Publications

This midline study aims to provide insight into the (interrelated) causes and effects of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) that are present in the intervention areas of the YES I DO programme in Indonesia. In addition, it aims to provide insight into different pathways of change and unravel why and how the YES I DO intervention’s strategies do or do not contribute towards improved outcomes related to the strategic goals of the programme since the baseline study in 2016.

The baseline study of the YES I DO (YID) programme found, among other issues, that initiation ceremonies stimulate young people to experiment with sex, leading to teenage pregnancy and consequently (child) marriage. This study was initiated to explore how initiation ceremonies have evolved over the last 30 years and especially how they have impacted on youth sexual and reproductive health behaviour.

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.

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

Policy makers and scholars often assume gender to be irrelevant in energy politics. However, an increasing body of scholarship and development policies has focused on how gender discrimination has negative effects on women’s access to energy resources and equal contributions to decision-making processes that influence energy issues. This article evaluates four overarching and salient policy and research discourses that frame women’s and men’s positions in benefiting from and participating in decision-making about energy

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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 United Nations International Children’s Fund State of Palestine (UNICEF SoP) has contracted the KIT-Juzoor consortium to conduct an external evaluation of the Post Natal Home Visiting (PNHV) programme for postnatal mothers, neonates and their families implemented in Gaza in a humanitarian context. This final report describes the purpose of the evaluation, the methodology used, its limitations and key evaluation finding and pointers towards recommendations in relation to the PNHV programme in Gaza. The evaluation covers the period 2011 until the end of 2016. This evaluation was rated as highly satisfactory and as one of the best evaluations of 2018 by UNICEF global.

Research on Small Producer Organization (SPO) development, strengthening and resilience was commissioned by Fairtrade International to the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in the Netherlands. The study is a qualitative-led mixed-method six country study (Côte d’Ivoire, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and Peru).

Aquaculture development in Cambodia is recent compared to its neighbouring countries in South East Asia. Production has been growing in the last decade, whilst imports of farmed fish from Vietnam and Thailand remain high. Despite general availability of land and less polluted water in Cambodia, the value chain (VC) is suffering from low sanitary standards of inputs and products. Nevertheless, there is significant potential for growth and diversification of species and fish farming systems, in order to supply the domestic and regional markets more efficiently

Although Zambia is endowed with natural water resources that offer significant opportunities, about 50% of the estimated fish demand is unmet. Zambian capture fisheries are operating at a fully exploited or over-exploited level. Aquaculture production is beginning to respond to the ever-increasing demand for fish, along with imports that have increased markedly

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest global burden of disease and the lowest number of health workers per population. In a resource-constrained environment like this, a focus on primary healthcare (PHC) is most likely to impact on the health of the population and to be cost-effective. Medical generalists have the competences needed in the multidisciplinary team to build a strong PHC system. However, in many African countries, PHC is the weakest part of the healthcare system, which often focuses on a limited number of priority conditions that are addressed through fragmented vertical programmes offered by health workers with limited training, skills and support.

In order to stimulate policymakers and practitioners to recognise farmer innovation in agricultural research and development (ARD), partners in the Prolinnova network have been developing and using various methods and tools for advocacy and lobbying. One of these is the Farmer Innovation Fair.

It has been projected that the population of young people in Nigeria will exceed 57 million by the year 2025, a large proportion of which are adolescents. Adolescents constitute an important proportion of the population of Nigeria, they have delicate stages that presents with challenges especially that of sexual and reproductive health due to the developmental changes. It is important that they experience safe and pleasurable sexual life, the absence of which may expose them to reproductive health challenges. Presently, about one quarter of Nigerian adolescents are sexually active with age of sexual debut ranging from 10 to 15 years.

This report aims to take stock of the Dutch Aid and Trade agenda, with a particular focus on the time period of 2013-2017,to bring together existing insights on what has worked, what hasn’t worked, and what needs more focus and attention.Based on a meta-analysis of policy documents and 16 recent external evaluations of Dutch Aid and Trade programmes,the report addresses the following questions: