Research

Commodities of War

ebhatti — 2012-12-13T19:39:52Z

Recent waves of displacement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, affecting more than 760,000 people since the beginning of 2012 in the Kivu provinces alone, reflect a new dimension to the country’s ongoing crisis. As the Congolese army fights M23 rebels, localised armed groups are springing up, and areas that were relatively stable are again under attack. Evidence gathered by Oxfam in 2012 shows that government soldiers, armed rebels, police, and civilian authorities are all vying for the right to exploit local communities and extort money or goods from them, pushing people further into poverty and undermining their efforts to earn a living.

R4 Rural Resilience Initiative

aperera — 2012-12-21T20:53:23Z

R4 represents a new kind of partnership, bringing public- and private-sector actors together in a strategic, large-scale initiative to innovate and develop better tools to help the most vulnerable people build resilient livelihoods. R4 promises to leverage the respective strengths of its partners: Oxfam America’s capacity to build innovative partnerships and the World Food Programme’s global reach and extensive capacity to support government-led safety nets for the most vulnerable people. This partnership will enable thousands more poor farmers and other food-insecure households to manage weather vulnerability through an affordable, comprehensive risk management program that builds long-term resilience.

By combining HARITA’s successful model for participatory design and capacity building with the World Food Programme’s global capacity, R4 will help accelerate the scale-up and testing of this innovative approach in Ethiopia, Senegal, and two other countries in the next five years. R4 also constitutes a first step toward developing a sustainable insurance market for poor people, an essential factor in ensuring farmers’ livelihoods and food security, and in improving farmers’ resilience over the long term.

In this report we share information on project expansion in Ethiopia for the 2012 agricultural season and present outputs of the national level analysis conducted in Senegal in preparation of the pilot roll-out in 2013.

Power of Oil Palm

jedwards — 2013-03-19T20:06:56Z

Access to land is critical for the survival of millions of households in developing countries that depend on it for their food security and livelihoods. Yet land holdings, especially of the most fertile land, are highly concentrated. In recent years the accelerated scale and pace of large-scale land acquisitions has signaled a global land rush, and evidence is mounting that the price being paid by affected communities is unacceptably high.

This case study focuses on the Palmas del Ixcán company and the social, environmental and economic effects of its oil palm plantations on local communities in northern Guatemala. The evidence gathered reveals practices that violate people's basic rights and indicates lack of a thorough impact assessment, of effective democratic planning, and of contract transparency.

Food Crisis in the Horn of Africa Progress Report, July 2011 - July 2012

cmccabe — 2012-08-06T17:33:45Z

The 2011 drought across the Horn of Africa was, in some places, the worst to hit the region for 60 years. It was not until images of the crisis appeared in global media, and the United Nations declared a famine in two parts of Somalia, that international donors woke up to the severity of the disaster. By that time, 13 million people were affected.

2012 Food Price Hikes Background Briefing

bgrossmancohen — 2012-08-07T18:02:38Z

A background briefing on the implications of global food price hikes in 2012.

Haiti Rice Value Chain Assessment

nhailu — 2012-11-01T17:20:23Z

The paper provides an assessment of the Haitian rice value chain, including an exploration of areas for improvement. Total rice production has not grown significantly over the past 35 years, despite significant financial and technical assistance provided in some geographical areas. The market share of nationally produced rice has shrunk dramatically in the face of competition from inexpensive, subsidized commercial and food aid rice imports from the United States, which have become dominant in national diets, increasing the risk of long-term food insecurity in an era of global food price volatility.

Saving for Change: Financial inclusion and resilience for the world's poorest people

jabdulla — 2013-05-15T13:29:15Z

Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people do not have a formal bank account. With few viable means to save, these individuals and their families are vulnerable to life-threatening hardships. Community-based savings groups are designed to provide a mechanism for resilience. Jointly, Oxfam America and Freedom from Hunger commissioned the largest study to date to evaluate the impact of community-based savings groups—using both a randomized controlled trial and in-depth qualitative research.

