Development Practice

The study measured the relationship between wheat productivity and its determinants in a developing country and tested whether this region's productivity was managed scientifically. Descriptive and econometric methods were applied to determine the scientific reasons for wheat productivity and its main determinants for proper agriculture planning in the concerned area. The data collected through primary and secondary methods have been adequately presented with the help of tables and diagrams to know more about the research objectives. Data were collected from the Oromia regional state based on a judgment sampling process. A multiple regression model was applied, and findings indicated that farm experience, rented land, financial accessibility, and availability of oxen, fertiliser, and pesticides positively impacted productivity. In contrast, long distances from the market negatively affected the productivity in this region. This study is significant because it finds that proper measures can enhance the scientific observations of productivity and wheat productivity in Ethiopia. Obviously, farmers' conditions tend to improve the rough management of agricultural productivity. Public and private bodies should adopt modern technologies and train farmers for better output. Hence, to

In Nepal, the Plantwise programme -led by CABI in collaboration with International Development Enterprises (iDE) and PQPMC -established a network of locally owned plant clinics, delivered by entrepreneurial farmers trained as plant doctors through the Community Business Facilitator (CBF) model� The programme aimed to extend access to plant health advisory services, particularly to smallholder and women farmers who face systemic barriers, including time constraints, socio-cultural restrictions on mobility, limited financial autonomy, and poor access to agricultural inputs� This case documents how the programme integrated gender considerations into its design and delivery across three purposively selected districts in western Nepal -Banke, Bardiya, and Surkhet -between October 2020 and March 2021� Key strategies included prioritising women in CBF plant doctor recruitment, scheduling clinics at times suited to women's workloads, ensuring female plant doctors were available in communities where socio-cultural norms discouraged women from consulting men, and developing IPM-based recommendations using locally available inputs� The central learning opportunity in this case lies in the interaction between service delivery design and structural gender barriers: the programme achieved measurable progress in increasing women's participation at plant clinics, yet significant challenges remained in women's ability to act on the advice they received -particularly regarding access to purchased inputs and household decision making authority� The COVID-19 pandemic period further revealed both the potential and the limits of digital platforms for reaching women farmers� This case offers insights for practitioners designing gender-responsive extension services in contexts of male out-migration, socio-cultural restrictions on women's mobility, and unequal digital access� After studying this case, readers will be able to: 1� Analyse the strategies used to integrate gender considerations into community-based agricultural extension design and delivery, and evaluate their relative effectiveness� 2� Evaluate the interaction between service access (reaching plant clinics) and service uptake (implementing advice received), identifying factors that enable or constrain each for women farmers in this context� 3� Compare different mechanisms -including practitioner selection, scheduling, technology use, and input recommendations -for addressing gender-based barriers in extension service models�

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are navigating an accelerating crisis of institutional identity. Amid geopolitical turbulence and shrinking donor landscapes, most recently visible in the 2025 USAID funding freeze and broader aid retrenchment, mission-driven CSOs are trapped in a politics of survival, where donor compliance, short-term funding cycles, and political red lines reshape what is possible to say and do. Drawing on eighteen years of field experience, existing scholarship, and sector observation, this practice-based reflective paper examines five interlocking challenges: the erosion of principled advocacy through political and donor expediency; the distortions imposed by short-term funding cycles; the persistence of shallow tokenistic localisation; the emerging pressures of artificial intelligence; and of gig-based labour on organisational identity. Acknowledging the heterogeneity of the MENA region, the article advances strategic idealist-pragmatism, an approach that defends nonnegotiable organisational values while maintaining adaptive agility.

