processes. Tufts/FIC will work to social groups and households. The World Food
support international and local organizations in Program Executive Board recently committed the
developing and implementing their advocacy agency to combining food security programming
strategy and livelihoods programming in relation with conflict analysis. International NGOs such
to these pastoral groups. as Oxfam GB are now exploring new ways of
working which incorporate the political economy
Collaboration of the conflict in their analysis of the situation in
This action research forms a major part of the order to create effective strategies for improving
wider Tufts/FIC Darfur Livelihoods Program and food security.
relates directly to the Tufts/FIC program on
‘Understanding the Future of Pastoralism in Overview
Africa.’ The work will be supported locally by This study will investigate the differential impact
UNOCHA, the Resident Coordinators Office, of the conflict on the entitlement and access to
UNEP, and a number of local NGOs. By presi- food among competing livelihood groups. Al-
dential decree, the government of Sudan has though the analysis of livelihoods and food
All research outputs, including case-studies, access to information has affected market perfor-
workshop reports with policy recommendations, mance and hence livelihoods. The arrival of the
endnotes, and a bibliographic database will be mobile phone in Darfur provides a unique
made available through a CD-ROM and websites opportunity for farmers, traders, and pastoralists to
including those of Tufts/FIC, partner universities, obtain and share market information in the face
and local humanitarian networks. of insecurity. The goal of this research is to
investigate the impact of mobile phones on
Impact market performance for key agro-food products
Part of our study will explore the wider processes (cereals, cash crops, and livestock), as well on
(donor and government policies, political and different livelihood group’s trading behavior and
economic trends, actions of civil society) that hence welfare.
hinder or help the diaspora in transit countries This work will build upon the earlier Tufts/
like Egypt send remittances to their home coun- FIC study ‘Adaptation and Devastation: Impact of
tries and receive remittances from the far diaspora. Conflict on Trade and Markets in Darfur’ by
The goal is to explore ways in which the humani- Margie Buchanan-Smith and Abdaljabbar Fuddle,
tarian system or wider international responses and on ‘The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain
(humanitarian, development, and recovery) can Markets in Niger’ by Jenny C. Aker. In collabora-
enable remittance flows so as to support the tion with the Tufts/FIC research project on
livelihoods of the diaspora in transit countries, and ‘Markets, Trade, and Livelihoods,’ this research
also support reconstruction and peace processes in project will gather information on mobile phone
countries of origin (in this case, Sudan). Evidence coverage within and outside the main urban
from Egypt will allow comparison with other markets in Darfur and the use of these phones by
country case studies, to better understand how to different livelihood groups. The project will
harness and build on the positive developmental analyze how prices and trade flows for key
aspects of remittances and avoid their negative products change in relation to mobile phone
impact of fostering war. coverage. This project will work closely with UN
price monitoring systems, the local Darfur
Collaboration Resource Network and mobile phone companies
This research builds on earlier remittance research (such as Zain) to determine how mobile phones
conducted in Darfur, and among Sudanese in might be used to collect and share market infor-
Portland, Maine. It also builds on earlier research mation among different livelihood groups.
on urban refugees (Jacobsen’s ‘African Cities’ Background
project, in collaboration with Univ. of Witwa- Trade in agricultural and non-agricultural prod-
tersrand, Johannesburg). ucts is crucial for economic growth and welfare in
the Darfur region, as it allows goods to travel from
Markets, Information, And Mobile Phones: areas of relative abundance to relative scarcity. An
Darfur, Sudan (Jenny Aker, Helen Young) important aspect of trade is access to market
information, which allows farmers, traders, and
Goal and Rationale pastoralists to decide where, when, and at what
Trade in agricultural and non-agricultural prod- price to buy and sell their agricultural products.
ucts is crucial for economic growth and welfare in Over the past few years, trade in Darfur has been
the Darfur region. In order for goods to be severely disrupted by the conflict, and increased
traded efficiently from areas of relative abundance insecurity has affected market actors’ ability to
to relative scarcity, farmers, traders, and pastoralists travel to distant markets. While an improved
require accurate and timely access to market understanding of the linkages between livelihoods,
information. Over the past few years, the conflict markets, and conflict has emerged in recent years,
in Darfur has severely disrupted trade between much of this work does not address how limited
markets and market infrastructure. While an access to information has affected market actors’
improved understanding of the linkages between trading patterns, market performance, and liveli-
livelihoods, markets, and conflict has emerged, hoods.
much of this analysis does not address how limited
Background
COMESA is one of Africa’s regional economic
communities with 19 member states covering
parts of north, east, central, and southern Africa.
The COMESA mandate focuses on promoting
trade intra-regionally and internationally, and the
organization has particular experience in develop-
ing free trade areas and working with member
states to promote cross-border trade. Under the
African Union, the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD) includes the Compre-
hensive African Agriculture Development Pro-
gramme (CAADP). Under CAADP, COMESA is
UNDERSTANDING THE FUTURE OF the lead partner for the development of food
PASTORALISM IN AFRICA security policy frameworks. Within this process is
a specific element dealing with vulnerable com-
Regional Policy Support On Food Security munities such as pastoralists. COMESA recognizes
In Pastoral Areas With The Common Mar- that it has limited in-house technical capacity to
ket For Eastern And Southern Africa (Andy analyze and develop regional policy options to
Catley, Dawit Abebe, And Yacob Aklilu) promote food security in pastoral areas. Under an
existing Memorandum of Understanding with
Goal and Rationale COMESA, this project builds on previous support
The livelihoods of many pastoral communities in to COMESA by Tufts/FIC.
