Laura German
The University of Georgia, Anthropology, Faculty Member
- The University of Georgia, Center for Integrative Conservation Research, Department Memberadd
- Forest Policy, Economic policy, Human-Environment Relations, Forest Governance, Deforestation, Land Governance, and 13 moreLand Policy and Governance, Land Use, Land-use/ Land-cover Change, Agriculture and Food Studies, Political Ecology, Critical Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, Modernity/coloniality/decoloniality, Ontology, Agrarian Studies, Customary land Tenure, Land tenure, and Property Rightsedit
- Dr. Laura German is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the... moreDr. Laura German is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the University of Georgia. She has over thirty years of experience in tropical land use and governance, and scholarly interests spanning academic and applied, critical and constructive research traditions. Themes of ongoing interest include land and environmental governanceedit
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This paper contributes to global debates on environmental governance by drawing on recent ontological scholarship to ask: What would it mean to ontologically engage the concept of environmental governance? By examining the ontological... more
This paper contributes to global debates on environmental governance by drawing on recent ontological scholarship to ask: What would it mean to ontologically engage the concept of environmental governance? By examining the ontological underpinnings of three environmental governance domains (land, water, biodiversity), we find that dominant contemporary environmental governance concepts and policy instruments are grounded in a modernist ontology which actively shapes the world, making certain aspects and relationships visible while invisibilizing others. We then survey ethnographic and other literature to highlight how such categories and their relations have been conceived otherwise and the implications of breaking out of a modernist ontology for environmental governance. Lastly, we argue that answering our opening question requires confronting the coloniality woven into the environmental governance project and consider how to instead embrace ontological pluralism in practice. In pa...
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Freshwater is essential to human communities and stream ecosystems, and governments strive to manage water to meet the needs of both people and ecosystems. Balancing competing water demands is challenging, as freshwater resources are... more
Freshwater is essential to human communities and stream ecosystems, and governments strive to manage water to meet the needs of both people and ecosystems. Balancing competing water demands is challenging, as freshwater resources are limited and their availability varies through time and space. One approach to maintain this balance is to legally mandate that a specified amount of stream flow be maintained for stream ecosystems, known as an environmental flow. But laws and regulations do not necessarily reflect what happens in practice, potentially to the detriment of communities and natural systems. Through a case study of Puerto Rico, we investigated whether water management in practice matches legislative mandates and explored potential mismatch drivers. We focused on two governance targets—equitable allocation and water use efficiency—and assessed whether they are enshrined in the law (de jure) and how they manifest in practice (de facto). We also explored agency accountability t...
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High oil prices, recent commitments by industrialized countries to enhance the use of renewable energy, and efforts by developing countries to stimulate foreign investment as a pathway to development have fueled high levels of interest in... more
High oil prices, recent commitments by industrialized countries to enhance the use of renewable energy, and efforts by developing countries to stimulate foreign investment as a pathway to development have fueled high levels of interest in the biofuel sector throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia is no exception. A large, land-locked country with high pump prices and vast tracts of land considered by many to be “degraded” or “underutilized,” investor interest in the sector has remained high despite uncertainties associated with unproven feedstocks and market fluctuations. While investment in multiple feedstock and production models may be observed, one of the primary investments has been in jatropha outgrower schemes in which small-scale farmers grow feedstock on contract with domestic and foreign investors. We assess the history and evolution of the largest such scheme in Zambia, as well as the social and environmental impacts in two districts with large numbers of outgrowers...
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Scientific and lay conceptions shape recommendation domains, no less so for agroforestry than for other areas of natural resource management. The belief that trees are by definition ecologically-benign and socially-neutral has led to the... more
Scientific and lay conceptions shape recommendation domains, no less so for agroforestry than for other areas of natural resource management. The belief that trees are by definition ecologically-benign and socially-neutral has led to the unqualified promotion of certain fast-growing and economically profitable tree species in the eastern African highlands. Yet ethnobotanical research in the eastern African highlands highlights a number of negative social and environmental impacts from trees. Following a brief introduction to the nature of these impacts, the chapter is dedicated to a discussion of approaches being developed under the umbrella of the African Highlands Initiative to make explicit and to manage the trade-offs inherent in species selection. It also highlights some promising avenues through which a more nuanced and sociallyinformed agroforestry may evolve.
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Abstract Sustained interest by the business community in commercial agriculture in the global South has been welcomed for its potential to bring capital into long neglected rural areas, but has also raised concerns over implications for... more
Abstract Sustained interest by the business community in commercial agriculture in the global South has been welcomed for its potential to bring capital into long neglected rural areas, but has also raised concerns over implications for customary land rights and the terms of integration of local land and labor into global supply chains. In global development policy and discourse, the concept of “inclusive business” has become central in efforts to resolve these tensions, with the idea that integrating smallholders and other disadvantaged actors into partnerships with agribusiness firms can generate benefits for national economies, private investors, and local livelihoods. Scholarly treatment of the topic has tended to be polarized into win/lose narratives, or points to the contingency and social differentiation of localized experiences. This review paper takes a different approach, exploring published evidence on the structural factors shaping agricultural value chains and their implications for social inclusion. We develop a typology of seven agricultural value chains, and use this to select a sample of crops in specific world regions for an analysis of how structural factors in value chain relations - from crop features, to market dynamics and policy drivers – affect social inclusion (and exclusion). Such an approach allows us to ask whether inclusive agribusiness is a realistic goal given the broader structuring of agribusiness and the global economic system. Our study finds that while the characteristics of specific crops and supply chains exert a strong influence on opportunities and constraints to inclusion, the overall trend is towards more exclusive agribusiness as governments scale back support to smallholders, more stringent standards raise barriers to entry, and firms streamline operations to enhance competitiveness. This raises questions about the feasibility of this goal under the current political economic system. Findings point to the need to re-consider the policy choices behind these trends, and how we deploy the fiscal, legislative, and gate-keeper functions of the state to shape agrarian trajectories.
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We conducted a meta-synthesis of published qualitative articles to better understand how features and strategies of boundary organizations and spanning processes influence whether environmental science was utilized in politically oriented... more
We conducted a meta-synthesis of published qualitative articles to better understand how features and strategies of boundary organizations and spanning processes influence whether environmental science was utilized in politically oriented outcomes. Meta-synthesis is a peer-reviewed research technique which is becoming more prolific as disciplines compare qualitative research studies and generalize qualitative knowledge. In this work, thirty-nine published case studies were analysed through a systematic grounded theory approach and thirty-nine structured interviews were performed with authors to validate the results. Overall, forty-seven boundary spanning variables were evaluated using disaggregated statistics to determine correlation with policy outcomes. Our results develop the possibility that successful boundary spanning linkages may be less about utilizing formal boundary organizations and more about fostering the process through which science and policy are intermingled.
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This paper analyzes the implications of copper mining in Zambia on customary rights to land and forests, and the societal stakes associated with foreign investment in the mining industry. Copper mining affects forests, and in turn the... more
This paper analyzes the implications of copper mining in Zambia on customary rights to land and forests, and the societal stakes associated with foreign investment in the mining industry. Copper mining affects forests, and in turn the people with customary rights to those forests, in a number of direct and indirect ways, from deforestation during green site development and selective harvesting of timber to the significant but indirect pressures over forests through infrastructure development and the population pull effect of mining towns. In addition to these localized impacts on forests and forest-dependent livelihoods, there are a number of potential externalities associated with mining investments as well as impacts of concern to society at large. While many such effects are positive, and may thereby be seen to justify the losses incurred to negatively affected stakeholders (including those losing customary rights), negative externalities of mining investments may also be signifi...
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ABSTRACT
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Abstract. The primary focus of agricultural research and extension in eastern Africa is technology generation and dissemination. Despite prior critiques of the shortcomings of this approach, the consequences of such activities continue to... more
Abstract. The primary focus of agricultural research and extension in eastern Africa is technology generation and dissemination. Despite prior critiques of the shortcomings of this approach, the consequences of such activities continue to be measured through the number of technologies developed and introduced into the supply chain. At best, impact is assessed by the total numbers of adopters and by the household and system factors influencing adoption. While the diffusion research tradition has made substantive advances in recent decades, attention to what happens to technologies after adaptive, on-farm research trials continues to be limited in practice. While a host of newer approaches designed to correct for past shortcomings in diffusion research is now available, integrative methodologies that capitalize on the strengths of these different traditions are sorely needed. This article presents a more encom-passing methodology for tracking the fate of technological interventions, i...
