Publications

In many respects, agriculture as a sector is ground zero for gender in development theory and practice: agriculture and rural development were Boserup’s empirical base for her 1977 landmark book Women’s Role in Economic Development. Her finding of the inconspicuous absence of the role of women in rural development policy and practice inspired an era of initiatives to integrate women in development. Subsequent critiques of these efforts swerved as an impetus to situate women’s social positionings relative to that of men’s within the wider contexts of development itself.

The purpose of this project was to list key messages delivered during the webinar ‘When She Needs it Most: Access to Reproductive Health Supplies in Humanitarian Settings’ co-hosted by The Inter-Agency Working Group for Reproductive Health in Crisis (IAWG) and The Advocacy and Accountability Working Group of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC)

KIT Royal Tropical Institute, the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), the Young Professionals for Agricultural Development (YPARD) with the financial support of Food & Business Knowledge Platform recently conducted a research on youth inclusion in agricultural cooperatives. The extensive literature review conducted for this explorative study highlighted knowledge gaps, specifically with regards to the role of youth in agricultural cooperatives. The findings presented in this report take into account gender dynamics at play. The different socio-economic realities amongst young women and men – which are critical in determining how easily and under what conditions they can access key resources, such as knowledge, land, and finance – are also highlighted.

This paper presents an overview of main findings of perspectives and lessons on integrating efficiently and effectively gender in research and development programs. These have been gleaned from the gender synthesis of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) undertaken by KIT Royal Tropical Institute

This report presents the findings of the YES I DO (YID) midline study, conducted in April 2018, in Group Village Head (GHV) Mangamba, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde, Machinga District in Malawi. The study aimed to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and the extent to which these causes and effects, and the three problems themselves, were present in TA Liwonde. The study also aimed to provide insight into why and how the YID intervention strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people, including prevention of child marriage and teenage pregnancy

YES I DO. is a strategic alliance of five Dutch organizations which main aim is to enhance the decision making space of young women about if, when and whom to marry as well as if, when and with whom to have children.

In 2015 the maternal mortality ratio for Ethiopia was 353 per 100,000 live births. Large numbers of women do not use maternal health services. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the use of maternal health services at the primary health care unit (PHCU) level in rural communities in Sidama zone, south Ethiopia in order to design quality improvement interventions.

Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are manifestations of deeply rooted gender inequality and social norms, poverty and limited economic perspectives. The factors that hold both FGM/C and child marriage in place are the consolidation of family interests of maintaining honour, enhancing fidelity within marriage and preserving virginity before marriage, the social integration of the girl and family, and financial security in situations of poverty (Boyden et al 2012). Child marriage, teenage pregnancy and FGM/C are interrelated issues that involve high health risks and human rights violations of adolescent girls, and impede socio-economic development in a great number of low- and middle-income countries.

This report presents the findings of the YES I DO (YID) midline study, conducted in April 2018, in Group Village Head (GHV) Mangamba, Traditional Authority (TA) Liwonde, Machinga District in Malawi. The study aimed to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage and teenage pregnancy and the extent to which these causes and effects, and the three problems themselves, were present in TA Liwonde. The study also aimed to provide insight into why and how the YID intervention strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people, including prevention of child marriage and teenage pregnancy

The study was commissioned to the KIT Royal Tropical Institute in July 2017 by the Land Dialogue, with financial support from the Dutch Government. The objective is to provide insight and guidance into the relevance of land governance as a possible priority theme to be considered in the process of the International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) Agreements. The study was conducted in the period between July and November 2017 and included desk research, workshops and interviews with a diverse set of stakeholders in the IRBC process. The opinions expressed in the study are those of KIT and do not represent the views of the interviewees.

Close-to-community (CTC) providers have been identified as a key cadre to progress universal health coverage and address inequities in health service provision due to their embedded position within communities. CTC providers both work within, and are subject to, the gender norms at community level but may also have the potential to alter them. This paper synthesises current evidence on gender and CTC providers and the services
they deliver.

International business is confronted with significant risks and impacts related to human rights, labour rights, environment and climate change. These impact on local communities, economies, environment and land use in “host” countries, but also affect Dutch companies and consumers. In order to address these risks and initiated by the Dutch Government, the Dutch Social-Economic Council (SER) facilitates trajectories towards agreements on International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) in different high risk sectors.

Background: Cambodia has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates in the world. People aged 55 years and over account for an estimated 50% of the country’s TB burden, yet this group has a low notification rate owing to specific barriers in accessing health services. One-off active case finding (ACF) days with mobile GeneXpert and X-ray systems were organized at 75 government health facilities in four operational districts. Symptomatic community members with an abnormal chest X-ray were tested using the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. People with TB were then treated at health facilities after screening services moved onto the next site.

The overall objective of this midline study was to gain insight into the factors influencing child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Petauke district, in the eastern province of Zambia. The study explored different pathways of change, thereby testing the YES I DO theory of change and unravelling why and how the YES I DO intervention strategies did or did not contribute towards improved outcomes, related to the five strategic goals of the programme. This study is a follow-up of the baseline study conducted in 2016.

Food systems have usually been conceptualized as a set of activities ranging from production through to consumption, often represented as a value chain. However, the increasing attention to food security has also expanded the understanding of food systems.

Innovation platforms are fast becoming part of the mantra of agricultural research for development projects and programmes. Their basic tenet is that stakeholders depend on one another to achieve agricultural development outcomes, and hence need a space where they can learn, negotiate and coordinate to overcome challenges and capture opportunities through a facilitated innovation process. Although much has been written on how to implement and facilitate innovation platforms efficiently, few
studies support ex-ante appraisal of when and for what purpose innovation platforms provide an appropriate mechanism for achieving development outcomes, and what kinds of human and financial resource investments and enabling environments are required. Without these insights, innovation platforms run the risk of being promoted as a panacea for all problems in the agricultural sector. This study makes clear that not all constraints will require innovation platforms and, if there is a simpler and cheaper alternative, that should be considered first. Based on the review of critical design principles and plausible outcomes of innovation platforms, this study provides a decision support tool for research, development
and funding agencies that can enhance more critical thinking about the purposes and conditions under which innovation platforms can contribute to achieving agricultural development outcomes.

The purpose of this project was to review progress of the Child Protection Fund that supports the National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children over the last 12 month, with a particular focus on the National Case Management System.

Child marriage and teenage pregnancy in Pakistan are a reflection of the patriarchal nature of Pakistani society characterized by deeply rooted gender inequalities, hierarchy, social norms, and poverty. Poor quality of education, limited economic opportunities and a lack of comprehensive information regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) limits young people to be empowered individuals and realize their SRHR.

System archetypes represent generic behavioural patterns – or system dynamics – in any system. The concept of archetypes is mostly applied in the context of business management and organizational life. But similar archetypes of system behaviour can be found in food systems.

The assignment was aimed at producing a mapping of targets and indicator measuring progress on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) within the framework of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).