Africa are cross-border in nature. Pastoralists are
often geographically located at the margins of Overview
countries and their livelihood depends on the This project will improve the capacity of COME-
movement of livestock to and from seasonal SA to lead the coordination of pastoral areas
grazing areas, which in turn may require move- initiatives in the Horn of Africa region, and to
ment across national boundaries. In times of conduct critical analysis and prioritization of
drought or conflict, pastoralists may also move in livestock and pastoralism issues with relevant
search of grazing or to avoid violence. Scientific inclusion in the emerging regional food security
research shows that the mobility of pastoralists and policy frameworks under CAADP Pillar 3.
their opportunistic use of fragile dryland environ- COMESA’s capacity will be built so that it can
ments partly determine the efficiency of their lead regional harmonization of national livestock
livestock production systems, yet this movement is trade policies and protocols, with emphasis on
often regarded by government as irrational or international standards related to animal health in
illegal. Similarly, these cross-border pastoral pastoral areas.
systems are currently hindered by livestock
marketing policies and regulations which view Outputs
cross-border livestock trade as illegal. Such trade is The capacity building discussed above is to be
crucial if pastoralists are to convert livestock into achieved through a variety of activities, which will
cash. In some areas, income from seasonal labor is lead to a number of outputs. We will work with
based on travel to neighboring countries. The COMESA to continue the facilitation of the
cross-border nature of pastoralism indicates that Regional Livestock and Pastoralism Forum, as a
regional approaches to both development policy multi-stakeholder forum comprising representa-
and humanitarian assistance are needed. The goal tives from government, academia, private sector,
of this project is to improve the food security of
Affairs (MoFA) includes federal-level support to these ministries at the federal level, and with
regional governments which are perceived to be relevant pastoral and livestock development
weak, including the pastoral and agro-pastoral bureaus at the regional level in Afar, Oromiya, and
regions of Afar, Somali, Borana, South Omo, and Somali regions.
Gambella. Although the MoFA role covers the
promotion of good governance and pastoral Outputs
development policies, its policies reflect limited The project intends to implement the Pastoralism
understanding of pastoralism or dryland ecosys- and Policy Course at federal and regional levels,
tems. Objectives such as sedenterization of with prioritization of participants from govern-
pastoral communities dominate MoFA policy ment partners and civil society groups. The
documents, although there is no evidence which Pastoralism and Policy Course was developed by
attributes improved livelihoods or reduced Tufts/FIC in collaboration with the International
vulnerability to settlement. Regarding the sensi- Institute for Environment and Development
tive issue of land tenure in pastoral areas, the 1997 (IIED) under the PLI project. The course has two
proclamation of the Federal Rural Land Adminis- main aims: to address entrenched negative atti-
tration states an intention to demarcate land in tudes among government policy makers towards
accordance with the particular conditions of a pastoralism; and to better equip civil society to
locality and through communal participation. advocate for pro-pastoral policies. These aims are
However, recent appropriation of communal both achieved by drawing on a mass of collated
pastoral grazing land for large-scale irrigation scientific evidence and studies on pastoralism in
schemes seems to lack communal participation, Ethiopia, and through the use of adult learning
and was at odds with the efforts of the Ministry of techniques which ensure that participants revisit
Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) their understanding and perceptions. The course
to promote livestock production and trade. was run for the first time in Ethiopia in March
Related to land tenure is land use, and here again 2008, and will be offered as a short two-three day
government policies (where they exist) contradict course for senior, federal-level government policy
efforts by pastoralists to protect their livelihoods makers in the MoFA, MoFED (Ministry of
and environment. The goal of this project is to Finance and Economic Development) and
raise understanding of the benefits of pastoralism MoARD. A repetition of the full course will be
among senior federal-level policy makers in held in the Afar, Oromiya, and Somali regions for
Ethiopia and incorporate pro-pastoralist policies regional government people and relevant local
into national development policies. and international NGOs.
The project will also begin institutionalizing
Background the Pastoralism and Policy Course in Ethiopia to
Since mid-2007, policy dialogue on pastoralism in promote its wider and long-term use. The current
Ethiopia has been further complicated by the strategy is to institutionalize the course in selected
worsening violence in the Somali region of the universities and civil society groups in Ethiopia
country. In April 2007 the separatist Ogaden which either have existing undergraduate or
National Liberation Front acted on its warning postgraduate courses related to pastoral develop-
that it would attack a Chinese-run oil exploration ment or more general development policy, or a
field, which led to large-scale military operations specific aim of promoting pastoralism. Potential
by the Ethiopian government and limited access universities include Addis Ababa, Haramaya, and
to much of the Ogaden for humanitarian agen- Mekele, and potential civil society groups include
cies. the Pastoralist Forum of Ethiopia. As a first step,
the course will be run for senior academic staff
Overview and then reviewed with them to determine if and
The three-year activity planned for 2009 to 2011 how the course can be incorporated into existing
builds on Tufts/FIC’s work with the MoARD and teaching programs.