The processes of structural adjustment and decentralised governance in India are expected to generate rapid industrial and infrastructural development. Although the negative impacts of this policy package, launched in the early 1990s, are noticeable in the slowing of public investment and in reduced access to basic amenities for large sections of the population, its proponents believe that these are transitory. They believe that efficient and accountable governance will be the driving force behind the provision of more and better economic infrastructure and basic amenities. The public sector organisations that failed to provide these services in a cost-effective manner have instead blocked enormous capital resources of the state without yielding adequate returns. These, along with other parastatal agencies such as the Development Authorities, were created in the post-Independence period. They had taken over many of the functions of local bodies, and must, therefore, be dismantled. The government and the Reserve Bank of India have already imposed a degree of 'financial discipline' on these agencies, forcing them to generate resources internally, borrow at high interest rates from development-cum-banking institutions, or raise funds in the capital markets. This has restricted the scope, if not the volume, of their activities. At the same time, financial sector reforms that loosen the directed credit system have brought about a decline in mandatory investments in social infrastructure by financial institutions. Further, many of the infrastructural services are gradually being transferred to private agencies or managed on commercial lines. A more complete remedial package is being urged on India by the World Bank. It includes reducing public sector intervention, ensuring appropriate prices for infrastructure and urban amenities by eliminating or reducing subsidies, developing capital markets for resource mobilisation, facilitating private and joint sector projects, simplifying legislative

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India. The area of Madhya Pradesh is 30.28 million ha, as the state of Madhya Pradesh is second largest in terms of area in the country. It consists 9.38 % of the geographical area of the country. In Madhya Pradesh more than 20000 villages are in and around forests, they account 42% of the total villages of the state. Madhya Pradesh is receiving worldwide popularity in terms of conservation and protection of natural resources mainly through Joint Forest Management which has a well renowned record over the past three decades. The study was carried out in the Mandla district of the Madhya Pradesh targeting on the tribal areas which are proximate to forests, with an aim to find out the impact of Joint Forest Management in the economic enhancement of the tribal population, to find out the level of participation in Joint Forest Management activities. The participatory rural assessment approaches were used to collect the data from respondents of the study area involved in the forestry sector. Data was collected by using household interview, semi-structured questionnaires, and data were inserted and analyzed in MS Excel and in SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences). Chi square test at 5% level of significant is applied. It is found that the Non-timber forest products in the study area contribute 25% in the total income of the forest users. It is also found that the Joint Forest Management has brought great changes in the area either ecologically and economically.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in India. The area of Madhya Pradesh is 30.28 million ha, as the state of Madhya Pradesh is second largest in terms of area in the country. It consists 9.38 % of the geographical area of the country. In Madhya Pradesh more than 20000 villages are in and around forests, they account 42% of the total villages of the state. Madhya Pradesh is receiving worldwide popularity in terms of conservation and protection of natural resources mainly through Joint Forest Management which has a well renowned record over the past three decades. The study was carried out in the Mandla district of the Madhya Pradesh targeting on the tribal areas which are proximate to forests, with an aim to find out the impact of Joint Forest Management in the economic enhancement of the tribal population, to find out the level of participation in Joint Forest Management activities. The participatory rural assessment approaches were used to collect the data from respondents of the study area involved in the forestry sector. Data was collected by using household interview, semi-structured questionnaires, and data were inserted and analyzed in MS Excel and in SPSS (Statistical package for social sciences). Chi square test at 5% level of significant is applied. It is found that the Non-timber forest products in the study area contribute 25% in the total income of the forest users. It is also found that the Joint Forest Management has brought great changes in the area either ecologically and economically.

Malana, a secluded Himalayan village nestled within the Parvati Valley of Himachal Pradesh, is one of the most enigmatic settlements in India, widely recognized for its unique socio-cultural structure, historical narratives, linguistic isolation, and deeply revered governance under the deity Jamlu Devta. Functioning with an autonomous political system long before modern democratic ideals took shape, Malana presents a remarkable opportunity for multidisciplinary research. From being associated with the remnants of Alexander the Great's army to becoming globally known for "Malana Cream," a high-quality cannabis strain, the village today stands at the crossroads of tradition and globalization. This research paper undertakes an extensive exploration of Malana's historical roots, social organization, political autonomy, linguistic identity, religious customs, legal practices, and evolving economy. It also focuses on the impact of tourism, environmental pressures, and commercialization on its rich cultural heritage and ancient traditions. The study employs a qualitative and ethnographic approach, relying on a vast range of primary and secondary sources, including government reports, academic research, media documentation, and cultural studies. Drawing on insights from anthropology, sociology, linguistics, environmental science, and political theory, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Malana's past, present, and future.

