AHEAD-GLTFCA working group meeting 2009, Naamcha, Mozambique

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 10:52:24 +0100

The 2009 AHEAD-GLTFCA working group meeting took place in Naamacha, Mozambique from the 4th to the 6th of March 2009. The main aim of the working group meetings is to facilitate exchange of ideas on research in and around the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA). In this meeting, there was considerable attention for the recently awarded Seed Grant projects (see > Competing Claims researchers awarded WCS-AHEAD seed grants).
Chrispen Murungweni, Xavier Poshiwa, Edson Gandiwa, Petronella Chaminuka, Chaka Chirozva and Nicia Giva represented the Competing Claims programme, and presented their respective research projects/findings in plenary and informal sessions. After Petronella Chaminuka’s presentation of her awarded seed grant project it was noted that there is little work done on livestock predation and the related socio-economic impact of wildlife-human conflict on the communities in the GLTFCA. Equally, community-based ecotourism is also not receiving a lot of attention. Preliminary results from interviews with tourists presented by Petronella Chaminuka, suggest that the opportunities for rural communities to penetrate the tourism industry are limited, especially with regard to the provision of accommodation. Tourists indicated to prefer accommodation in Kruger National Park chalets over chalets in rural areas bordering the park.

The AHEAD programme celebrated its five year anniversary at this meeting. There was a special recognition of people that had shown enthusiasm and support for the programme. Among the people awarded certificates for their contribution and support of the AHEAD programme were Petronella Chaminuka (WUR) and Jeanette Manjengwa (Centre for Applied Social Sciences-CASS, University of Zimbabwe).

See also: http://www.wcs-ahead.org/workinggrps_limpopo.html

Annual Workshop 2008: Massingir, Mozambique

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 07:00:09 +0100

The programme’s annual workshop, organized in collaboration with the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, took place in Massingir, on the southern border of the Limpopo National Park (LNP) from 8 to 12 december 2008.
In this year’s annual workshop, preliminary findings and first draft papers of PhD research projects took central stage. PhD researchers presented and reviewed each others work, followed by a general discussion including staff members of participating organizations. The main aims of the workshop were:
To familiarize more Competing Claims participants with the Mozambican field sites
To provide a discussion forum for draft paper/chapter presentations of the Competing Claims PhD students
To introduce and discuss new Competing Claims research initiatives (new PhD project plans, etc.)
To discuss earlier identified themes for comparative analyses, current and new research/paper initiatives on these themes, and to identify new themes.
The workshop included field visits to the research sites of two PhD researchers working within and along the Limpopo National Park’s boundaries. One visit, guided by the resettlement authority of the park, focused on the resettlement process. The workshop participants visited the site that was recently abandoned by a village to be resettled elsewhere, and also visited the site where the village moved to. A second field visit focused on the potentials of the multiple-use zone bordering the park. A number of participants also spend half a day with PROCANA, a bio-energy company that currently develops a large-scale sugar estate in the Massingir area. During a field visit of the sugarcane infrastructure (irrigation scheme, planted sugarcane) the participants were informed of the development initiatives focusing on neighbouring villages such as improved irrigated food crop production.
In additional to the field visits, the director of Limpopo National Park, Mr. Baldeu Chande, addressed the workshop, elaborating on the status and development plans for the Limpopo National Park area.
download workshop programme >

Seminar on Competing claims, biofuels and smallholder farmers in the tropics, The Netherlands

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:04:47 +0100

A one day seminar on competing claims concerning biofuels and opportunities for smallholder farmers in the tropics was organized by Wageningen International, the Netherlands on the 13th of November 2008. Besides presentations on Dutch government policy regarding the production and importation of sustainably produced (by Irene Mouthaan), Smallholder oil palm production models in Southeast Asia (by Thomas Fairhurst) and the Round Table on Responsible Soy (by Marieke Leegwater), four workshops were organized, discussing:
What are the appropriate modes of production and cooperation for smallholders to benefit from the growing demand for biofuels (e.g. contract farming, cooperatives, producer organizations)?
How can markets be organized in order to meet the specific needs of smallholders?
What social/economic incentives can work to enhance sustainable production of biofuels by smallholder farmers?
Which models fit best under which circumstances? (which biofuel crops, which countries, which production modes, which rules and regulations?
download seminar report >