MoFA between 2005 and 2008 under the A MoARD livestock marketing strategy will
USAID-funded Pastoralist Livelihoods Initiative, be put in place for pastoral areas. This output will
in which strong relationships were developed with use the national Livestock Policy Forum which
constructed, staffed, and equipped. Experience five key indicators: accessibility, availability,
in the region indicates that although government affordability, acceptance, and quality. There will
is often able to construct facilities, such facilities also be a stakeholder review of research findings
often become derelict or not staffed or serviced. leading to identification of cross-cutting issues and
The goal of the project is to improve service opportunities for transferring lessons between
provision in the Somali region of Ethiopia sectors.
by promoting cross-sectoral learning and
promoting testing of alternative community- Impact
based approaches. The impact of the research will depend on the
research findings. Should lessons from the com-
Background munity-based approach to veterinary services be
In the mid 1990s Save the Children UK and the applicable to other sectors, the research will result
Somali regional government embarked on an in alternative or adapted approaches to human
alternative approach to delivering primary veteri- health and education to be tested by Save the
nary services. Rather than relying on fixed-point Children US in the region.
government clinics and a very limited govern-
ment budget for medicines and equipment, a Collaboration
privatized and community-based approach was The main collaborating partner is Save the
designed. This approach connected networks of Children US in Ethiopia, which is developing its
mobile community-based animal health workers national and regional strategies for pastoral areas,
(CAHWs) to private veterinary pharmacies in and which seeks to improve the livelihoods of
urban centers. The overall aim was to improve the pastoralists’ children. Other key actors include
accessibility and quality of primary veterinary care regional bureaus of agriculture, health and educa-
for pastoralists, and strengthen the capacity of local tion, and universities in Jijiga and Haramaya.
government to monitor and regulate this kind of
system. Rapid and superficial assessments by Tufts/ Pastoral Livelihoods And Destitution In
FIC indicate that the volume of veterinary Northern Kenya (Andy Catley)
medicines currently delivered to the Somali
region by the private pharmacy-CAHW system is Goal and Rationale
approximately ten times the volume delivered by The phenomenon of pastoralists losing their
government in the mid 1990s. However, a com- livestock and settling is not new, but tends to
prehensive impact assessment has not been accelerate during periods of acute livelihood crisis
conducted. as has been experienced during the last few
seasons of drought. The superficial cause is the
Overview obvious one of poorer pastoralists losing all or
This project aims to conduct comprehensive most of their livestock, forcing them to settle to
participatory impact assessments of veterinary and access services, food assistance, and potential
human health and education services in the sources of income. However, there are underlying
Somali region, and identify cross-cutting lessons causes for destitution that contribute to the crisis
to be shared and applied between sectors. The of pastoralism in the Horn of Africa. These
research recognizes that each type of service faces include historical marginalization and inequitable
similar constraints in terms of accessibility, afford- development investments; ecological constraints to
ability, availability, acceptance, and quality, and that livestock holdings; population growth; expansion
while primary veterinary care comprises a mix of of farming in some of the best dry season grazing
private and public goods, health and education are areas; and civil insecurity that limits mobility.
essentially public goods. Given the chronic characteristics of these issues,
and their arguably irreversible nature, it is clearly
Outputs not enough to invest in rural production: work is
Outputs will include a comprehensive, compara- also needed to be directed to address urban/
tive study of health, education, and veterinary peri-urban destitution and the dynamics between
services in the Somali region with emphasis on impoverished pastoralists’ livelihoods and the
mainstream pastoral economy.
products need not depend on the disease situation publications of other organizations, particularly
in the area of product origin. If livestock products African regional economic communities and the
were handled and processed using specific and African Union.
simple techniques, the risk of transmitting disease
could be reduced to an acceptable level. This Impact
thinking was supported by a mass of scientific In the event that the standards are revised, a major
evidence on topics such as the bacterial and viral constraint to access to international markets for
content of meat after chilling, deboning, and African producers would be reduced, with
maturation. The concept of this so-called com- consequent livelihoods benefits.
modity-based approach was published in scientific
journals in 2004 and has led to heightened Collaboration
awareness of the need to revise international This project will work with the African Union
standards to provide better guidance on commod- Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture,
ity-based trade, and present this approach as a the Common Market for Eastern and Southern
scientifically-acceptable alternative to disease African, the Intergovernmental Authority for
eradication. Development, the East Africa Community,
national governments in eastern and southern
Overview Africa, and the Department for International
Between 2005 and 2008, Tufts/FIC raised aware- Development (UK).
ness of the commodity-based approach to live-
stock trade by working with partners such as the Camel Marketing And Pastoral Livelihoods
African Union, COMESA, the East Africa In Ethiopia (Yacob Aklilu)
Community, DFID and the governments of
Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. By Goal and Rationale
mid-2008, the commodity-based approach was The goal of this project is to promote understand-
supported by all of these actors, and pressure was ing of the camel market chain that impacts the
mounting on the standard-setting bodies to take livelihoods of tens of thousands of pastoralists,
action. However, there is a continued need to agro-pastoralists, farmers, and traders living in
assist the AU and COMESA to improve under- diverse agro-ecological regions of Ethiopia. The
standing of commodity-based trade among research is targeted at national policy makers in
African policy makers, and ensure that a range of Ethiopia but also, due the cross border nature of
private sector and civil society stakeholders are the trade, regional trade organizations such as the
aware of the opportunities afforded by this Common Market for Eastern and Southern
approach. This process is largely a matter of Africa. Improved awareness of the trade will also
presenting existing research rather than conduct- assist policy makers to see how marginalized
ing new research, and strengthening the capacity pastoral areas can be integrated into mainstream
of the AU and COMESA to respond to queries economies and therefore warrant investment.