Africa is the youngest continent in the world, yet its leadership structures remain predominantly occupied by older generations. This paradox raises profound philosophical questions about power, generational justice, political legitimacy, and the temporality of leadership. While young people possess the energy, creativity, and vision necessary for social transformation, they often remain excluded from the highest levels of decision-making. This paper adopts a philosophical approach to examine the tension between youth dynamism and entrenched gerontocratic leadership structures in Africa. It further explores whether generational insecurity among older leaders contributes to the marginalization of youth leadership. In light of the continental development blueprint Agenda 2063, the paper argues that Africa must cultivate an intergenerational philosophy of leadership if it hopes to realize its long-term aspirations.

In 2006 -08, Ethiopia experienced high food and non-food inflation. This study shows that the recent inflationary spell is likely to have significantly worsened poverty in urban areas, given the reliance on the market for most consumption needs. In rural areas the distributive impact of inflation is less easy to measure. In Ethiopia's rural areas, many households are net food buyers, and non-food items weigh significantly in their budgets. Thus, it seems unlikely that high inflation was beneficial for poverty reduction, a position which seemed to underpin much of the policy response to the crisis.

In 2006 -08, Ethiopia experienced high food and non-food inflation. This study shows that the recent inflationary spell is likely to have significantly worsened poverty in urban areas, given the reliance on the market for most consumption needs. In rural areas the distributive impact of inflation is less easy to measure. In Ethiopia's rural areas, many households are net food buyers, and non-food items weigh significantly in their budgets. Thus, it seems unlikely that high inflation was beneficial for poverty reduction, a position which seemed to underpin much of the policy response to the crisis.

This study explores the impact of financial inclusions on financial resilience. In doing so, we utilize the World Bank’s data on global financial inclusions. Our study confirms that the respondents with financial accounts are more resilient than those without accounts. The chances of being financially resilient are around 1.4 times higher for the account holders than their counterparts. We find a significant relationship between gender and financial resilience; males are 1.4 times more resilient than females when other covariates are considered in the regression model.

is to detect and track people during a crisis event, classify their behavior and assess what is happening. The assumption is that the crisis area is observed by multiple cameras (fixed or mobile). The cameras sense the environment and extract features such as the amount of motion. These features are the input to a Bayesian network with nodes corresponding to situations such as terroristic attack, fire, and explosion. Given the probabilities of the observed features, by reasoning, the likelihood of the possible situations can be computed. A prototype was tested in a train compartment and its environment. Forty scenarios, performed by actors, were recorded. From the recordings the conditional probabilities have been computed. The scenarios are designed as scripts which proved to be a good methodology. The models, experiments and results will be presented in the paper.

Governance, Conflict and Dispute Resolution: Introduction. The last decade has been, for scholars and policy makers working on development, a decade of governance. The institutionalist wave that swept across the social sciences, as well as the attention in policy circles for the institutional determinants of growth and development, has produced a focus on governance, defined as ‘the formation and stewardship of the formal and informal rules that regulate the public realm, the arena in which state as well as economic and societal actors interact to make decisions’ [1]. The articles in this Supplement analyse their particular cases in relation to this broad definition, which does not privilege an understanding of narrow-defined political arenas and political behaviour, but rather opts for a broader conceptualisation of ways in which the public realm is influenced by socio-economic interests, material conditions, and ideologies. ...