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This paper reviews oil palm biofuel development and analyzes social and environmental impacts of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Three plantation study sites were selected in West Papua (Manokwari), West Kalimantan (Kubu Raya) and... more
This paper reviews oil palm biofuel development and analyzes social and environmental impacts of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Three plantation study sites were selected in West Papua (Manokwari), West Kalimantan (Kubu Raya) and Papua (Boven Digoel) and used as case studies to illustrate likely impacts of biofuel plantations. These plantations are being developed or expanded in the aftermath of the 2006 National Energy Policy and managed by companies with supply connections to biodiesel industry. Household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were employed to gauge respondent perceptions about social, economic and environmental impacts. Concurrently, spatial analysis was used to assess the changes in forest cover. The development of oil palm in all three sites has caused deforestation and is likely to lead to further loss of forest as expansion continue to take place. Some communities did enjoy economic and social benefits from oil palm plantations suc...
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Collective action in agriculture and natural resource management is all too often perceived of in terms of the mere number of participants, with little consideration given to who participates, why, and the outcomes of inequitable... more
Collective action in agriculture and natural resource management is all too often perceived of in terms of the mere number of participants, with little consideration given to who participates, why, and the outcomes of inequitable participation. The literature is replete with cases of how uncritical approaches to participation structure positions of privilege vis-a-vis project benefits and the natural resource base (Munk Ravnborg and Ashby, 1996; Rocheleau and Edmunds, 1997; Schroeder, 1993). Yet lessons on how to engage with local communities in ways that promote equitable participation of women, the poor and other stakeholders are only now coming to light. This paper focuses on approaches under development under the rubric of the African Highlands Initiative to bring collective action principles to bear on gender-equitable change processes in natural resource management. The paper utilizes a number of case studies to illustrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of different app...
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During the eighties, heads of NARS and the IARCs operating in the region expressed concern at the decline in productivity in the highlands of Eastern and Central Africa in spite of adequate rainfall and relatively heavy investment in... more
During the eighties, heads of NARS and the IARCs operating in the region expressed concern at the decline in productivity in the highlands of Eastern and Central Africa in spite of adequate rainfall and relatively heavy investment in research and extension. This situation was generally attributed to inability of the farmers to invest adequately on maintenance and improvement of land productivity, including control of soil erosion, crop pests and diseases. It was further observed that the opportunities offered by collaborative and systems research, were not being exploited. ICRAF was therefore requested to coordinate the development of an integrated natural resource management research programme for the highlands of Eastern and Central Africa. A consultative study was launched under the guidance of a joint Task Force comprising of representatives of NARS, IARCs and interested donor agencies. The result of this exercise was “A Conceptual Framework” which formed the basis for the launc...
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This paper focuses on the conceptual evolution of watershed management within the context of an action research program operating in the highlands of eastern Africa, as informed by both theory and practice. After situating the AHI... more
This paper focuses on the conceptual evolution of watershed management within the context of an action research program operating in the highlands of eastern Africa, as informed by both theory and practice. After situating the AHI watershed program within the global context, the paper explores the conceptual underpinnings of watershed management within AHI. The paper summarizes progress made thus far in conceptualizing “watershed issues” (NRM problems at landscape or watershed scale and related incentives) and “stakeholders”, and how such clarifications have helped to operationalize “integration” and “participation” in watershed management. By discussing these concepts one by one in the context of an implementation process, the influence of practice (approaches and lessons) on the program’s conceptual development are brought to light. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for agricultural R&D in the eastern African region.