and concerns from government and private sector
actors. Background
Numerous research studies have been undertaken
Outputs in the last two decades on domestic, cross-border,
The main output of the work is an improved and regional livestock trade within and between
understanding of the technical and economic basis the Horn countries and the Gulf states. Such
of commodity-based trade among senior regional studies mainly focus on cattle and also on sheep
and national policy makers and civil society and goats (shoats). Studies on camel trade remain
groups in eastern and southern Africa, with minimal and in most cases limited to camel milk
consequent improved capacity of these actors to production. The oversight by researchers to
advocate for changes to international standards. incorporate camels in livestock trade studies could
This output will be achieved by contributing to be attributed to a host of factors. Camels are
technical meetings, educational materials, and traded in small numbers along numerous chain
each level of transaction to promote understand- ket outlets. The length of the market chain
ing of why beef prices have risen to such a high depends on proximity between primary producers
level despite the huge resource potential in the and consumers: the longer the distance, the more
country. actors. Although it is generally thought that those
in the industry are currently making more profit
Background than they used to, we are not certain which of the
As one of its economic objectives, the govern- actors in the chain are making more profit, by
ment of Ethiopia is pursuing a policy of maximiz- what proportion, at which level of transaction, and
ing revenues through meat and live animal above all if the rise in beef prices has translated
exports. In the past few years, Ethiopia’s volume into increased income for pastoralists and farmers.
of meat exports has been rising steadily, though its There is also speculation that the price rise is the
live animal exports have varied due to external result of a supply control system by large-scale
factors that include trade bans by importing coun- traders, butchers, and final outlet points. This
tries. Nearly all the meat exports from Ethiopia project will work to understand the supply chain
consist of sheep and goat chilled carcasses to the and price and profit-making issues related to
exclusion of beef. As a land-locked country with domestic beef markets in Ethiopia.
the largest livestock resources in Africa, Ethiopia
would like to tap its huge cattle resources for Outputs
increased chilled and frozen beef exports. This Outputs from this project will be: improved
initiative is challenged, however, by rising domes- understanding of the cattle and meat market value
tic beef prices, well above the world beef market chain; establishment of the level of returns in
price. What is more baffling is that the domestic proportion to expenditure at each level of transac-
price of beef in Ethiopia is twice that of Kenya, tion to determine the point at which most costs
which meets its domestic beef requirements are incurred and/or profits are accrued; improved
through cross-border exports from Ethiopia and understanding of key factors contributing to the
Tanzania. inefficiency of cattle and meat market chains.
Overview Impact
There exist two supply channels for terminal The project will inform decision makers on
domestic beef markets in Ethiopia. The first measures to be taken to streamline cattle and beef
involves a direct channel where traders buy cattle market chains and support a policy review process
from producers (pastoralists and farmers) and sell to improve the efficiency of livestock marketing
at profit to butchers. The second involves some in Ethiopia.
value-adding where feedlot operators buy cattle
from producers or cattle traders. In either case, Collaborations
such cattle are kept in feedlots for three to four The research will be conducted in collaboration
months and sold to live animal exporters or local with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
butchers after the cattle are reconditioned. Re- Development and the Texas University SPS-LMM
gardless, the price of beef coming through these program in Ethiopia, which runs a program to
two supply routes remains too high to allow beef promote meat exports from Ethiopia.
exports. Although one expects a rise in the price
of cattle as a result of rising feed costs, the relative Livelihoods, Trade, And Foot-And-Mouth
increases in the price of cattle and meat are not Disease In Ethiopia (Andy Catley, Berhanu
justifiably proportional to that of feed. More Admassu)
importantly, how beef sourced from primary
producers and feedlot operators fetch the same Goal and Rationale
price at consumer selling points remains inexpli- In pastoral areas of Africa foot-and-mouth disease
cable. There are a number of actors in the meat is usually ranked by pastoralists themselves as
market chain in Ethiopia, including primary cattle among the top five diseases affecting their live-
producers, small traders, middlemen, large-scale stock and livelihoods. The disease is endemic,
traders, feedlot operators, butchers, and supermar- meaning that outbreaks appear frequently, and no
tional arrangements and capacities required to working alongside highly respected epidemiolo-
support FMD control programs in the Borana gists, mathematicians, and disease modelers at the
plateau. Government policies, resources, and Universities of Glasgow and Warwick, with overall
technical capacity will be assessed, as will the research management by the University of
capacity of private sector actors to support FMD Oxford.
control.