Background: Endemic zoonoses have important impacts for livestock-dependent households in East Africa. In these communities, people's health and livelihoods are severely affected by livestock disease losses. Understanding how livestock keepers undertake remedial actions for livestock illness has the potential for widespread benefits such as improving health interventions. Yet, studies about livestock and human health behaviours in the global south tend to focus on individual health choices. In reality, health behaviours are complex, and not solely about individualised health experiences. Rather, they are mediated by a range of "upstream" factors (such as unequal provision of services), which are beyond the control of the individual. Methods: This paper presents qualitative research conducted from 2014 to 2019 for a study focused on the Social, Economic, and Environmental Drivers of Zoonoses in Tanzania (SEEDZ). Qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions, community meetings, informal interviews, formal in-depth interviews, observations and surveys that addressed issues of health, disease, zoonotic disease risks, and routes for treatment across 21 villages. Thematic analysis was carried out on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Conceptual analyses and observations were made through application of social science theories of health. Findings: Livestock keepers undertake a range of health seeking strategies loosely categorised around self and formal treatment. Two key themes emerged that are central to why people make the decisions they do: access to resources and trust in health care providers. These two issues affect individual sense of agency which impacts their ability to act to improve livestock health outcomes. We suggest that individual choice and agency in veterinary health seeking decisions are only beneficial if health systems can offer adequate care and health equity is addressed. Davis et al. Tanzanian Narratives of Livestock Care Significance: This study demonstrates the value of in-depth qualitative research which reveals the nuance and complexity of people's decisions around livestock health. Most importantly, it explains why "better" knowledge does not always translate into "better" practise. The paper suggests that acknowledging and addressing these aspects of veterinary health seeking will lead to more effective provision.

to re-engineer the existing cumbersome delivery processes using modern information and communication technology (ICT).DBT marks a paradigm shift in the process of delivering government benefits like wage payments, fuel subsidies, food grain subsidies etc. directly into the hands of the beneficiaries, speeding up payments, removing leakages and enhancing financial inclusion.DBT is an attempt to ensure a better and more timely delivery of benefits to the people. DBT programmes aims to transfer benefits directly into the bank/postal accounts, preferably aadhaar seeded, of accurately targeted beneficiaries.

This study assessed the implementation of the National Sanitation Campaign (NSC) in Mbeya District Council (DC) with the aim of understanding implementation processes, enabling factors, constraints, and implications for sustainable sanitation service delivery. Data were collected through interviews with respondents from multiple administrative and community levels. Findings indicate that the NSC was widely known among local leaders and community members, and that structures for local government involvement and reporting mechanisms were established, although their efficiency and consistency were not well documented. Key enabling factors included the presence of a development partner (UNICEF), active involvement of local leaders, and community sensitization efforts. However, mixed perceptions were reported regarding achievement levels.
Major constraints to effective implementation included limited community knowledge, resistance to behavioral change, financial constraints, and weak enforcement of sanitation by-laws, sometimes influenced by nepotism. At the district level, budget deficits resulted in inadequate supervision and follow-up, which significantly affected overall performance. Cultural taboos and traditions were found to have minimal influence on sanitation uptake in Mbeya DC. While Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) successfully generated demand for improved sanitation, the study revealed critical gaps on the supply side, including limited access to construction materials, insufficient technical skills among local artisans, and poor affordability of improved toilet options.
To address these challenges, a sanitation market-based approach supported by UNICEF and implemented by Amref Health Africa in neighboring Chunya DC demonstrated a more integrated and sustainable model. This approach strengthened both demand and supply chains through capacity building of community health workers, local leaders, artisans, entrepreneurs, and microfinance institutions. Improved access to sanitation products and services was facilitated through partnerships with private sector actors, including microfinance institutions and sanitation product suppliers. The findings suggest that sanitation marketing, when combined with CLTS, structured financing mechanisms, and strong institutional coordination, offers a viable pathway for sustainable sanitation improvement. Replication of this approach in other districts could significantly enhance sanitation service delivery and long-term public health outcomes in Tanzania.

Digital financial inclusion (DFI) has increasingly become a strategic pillar in India's pursuit of inclusive economic development, particularly in extending financial access to historically marginalized groups such as migrant workers and informal entrepreneurs. The advent of digital public infrastructure-collectively known as the India Stack-has significantly accelerated integration into the formal financial system through innovations like Aadhaarenabled e-KYC, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Jan Dhan bank accounts, and Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT).Despite notable progress in expanding access, a persistent gap remains between availability and effective, sustained usage-especially for migrant-led microenterprises. Structural challenges such as inadequate documentation, language and digital literacy barriers, and a pervasive lack of trust in institutional systems continue to hinder meaningful engagement. Moreover, financial products are rarely designed with the fluidity, informality, and unique needs of migrant entrepreneurship in mind.This paper critically assesses whether India's digital financial ecosystem has moved beyond mere access to foster genuine empowerment. By synthesizing insights from scholarly literature and secondary data, it identifies key friction points and design-level shortcomings that constrain usability. It further proposes actionable policy measures aimed at deepening inclusion and enhancing resilience for migrant entrepreneurs-a vital yet underrepresented segment in the nation's digital financial journey.

The Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) was praised for turning the country's food deficit into a surplus immediately after its inception in 2005. It is, however, not clear whether these food security gains spillover to equity in distribution of welfare. In this study we examine the effects of the FISP on per-capita consumption convergence, using a sample of 2251 households interviewed in the 2010 to 2013 Malawi Integrated Household Panel Survey. The analysis employs a Lewbel method of instrumental variables (IV) to account for the potential non-random selection into the FISP. The results reveal that FISP helps relatively poor farmers increase household percapita consumption towards converging to that of the relatively rich. This convergence is robust only amongst small but not large farmers. Past studies that evaluated the FISP while not paying attention to the welfare equity gains in household per-capita consumption, may have underestimated its benefits. Policy, should, therefore, support the FISP with an additional objective of reducing inequality, beyond the primary aim of enhanced food security. Considering that the effects of FISP are limited to small farmers, alternative interventions such as inputs for credit should be made available to large farmers. This will allow the FISP induce widespread welfare gains.

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Gender gaps in crop productivity can negatively affect rural socio-economic development of agrarian economies with serious implications on food and nutrition security. We assess productivity in male and female-managed sorghum plots in Lira, Kumi, and Serere districts in Uganda. We find male-managed plots have higher productivity of 850.6 kgs/ha compared to female-managed plots (832.6 kgs/ha). An observed mean gender gap of 18% due to structural advantages of male plots (57%), structural disadvantages of female plots (33%), and endowment (10%) exists. Therefore, interventions aimed at promoting equitable access to institutional support services are paramount in reducing structural disadvantages against female farmers.

African indigenous vegetables (AIVs) have potential to sustainably address malnutrition, a growing problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Their consumption is however, limited by poor perceptions and lack of awareness of nutritional benefits. There is limited evidence of the effectiveness of community-focused information dissemination approaches in influencing participants' perceptions and uptake of innovations in AIVs to address malnutrition. This article aims to fill this knowledge gap, using a case study focusing on pastoral communities in Monduli district in northern Tanzania. Target communities participated in a communitybased nutritional outreach facilitated by the Good Seed Initiative (GSI), held at Monduli district hospital in September 2014. The results provide evidence of the achievements of the GSI intervention, and the effectiveness of alternative information dissemination approaches.

Bij vergunningverlening worden stikstofberekeningen afgekapt op 25 km van de bron. Deze praktijk is gebaseerd op een aantal veronderstellingen, die wetenschappelijk niet houdbaar zijn. Berekeningen van de stikstofdepositie kunnen en moeten op alle afstanden zinvol worden uitgevoerd.

Voordat een project wordt uitgevoerd zijn er geen metingen die kunnen uitsluiten dat de depositie op een Natura 2000-gebied door het project toeneemt. Daarom moet een modelberekening dat uitsluitsel geven. Het model is daarbij letterlijk de methode om toename van stikstofdepositie toe te rekenen aan het project. Een model kent onzekerheden. Die onzekerheden mogen niet misbruikt worden om een deel van de depositietoename door het project buiten beschouwing te laten, omdat dan immers verslechtering niet is uit te sluiten. Momenteel kapt AERIUS-Calculator berekeningen af op 25km afstand van de bron. Daarmee blijft bij vergunningverlening dus een deel van de depositietoename buiten beschouwing.

In dit artikel leggen we uit dat de huidige redenatie voor het generiek hanteren van een afkapgrens niet correct zijn en dat het prima mogelijk is om de gevolgen voor de stikstofdepositie ook op grotere afstand in beeld te brengen. Voor sommige projecten zijn die gevolg op een afstand van meer dan 25 km. zelfs groter dan op korte afstand. Het is belangrijk dat vergunningverleners en rechtbanken zich baseren op de best beschikbare wetenschappelijke informatie en ook de effecten op meer dan 25 km. afstand meenemen in de beoordeling van een nieuw plan of project.