R4 Rural Resilience Initiative

akramer — 2013-03-19T14:59:36Z

R4 represents a new kind of partnership, bringing public- and private-sector actors together in a strategic, large-scale initiative to innovate and develop better tools to help the most vulnerable people build resilient livelihoods. R4 promises to leverage the respective strengths of its partners: Oxfam America’s capacity to
build innovative partnerships and the World Food Programme’s global reach and extensive capacity to support government-led safety nets for the most vulnerable people. This partnership will enable thousands more poor farmers and other food insecure households to manage weather vulnerability through an affordable, comprehensive risk management program that builds long-term resilience.

In this report we share key accomplishments during the July–September 2012 quarter, including the enrollment results for the 2012 agricultural season in Ethiopia, and present the regional level analysis conducted in Senegal in preparation of the pilot rollout in 2013.

Summary: Mali's Conflict Refugees

mhart — 2013-01-22T14:47:58Z

Nearly 375,000 Malians fled the conflict in the north of their country in 2012. Over 145,000, the majority of them women and children, sought refuge in poor areas of neighboring Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. More are already following since the escalation in fighting in January 2013. Those neighboring governments and humanitarian organizations have provided life-saving aid to refugees in difficult circumstances, but they are struggling to meet all the refugees’ basic needs. In Niger’s camps, up to 21 percent of children are malnourished. Governments and aid organizations must urgently step up preparations to respond to rising needs in refugeehosting countries, while all military forces and armed groups active in Mali must take all possible steps to avoid harm to an already distressed civilian population. Many of the refugees have repeatedly fled Mali over the last 20 years, and may well not return until the deep-seated social, political and economic drivers of the country's conflict are resolved.

Mali's Conflict Refugees

mhart — 2013-01-22T14:47:38Z

The truth about the Arms Trade Treaty

cmccabe — 2013-02-15T17:08:15Z

The National Rifle Association and its allies have mounted a campaign of lies and deliberate distortions to build American opposition to an international Arms Trade Treaty that will keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers around the globe. Here are the facts that set the record straight.

Local Institutions, External Interventions, and Adaptations to Climate Variability

jedwards — 2013-02-20T20:20:10Z

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of local institutions in assisting the Borana pastoralists of southern Ethiopia in dealing with droughts. Because of social and economic marginalization, as well as sheer geography, Borana pastoralists are very vulnerable to the effects of climate variability. The study places these local practices in micro- and macroinstitutional frameworks, to explore how different interventions have enhanced or inhibited coping and adaptations; how local institutions interacted with external structures; and whether new institutions are emerging to foster adaptive capacity.

Local Institutions, External Interventions, and Adaptations to Climate Variability

jedwards — 2013-02-25T18:47:38Z

This research examines the role of local institutions in mediating the adaptive practices developed by individuals and collectives in the cotton-growing region of Mali. In this area, the main climate risk is erratic and inadequate rainfall, compounded by difficulties related to guaranteeing a sufficient income from cotton and cereal farming from increasingly infertile soils. The following key questions guided the fieldwork: 1) What role do local social institutions have in long-term adaptation to environmental change?, 2) How have extra-local actors interacted with local social institutions in development and adaptation efforts?, and 3) How is the production and use of weather and climate information organized?

US Investment in Large-scale Land Acquisitions

jedwards — 2013-02-19T18:46:19Z

In the past decade, investment in land used for agriculture and forestry in low- and middle-income countries has grown dramatically. This study provides an analysis of the extent of US investors’ and investment fund managers’ involvement in this phenomenon over the past 10 years. With this research, Oxfam America hopes to begin exploring the business models behind these investments and the potential food security implications in low- and middle- income countries where large-scale land acquisitions are occurring.

Viv Tankou Moun

mhart — 2012-12-13T19:38:13Z

From a peak of 1.5 million, the number of displaced people remaining in the camps that came into being after Haiti’s devastating earthquake of January 2010 has dropped significantly to around 358,000 nearly three years after the disaster. Despite the official end to the emergency phase of the crisis, conditions in the camps are deplorable and the people who remain are by and large those who are the least able to get back on their feet. This study was commissioned by Oxfam in order to gain a better understanding of the problem, particularly in the 16 sites in the commune of Delmas where Oxfam has provided water and sanitation services.