Longitudinal study outputs will include Collaboration
real-time investigation of FMD outbreaks over a This research has been designed in collaboration
24-month period, using a surveillance system with the University of Oxford, National Animal
adapted from the successful system for rinderpest Health Research Center Ethiopia, the University
surveillance developed by Tufts/FIC in South of Glasgow, the University of Warwick, the
Sudan, and institutional support for FMD control. University of California, Murdoch University, and
This last component will aim to address key the International Livestock Research Institute.
policy and institutional constraints affecting the
testing and scaling-up of FMD control in the Milk Matters: Improving The Health And
Borana plateau. In the event that epidemiological Nutritional Status Of Children In Pastoral
and economic analyses point to the need to Communities (Andy Catley, Kate Sadler)
field-test FMD control strategies, this component
will ensure a supportive institutional environment Goal and Rationale
for field-testing. The work will include stakehold- Children in pastoral/semi-pastoral areas in the
er analysis of the results arising from the cross- horn of Africa are particularly vulnerable to
sectional study, regular stakeholder consultation increasingly frequent drought and to chronically
during the longitudinal study, and raising aware- high rates of acute malnutrition. The dominant
ness among policy makers of technical, economic, response to this from the international commu-
and social issues related to FMD control. Key nity continues to be the delivery of large quanti-
targets for the work are senior federal-level policy ties of food aid each time rains fail and rates of
makers in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural acute malnutrition peak. Despite acceptance of
Development, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the urgent need for risk reduction and drought
and the regional-level Oromia Pastoral Develop- mitigation, there is still little understanding of the
ment Office. causes of malnutrition, and which interventions in
the medium to long term should be prioritized to
Impact improve the health and nutritional status of
The research is intended to impact at different children in these settings.
levels. At the community-level, the research will In pastoral communities milk is well known
produce evidence to inform the design of FMD as the staple food of children’s diets and therefore
control strategies which are appropriate to the is directly linked with the nutritional status of
severe resource and logistical constraints in young children. In some areas, young pastoral
southern Ethiopia. The participatory research children obtain up to 66 percent of their daily
approach aims to strengthen relationships between energy intake from milk. In order to improve
Ethiopian researchers and government veterinary nutritional status in children who live in pastoral
services, and pastoral communities. At national, communities, this project aims to take a critical
regional, and international levels, the research aims look at the factors that affect the quality, quantity,
to raise awareness among international agencies and access to human and animal milk across all
such as FAO of the need to integrate local seasons, particularly during drought, and among
perspectives and needs for FMD control into various wealth groups.
regional control efforts. This impact challenges
conventional large-scale disease control programs Background
in which control strategies are imposed on The Africa Region Pastoral Initiative was created
communities, often with limited impact. At a by the Save the Children Alliance in mid-2007 to
methodological level, the research aims to further develop the evidence base for programming in
institutionalize participatory epidemiology by pastoral settings and to use this experience to
amount of knowledge the seers can impart on quickly became important actors in Tuft/FIC
regional peace and stability processes. Tufts/FIC efforts to work with pastoralists to manage
field research throughout the Karamoja region conflict in non-lethal ways and provide safe
will allow us to document and analyze how seers passage to vaccinate cattle. Additionally, over the
operate within their own communities and shed last four years Tufts/FIC researchers have worked
light on the complex nature of their relationships intensively in the Karamoja region documenting
with other tribal groups, both friends and en- and analyzing factors contributing to high levels
emies. To complement the findings of this work, of violence and conflict. As before, the role of
we have incorporated a photography component seers in helping to prevent or perpetuate violence
that will assist in illustrating the daily activities of surfaced as a key factor.
seers and other members of their pastoral com-
munities and draw attention to the environmental Overview
and economic challenges that many within the The greater Karamoja Cluster encompasses
Karamoja Cluster face today. It is these environ- regions within northeastern Uganda, South
mental and economic challenges that spur some Sudan, northwestern Kenya, and southwest
of the armed conflict in the region at present. Ethiopia. These regions are inhabited by nomadic
With both the written and visual aspects of the and semi-nomadic pastoral peoples who practice
work carried out simultaneously, this project will transhumance in fragile and unpredictable eco-
help lay the groundwork for future strategies that logical zones. These populations are minorities
seek to help better network seers with local within their respective countries, and are often at
leaders, government agencies, and NGO activities odds with or under attack by the governments in
whose aim is peaceful resolution to conflict and the regions where they live and move with their
peaceful co-existence among pastoral groups in animals. Human development indicators rank
the Karamoja Cluster. these groups among the least developed and most
vulnerable groups within each of their respective
Background countries.
Tufts/FIC has been conducting research with Local populations believe that seers have a
pastoral groups in east Africa for over a decade. unique relationship with the future as they ‘see’
Through its commitment to the region and its into the future and are able to intervene in future
innovative research, it has established strong events. As such, seers are involved at a fundamental
relationships with many pastoral communities that level in determining their communities’ security
live within the Karamoja Cluster. As most groups and well-being, as well as their relations with
within this region are dependent on healthy, large other tribes or groups in the region. Seers are also
livestock herds, the work of Tufts/FIC has focused influential in regards to their communities’
on helping these groups maintain strong founda- relationship with outsiders such as NGOs or
tions for sustainable livelihoods. Through their government agencies. Regardless of their skills, or
successful research work with pastoral communi- perhaps because of them, both colonial powers
ties in the eradication of rhinderpest, a devastating and the independent governments of the coun-
disease among female cows, Tufts/FIC researchers tries they reside in have systematically marginal-
have achieved the trust and respect of the pastoral ized seers. Our research seeks to better understand
communities. These successes have been enabled the role of seers as forces for both war and peace,
by Tufts/FIC’s ability to move freely among and and to use this information to inform local and
between the different pastoral groups in the national governments in alternative ways to
region. Without the assistance of seers and their engage with pastoral populations to address some
ability to negotiate between tribes, both friend of their most pressing needs of security as many
and enemy, Tufts/FIC researchers would have live in areas that are highly insecure and that lack
encountered difficulties in gaining access to any law and order functions.
certain populations. Therefore, it was during these Year one and two of the research will focus
earlier research efforts that Tufts/FIC witnessed on working with seers in northern Uganda and
first-hand the role of seers as both effective war southern Sudan, followed by work with seers in
makers and, importantly, peacemakers. Seers northeastern Kenya.