Bhutan, recognizing WASH as a top priority, has integrated it into its socio-economic development
plans, particularly the 12th Five Year Plan (2018-2023). The country emphasizes inclusive
planning, aligning national priorities with SDGs. The government has initiated a flagship program
to ensure 24x7 safe drinking water, coinciding with efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s
demands for improved water, sanitation, and hygiene conditions. The rationale for the policy
review is to assess existing WASH policies and programs, focusing on equity, safety, and
sustainability. Additionally, to identifying gaps, recommend policy changes, enhance coordination,
and promote inclusivity. The scope of the review involves evaluating current policies, their
implementation, and their impact, with a focus on various thematic terms related to costs,
effectiveness, impacts, financing, and monitoring.

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been established as an important tool for the empowerment of women, especially in rural and semi-urban areas such as Barrackpore, West Bengal. The present article explores the formal education level of SG participants and the interaction between self-reliance and rights awareness among 202 SHG members in quantitative terms and the effect of age, position in SHG and educational status. It found that age does not influence self-reliance and  rights  awareness  (p  >0.05),  whereas leadership  position  (presidents,  secretaries, cashiers)  and  higher  educational  level  are significantly associated with both self-reliance (p <0.001)  and  rights  awareness  (p  <0.001).  A significant positive linear correlation (r = 0.851, p <  0.001)  between  self-reliance  and  rights consciousness  confirms  their  interrelatedness, suggesting that integration of these dimensions in interventions might improve empowerment outcomes.

Building inclusive businesses with small-scale producers in the agro-food sector presents challenges, most notably in terms of governance and sustainability. These issues were explored through a Danone Egypt Ecosystem Project that sought to promote a replicable business model of milk collection centers to secure a dairy plant's sourcing while contributing to the socio-economic development of smallholders. Quality management was used to link a value chain approach and a localised agri-food system approach. The study showed that an inclusive business relying on non-inclusive coordination had limited efficiency. Decreasing power asymmetries and distances between partners seems central to ensuring sustainability.