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Abstract The focus of this study is on how changes in formal and informal institutions have differential impacts across populations in terms of vulnerability of livelihoods to drought, and the unequal processes that shape adaptation to... more
Abstract The focus of this study is on how changes in formal and informal institutions have differential impacts across populations in terms of vulnerability of livelihoods to drought, and the unequal processes that shape adaptation to new conditions. Drought vulnerability occurs as a result of exposure and sensitivity to interrelated economic, social, political, and ecological dynamics. There is a need for approaches that can evaluate how the ability to reduce these exposures and sensitivities becomes socially stratified. Building on our understanding of institutional and biophysical constraints in one pastoralist group ranch, we use an approach that draws on quantitative and qualitative data to combine analyses of entitlements, access, and adaptive capacity. We asked how, in a context of changing herding institutions, the ability to adapt to drought and other stressors, is differentiated among actors. We found that herders with higher livestock wealth are more likely to have entitlement sets that include factors that enable access to secure cattle grazing on private wildlife conservation lands, and access to more distant areas with herds of sheep and cattle – two key means of reducing exposure to drought vulnerability, leading to greater coping ability during drought. Those with lower livestock wealth rely disproportionately on illicit, precarious access to external grazing resources. Higher livestock wealth families experienced disproportionately lower sensitivity to drought with smaller losses of cattle, and likely have decreased sensitivity to drought-related market fluctuations, while others are primarily reliant on small stock and/or precarious access pathways. However, rather than naturalize this differential ability as merely increased adaptive capacity for some that are better able to adapt to novel, local conditions, we argue this instead reflects the unequal footing that households find themselves on, in a shifting institutional landscape of structural and relational access constraints and reconfigurations of reciprocity, that are intertwined with interventions by state and non-state actors.
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This editorial is the introduction to a Special Issue of Scaling Up Biofuels? A Critical Look at Expectations, Performance and Governance which assesses biofuels contribution to sustainability governance and upscaling. The issue aims to... more
This editorial is the introduction to a Special Issue of Scaling Up Biofuels? A Critical Look at Expectations, Performance and Governance which assesses biofuels contribution to sustainability governance and upscaling. The issue aims to contribute to a more informed, evidence-based policy debate on the role of bioenergy for sustainable development. It comprises six review papers that share a solutions-oriented and policy-focused approach towards the assessment of sustainability. Bioenergy production and consumption is not evaluated as an isolated industry or additionality. Instead, it is assessed as an inherent component of the broader social-ecological system and history of which it forms a part. Synthesizing available empirical evidence on performance, and contextualizing the evidence in view of expectations and bioenergy governance in and over time, the papers address the role of biofuels for climate mitigation; their ability to deliver on socio-economic policy expectations; the actual performance in view of risk anticipation and mitigation; the role of state policy considering sector development and sustainability; and the ability of certification schemes to deliver on market conversion, and quality. The synthesis paper draws on the empirical findings to develop a set of sustainability conditions (sine qua nons) that have to be considered in processes of policy making and upscaling.
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This chapter presents a case study on the Trees for Global Benefits Programme in Bushenyi District, Uganda. The aim of the study is to describe the programme and the social and ecological impacts it has given rise to. Findings from... more
This chapter presents a case study on the Trees for Global Benefits Programme in Bushenyi District, Uganda. The aim of the study is to describe the programme and the social and ecological impacts it has given rise to. Findings from structured and semi-structured interviews with key informants and beneficiary and non-beneficiary households suggest that even with modest shifts in land use patterns being induced by carbon offsets in the voluntary market, positive and negative social and environmental impacts can be significant.
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To enquire about document delivery, contact the IDRC Library at reference@idrc.ca or at 613-236-6163 ext. 2578. / Pour plus de renseignements sur la livraison de documents, veuillez communiquer avec la bibliothèque du CRDI à... more
To enquire about document delivery, contact the IDRC Library at reference@idrc.ca or at 613-236-6163 ext. 2578. / Pour plus de renseignements sur la livraison de documents, veuillez communiquer avec la bibliothèque du CRDI à reference@idrc.ca ou composer le ...
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To enquire about document delivery, contact the IDRC Library at reference@idrc.ca or at 613-236-6163 ext. 2578. / Pour plus de renseignements sur la livraison de documents, veuillez communiquer avec la bibliothèque du CRDI à... more
To enquire about document delivery, contact the IDRC Library at reference@idrc.ca or at 613-236-6163 ext. 2578. / Pour plus de renseignements sur la livraison de documents, veuillez communiquer avec la bibliothèque du CRDI à reference@idrc.ca ou composer le ...