Overview
The project has one abiding objective, which is to
better inform the humanitarian community (writ
large) in preparing for the complexities and
uncertainties of the future by enabling it to
enhance its anticipatory and adaptive capacities.
The project has four key components to
achieve this objective. There will be an analysis of
external drivers affecting the humanitarian
THE EVOLVING GLOBAL environment in the next fifteen years with a
ENVIRONMENT OF CRISIS AND particular emphasis on varying impacts on differ-
CRISIS RESPONSE ent types of communities and their respective
impacts on livelihoods. An analysis of internal
Preparing For Humanitarian Crises Of The drivers influencing the capacities of humanitarian
Future (Peter Walker) organizations in the future will be done. A
mapping of present institutional anticipatory and
Goal and Rationale adaptive capacity assessments, both at the HQ and
The shape of humanitarian crises is evolving, with field level, for dealing with the future will be
climate change and globalization set to have a another component. Finally, an exploration of
profound impact upon community vulnerability. possible futures through scenario development,
Humanitarian agencies will also need to evolve again at both the HQ and field level, will be
and change the way they work if they are to meet included.
the challenges of the next two decades. This
research seeks to understand the impact climate Outputs
change and globalization will have on future The intention of the project is to ensure that its
humanitarian crises, focusing initially on two very methodology and interactive processes will
at-risk countries, Bangladesh and Ethiopia. The be regarded as an important output for those who
research then goes on to examine the present have been project participants. Thus a key output
fitness of key humanitarian agencies in meeting is a change in agency thinking and planning
these expected challenges and will develop capacity based upon what they learn through
strategies for agency institutional change to better
interaction with the project. There are specific sets
meet these challenges. of outputs which the project intends to provide
over the course of its 24-month time frame. Being
Background aware of many other change processes going on in
Tufts/FIC’s 2004 Ambiguity and Change report the humanitarian system, and other coalitions for
spelled out some of the predicted big drivers of change, it is critical that this project’s outputs be
the humanitarian environment over a ten-year widely disseminated and openly shared with other
period. It focused on environmental changes, change programs. They should benefit from our
urbanization, migration, and HIV/AIDS as well as work and we need to benefit from their insights.
changes within humanitarian agencies. It was Output products will include: policy briefs on
underwritten by a grouping of operational compelling external and internal drivers; a guide
international non-governmental humanitarian to anticipatory and adaptive behavior; and sce-
agencies, the International Working Group (IWG). nario guidelines and a manual.
money gets allocated to insecure areas where governments of Australia, Norway, Sweden, and
traditional development agencies are increasingly possibly Canada, who have requested that their
finding it too dangerous to operate, and due to its PRTs in Afghanistan be included within the scope
perceived importance in counterinsurgency of the study. Other collaborative relationships have
operations, the implementation of reconstruction been or will be formed with both military actors
projects is increasingly being done by military (NATO/ISAF (NATO/International Security
forces or combined civil-military teams such as Assistance Force), AFRICOM, CJTF-HOA, Army
PRTs.Yet nearly every PRT review has highlight- War College) as well as civilian ones (NGOs,
ed that to date there is still extremely little USAID, donors and host government, etc.)
evidence of measurable impact. By helping to
address this evidence gap, this research hopes to Humanitarianism And Corporate Social
influence the way key military and development Responsibility (Lynellyn D. Long)
actors and institutions think about and develop
policies based on the assumed relationship be- Goal and Rationale
tween aid and security. Major international private corporations are
There is a growing interest among policy increasingly aware that their investments and
makers and aid practitioners in the issue of aid operations can improve humanitarian outcomes
effectiveness, and increasing amounts of research is through their contributions to local and regional
being conducted on the effectiveness of foreign development. Increasingly, private sector, CSR
aid in achieving humanitarian and/or develop- programs go beyond charity and public philan-
ment objectives. However, given that a major thropy to engage in specific interventions and
objective of US foreign aid is to promote per- investments to achieve sustained humanitarian
ceived US political and security objectives, there outcomes. Nationally and globally, standards of
needs to be more explicit attention given to the corporate citizenship and accountability may also
effectiveness of foreign aid in achieving these contribute to improved political security and
objectives, and not just development objectives. A economic growth. Investors likewise recognize
clearer understanding of the effectiveness and that the lack of due diligence may increase local
comparative advantages of foreign aid in achieving inequalities and heighten resource conflicts within
political, security and/or development objectives communities. The lack of corporate due diligence
could potentially contribute to more realistic also sanctions corruption, creates public distrust in
expectations of what foreign aid can and cannot markets leading to costly and sometimes ineffec-
do effectively, as well as more effective ways to tive regulation, and increases economic volatility.
prioritize the use of scarce aid resources. Thus, CSR to promote humanitarian objectives is
increasingly considered good business practice.