The idea of writing my thesis about hydropolitics was born at the University of Cape Town in May 2004. I wish to thank Joanne Polzin, Jaqui Goldin and Dr. Mary Simons for making the snowball start rolling. Likewise I am grateful to Klaudia Schachtschneider and Dr. Jenny Day for willingly sharing their thoughts and for providing valuable contacts for my fieldwork in Windhoek and Gaborone. Liane Greff at the Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) enthusiastically shared her insights with regards to dams and development in Southern Africa. Andrew Tanner at Ninham Shand granted me invaluable access to the Lower Orange River Management Study. Anton Earle at the African Water Issues Research Unit (AWIRU) in Cape Town truly made me realize the crucial role of freshwater in Southern Africa. My stay at AWIRU enabled me to gain access to a remarkable network of researchers, bureaucrats and diplomats. The invaluable experience gained through capacity building in the Unit, moreover, the "lessons learnt" by being able to write a case study about stakeholder participation in the Mekong River Basin have definitely improved the quality of the thesis. Last, but not least I am greatly indebted to Dr. Anthony Turton at the University of Pretoria, first of all for lighting my interest in hydropolitics and believing in my project, but also for providing me with literature, constructive inputs and feedback during times of academic hardship. Gratitude to Lucy Sekoboto and Emmanuel Lesoma at the Ministry of Natural Resource in Maseru for sharing comprehensive information on water and development in Lesotho. You also made me realize the importance of trust between stakeholders in international river basins. The efforts provided by Bjørn Førde and Jonas Ottosen at UNDP in Gaborone were also greatly appreciated. Dr. Cornelius Vanderpost and Hannelore Bendson and at the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC) in Maun provided me with useful material, portraying the perceptions of local stakeholders in the Okavango Delta. Also, the help given by Dr. Elliott Taylor on his last day at work at the Okavango Delta Management Plan Office in Maun was appreciated. Dudley Biggs at the Department of Water Affairs in Windhoek enthusiastically shared his wide-ranging insights. I am much thankful for the help and assistance given by Shirley Bethune at the Desert Research Foundation Namibia (DRFN) in Windhoek. You and your family gave me a most memorable stay in the dusty city, by far exceeding those aspects related to academic expectations. Likewise, the considerable assistance provided by Dr. Colin vi Christian at EcoPlan with regards to Namibian dam building at Popa Falls was greatly appreciated. There is no doubt, Windhoek Lager is the best. My gratitude to Dr. Hartmut Krugmann at the FAO/UN in Luanda for showing a bottomless patience with Angolan bureaucracy and for taking care of a range of other practicalities. The substantial efforts provided by TAAG Air Angola with regards to overbookings, lack of information, crappy service and complete chaos shall not be unaccounted for. Also, thanks to Manuel Quintino and Eva Kulenga at the FAO for making life easier for me during my stay in Angola and to Andrè for driving me everywhere, being patient with me as well as with my poor French. Antonio Chipita and Bukolo Chitima at ACADIR in Menongue made me feel safe among the landmines. Your academic inputs as well as efforts in providing accommodation, transport and guiding on the Angolan countryside reveal a remarkable dedication to what you are doing. Thanks to Professor Tony Allan and Dr. Mark Zeitoun at SOAS/Kings College for inviting me to attend the Workshop on Hydrohegemony in London in May 2006 and thanks to the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the World Water Week 2006 for accepting my abstract to the conference, even though I was unable to attend. Jeroen Warner at the University of Wageningen supplied me with useful insights on the theoretical accounts. Thanks to the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala for generous funding and to the BKK in Bergen for supporting my fieldtrip to Angola. Presenting my project at a seminar arranged by the Nature, Society & Water Programme at the University of Bergen turned out to be a valuable experience. So did the presentation of the preliminary findings at the discourse workshops at the Rokkan Centre in Bergen. During the initial stages of the project I also had the pleasure of interacting with Elling Tjønneland at CMI and Professor Lars Saetre at the Section for Comparative Literature at the University of Bergen. The help of my supervisor Dr. Thorvald Sirnes was also greatly appreciated. Thanks to all fellow (ex)-students at Sofie Lindstrøms's Hus for socialization. I am also indebted to Tord for intellectual collaboration and useful comments throughout the project and to Jan for finding out why technology didn't always work. Thanks to my mum and Ivar for financial as well as moral support. You have both greatly encouraged me and made me believe in myself. Throughout this journey I have received a considerable amount of assistance, comments, criticism as well as encouragement from individuals too numerous to all fit in here. Most special thanks to Gisela for making me feel at home in Cape Town.

Extensive urbanisation and increasing population growth -especially in the megacities 1 of developing countries -were recognised as being of major concern in 1992, when the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) recommended redressing the various environmental problems caused by urbanisation, and promoting economic, social, and ecological dynamics that would enhance the contribution of the city to sustainable development. More recent evidence has heightened the urgency of monitoring and understanding urban dynamics. Since 1992, and especially in developing countries, urban agglomerations are still attracting migrants from surrounding regions despite their lack of basic amenities and infrastructure. Consequently, the urban population is increasing at a much faster rate than the overall average. This is exacerbating existing habitat problems such as urban sprawl and the large numbers of people without adequate shelter: ever more people are living in slums in conditions of poverty, unemployment, with dangerous levels of air and water pollution, etc.. Furthermore, the largest urban areas, the megacities, are already affecting the global environment, and have the potential to have still greater impact. These urban areas therefore also indirectly affect the non-urban population. The global process of urbanisation, with all that this means in terms of migration, traffic, pollution, and natural hazards, is influenced by many forces and comprises many components. Land values, migration patterns, and economies, for instance, all need to be carefully monitored and analysed. Looking at one component of change in isolation could lead to decisions being taken on the basis of insufficient information, which might well compromise progress towards sustainability. Cities in developing countries, in particular the megacities, typically lack the capacity to obtain the necessary data and to carry out 305