Collaboration Linking CSR programs to specific humani-
A conscious effort will be made to have this study tarian objectives and outcomes is of growing
contribute to institutional change by means of the interest to the corporate/private sector, NGOs,
communications strategy outlined above, as well as international organizations, and communities.
by collaborating with and involving key actors in Both private and public sector actors recognize
this research from the outset. This study therefore the importance of developing these linkages.
has many collaborative dimensions, both internally Nevertheless, important questions remain as to
as well as externally. Within Tufts/FIC this study corporate commitment, feasibility, effectiveness,
will collaborate with and build on the important costs, benefits, and risks. A significant difference
work of the HA2015 study, especially its work on exists between private companies undertaking
the impact of the War on Terror on humanitarian humanitarian operations as part of their core
action. Externally, the major collaboration will be profit-making business and corporations engaged
with the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation in humanitarian operations as part of their social
Unit (AREU) based in Kabul, which will host and civic responsibility. The former, commercial
and help implement the Afghanistan case studies. ventures, derive direct financial benefits from
Other collaborative relationships that could help disaster capitalism and seek to profit from human-
promote the institutional change agenda of the itarian interventions, whereas the latter, corporate
study will be with the donors to this study, the ventures, engage in humanitarian activities to
Social Standards, and ICMM, to determine their time frame for this phase of the research is 12
relevance to humanitarian principles and practices. months.
The review will focus on how these standards and Subsequently, the team will do a meta-analysis
policies affect actual business conduct and prac- of the 12 case studies. This meta-analysis will
tices in three industries: mining and minerals, the inform the development of a survey the three
garment sector, and banking/financial services. In industries to determine the range of different
addition, the review will identify the relevance of CSR interventions and expected outcomes.
these standards within the particular industry to Follow-up interviews will also be held with CSR
improving humanitarian operations. The review managers in mining and minerals, garment, and
will provide a textual analysis of compliance financial services industries. Next, the team will
standards, policy documents, and industry analyses. organize a stakeholders’ meeting of private
Interviews will also be held with key international foundations, international organizations, bilateral
organizations like Global Compact, ILO, IFC, aid agencies, NGOs, and business for comment on
EBRD, interest and advocacy groups, and busi- the survey and interview findings. The stakehold-
nesses and NGOs involved in setting and regulat- ers will also be asked to generate recommenda-
ing social, health and safety, labor, human rights, tions and action steps for the future. Following the
security, and environmental standards to identify meeting, the research team will analyze and
specific industry applications and examples. In summarize specific implementation strategies for
addition, this stage of the research will involve a existing performance standards so as to promote
content analysis of corporate responsibility and and sustain humanitarian objectives in corporate
sustainability reports in the three industries. The operations. The research team will also report on
estimated time frame for this first stage is 12 relevant findings for improving humanitarian
months. operations. The estimated time frame for this stage
Subsequently, case studies of specific CSR is 12 months.
interventions in the three industries at the com-
munity level will be conducted. The case studies Outputs
will detail how and to what extent CSR interven- The expected output for stage one is a practical
tions are affecting and/or addressing humanitarian operations manual for businesses, profiling best
objectives. Case studies will also be compiled of humanitarian practices and implementation
the same industries in similar communities, where strategies. An article analyzing the relevance of
CSR programs were not undertaken. To the core standards and practices to improving human-
extent possible, communities and corporations itarian operations will be produced.
will be compared by the presence or absence of For stage two, the expected output will be
CSR intervention. The assumption will not be detailed case studies to be published in business
made that CSR interventions necessarily promote and CSR journals.
positive humanitarian outcomes or that a lack of Stage three’s output will be an edited academ-
CSR investment does not. Rather, the case studies ic volume. The volume will critically distinguish
involving longitudinal and retrospective inter- the humanitarian role of corporate versus com-
views and observations will seek to identify the mercial operations, report on the survey findings,
conditions and situations in which CSR interven- provide case studies of specific operations and
tions or a lack of due diligence affect humanitar- investments that have made a difference, and
ian outcomes. For this stage of the research, outline the relevance of business practices to
interviews and focus groups will be conducted at improving humanitarian operations.
the local community level and with the relevant
companies at both operational and headquarters Impact
levels. Proposed sites are Vietnam, Jordan, Guinea, This project is expected to improve the contribu-
and Wales. These four sites represent different tion of private firms and corporations working in
humanitarian concerns, levels of conflict and potential situations of conflict and violence to
resource/labor extraction, and phases of commu- prevent and/or mitigate conflict. The research
nity engagement and operation across the three could also build CSR capacity to address humani-
industries. A total of 12 in-depth case studies will tarian objectives. A potential outcome of this
be prepared by industry and locale. The estimated work is new forms of private-public partnerships
Collaboration Overview
This work links to other work of Tufts/FIC in One of the two components of this project is the
terms of ‘The Evolving Humanitarian Enterprise’ relationship between aid policies and violence in
and ‘Preparing for Humanitarian Crises of the Fu- Nepal. Preliminary research in Nepal, as part of
ture.’ The research team will seek partnerships and the HA2015 country case study, has uncovered a
collaboration with private foundations, MDBs number of issues relating to the relationship
(Multilateral Development Banks), watchdog between government, donor, and aid agency
NGOs (such as Business for Human Rights, development policies and the events leading up to
Transparency International, Amnesty/USA), CSR the Maoist insurgency. The prevailing view seems
leaders in mining, manufacturing, and financial to be that the insurgency was a result of develop-
services, business schools with CSR programs, ment failure in the sense that the Maoists were
Saatchi and Saatchi, and key humanitarian inter- able to capitalize on the lack of traction by the
national organizations involved in private-public Kathmandu elites and mainstream aid agencies in
partnerships (ProVention Consortium, Oxfam addressing issues of structural inequality, caste,
International, Save the Children Alliance, and Plan ethnicity, and other forms of discrimination.
International). The objective of the research is to document
how the Kathmandu-based development and
Crisis And Social Transformation In Nepal humanitarian players reacted to the incipient
(Antonio Donini) conflict and adapted to it. The analysis of the
tensions that existed in the aid system between
Goal and Rationale those actors who tended to minimize the impact
How does the work of aid agencies during and of the conflict and the extent which it impacted
after conflict affect people’s perceptions of on development activities, on the one hand, and
change? What can we learn from recent experi- those who saw in the conflict the emergence of a
ence? Our work in Nepal has uncovered a deeper humanitarian and structural crisis, on the
number of interesting issues around the humani- other, is likely to result in a number of lessons that
tarian-development relationship and the chal- would lend themselves to policy recommenda-
lenges of social transformation in a (hopefully) tions. Research on this project is already under-
post-conflict environment that we feel are impor- way and it is planned to produce a report or
tant to research both because they are largely article to be finalized in the fall of 2008.
unexplored and because of their potential policy The other component is about conflict,
implications. These are discussed below. gender, and social transformation in Nepal. The
Maoist insurgency was built around an agenda
Background which at its core attacked the feudal nature of
Nepal was one of the 12 countries of the HA2015 Nepali society and the structural inequalities
research. As a follow-up to the case study, we have inherent in it. Whether this agenda was an instru-
decided to conduct additional research both to mental tool for toppling the monarchy and
deepen our understanding of the root causes and feudalism or the harbinger of a profound social
dynamics of the crisis and to track its impact on revolution is still an unanswered question, both at
local communities’ perceptions of change and the Kathmandu level and in the remotest rural
what drives change. The Maoist agenda was built areas. It is not too early, however, to analyze social
around awareness and rights in the sense that the change resulting from the Maoist agenda and
Maoists used these concepts as an entry point for communities’ exposure to conflict. The Maoists
introduced, often forcibly, measures aimed at A separate component of this project will
addressing centuries-old, deeply-rooted forms of focus on gender issues will start in the fall of 2008.
discrimination. Feudal structures and the caste This component will look at female combatants
system were abolished, parallel peoples’ structures in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), their
of governance were introduced, affirmation of demobilization and reintegration process, the
ethnic identity was encouraged, etc. Perhaps more return to their villages and the problems encoun-
profoundly, women’s empowerment was promot- tered. For example, will the former female
ed both through the abolition of odious social combatants be perceived as role models by their
practices (such as relegation during menstruation communities or will they be shunned by them?
and childbirth) and encouragement of women’s Will they play an active political or social role or
enrolment in the ranks of the People’s Liberation will the earlier feudal roles prevail?
Army (in which it is said that some 30% of
combatants were women) and in the Maoist Outputs
governance structures. The two components above will generate three
Now that the conflict is over, at least formally, major studies and/or articles for academic jour-
what remains of these various forms of empower- nals. At a later stage, the possibility of a book on
ment? Have the feudal structures and social norms social transformation in Nepal will be explored.
re-established themselves? What is happening to
returning female combatants? Are they being Impact
shunned or are they asserting themselves? What We expect two types of impact. In Nepal we hope
kinds of tensions are emerging at the village or to contribute to ongoing debates in the aid
community level? These are some of the issues community on the nature of the crisis and on
that will be explored through focus groups and policies for addressing it both from a humanitar-
interviews at the community level. In addition, a ian and development perspective. This will be
comparative dimension will be introduced in the done through country-level briefings and semi-
study through linkages with other Tufts/FIC nars. At the international level, we expect our
research on the implications of conflict on gender findings will constitute useful lessons for donors
and social transformation (in northern Uganda and aid agencies who struggle to adapt their
and in Sudan in particular). policies and activities to sometimes rapidly
The overall objective of the research is to changing conflict and post-conflict environments.
better understand the dynamics of social transfor-
mation in Nepal in the context of the Maoist Collaboration
insurgency and its aftermath. Specifically, the Our work in Nepal has been collaborative from
research will seek to document and analyze the the start. UN agencies (in particular OCHA),
nature and drivers of change at the community donors, and NGOs have sought to involve us in
level through interviews, focus groups, and their own debates on the nature of the crisis and
retrospective analysis. The project also aims to the humanitarian-development relationship. This
provide an evidence-based picture of social will continue and will be extended to Nepali
transformation and derive from it key conclusions research institutions and universities.
of relevance to aid agencies and policy makers.