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Participatory watershed management forces practitioners to move beyond an emphasis on individual land users to group decision-making and multi-stakeholder negotiations to improve common natural resource management problems. This paper is... more
Participatory watershed management forces practitioners to move beyond an emphasis on individual land users to group decision-making and multi-stakeholder negotiations to improve common natural resource management problems. This paper is dedicated to a discussion of approaches being developed under the umbrella of the African Highlands Initiative and the African Grassroots Initiative for Livelihoods and Environment to use an action research
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Rapid growth of emerging economies, growing interest in biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels and recent volatility in commodity prices have led to a marked increase in the pace and scale of foreign and national investment in... more
Rapid growth of emerging economies, growing interest in biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels and recent volatility in commodity prices have led to a marked increase in the pace and scale of foreign and national investment in land-based enterprises in the global South. Emerging evidence of the negative social and environmental effects of these large-scale land transfers and growing concern from civil society have placed ‘global land grabs’ firmly on the map of global land-use change and public discourse. Yet what are the processes involved in these large-scale land transfers? Based on a review of policy documents, interviews with government officials from diverse sectors and discussions with customary leaders and affected communities, this paper provides a comparative analysis of legal and institutional frameworks and actual practices associated with large-scale land acquisitions in Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. Results suggest that in many cases it is not a global ‘l...
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Recent years have witnessed the growing diplomatic and economic presence of China in Africa. From the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and state policies designed to strengthen diplomatic, cultural and economic... more
Recent years have witnessed the growing diplomatic and economic presence of China in Africa. From the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and state policies designed to strengthen diplomatic, cultural and economic relations with African nations, to the rapid growth in Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) and bilateral trade, this relationship is likely to continue playing a defining role in African economies. These trends present important opportunities for African nations who see this relationship as an opportunity to catalyse much needed investments in infrastructure and industry, and to stimulate job creation and exports. At the same time, however, it has raised concerns with civil society and traditional development partners alike – who question whether the lack of transparency or conditionality in lending will undermine long-term development through increased indebtedness, imported labour, competition with African goods or through resource depletion or by ...
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ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Many traditional pastoralist societies in Africa are facing new and daunting challenges to sustain their production systems in the face of changes in land use and climate. Livelihood diversification... more
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods Many traditional pastoralist societies in Africa are facing new and daunting challenges to sustain their production systems in the face of changes in land use and climate. Livelihood diversification offers a range of potentially valuable strategies to adapt to emerging conditions. However, newly adopted strategies may instead exacerbate vulnerability if (a) modes of diversification increase ecological sensitivity to disturbances such as drought, (b) adopting new strategies increases households’ risk exposure, or (c) existing and evolving social institutions do not foster effective coping strategies in the context of novel production systems. We examine dimensions of ecological sensitivity, risk exposure, and coping ability associated with the new advent of maize agriculture in a Laikipia Maasai pastoralist community in north-central Kenya. In 2011, hundreds of community members began to establish small, individualized farm plots for river-irrigated maize production. Two years later, less than one-third of those continued to farm. Results/Conclusions The ecological consequences of farming, then land abandonment, showed the unexpected effect of stimulating perennial grass recovery and creating a new riverine matrix of highly productive grass patches and fewer farms. We developed a dynamic agent-based hillslope model to explore the impacts of grazing pressure and rainfall variability on the mosaic landscape’s function and productivity. Surveys of risk perceptions revealed that former farmers had underestimated the costs and risks of attempting to diversify through farming. Farmers and former farmers identified mainly economic and social assets that they associated with coping ability to continue farming, while few mentioned agricultural practices. At the institutional level we identified enabling factors such as flexible governance, as well as potential barriers to adaptation, such as no integration of grazing and farming land use rules. We evaluate our findings to better understand the conditions and factors that influence success or exacerbated vulnerability in the course of endeavors toward land use diversification.
While excitement around biofuels initially focused on finding a clean and secure alternative to fossil fuels, many other expectations have subsequently been attached to the " biofuel boom. " Biofuels are not only expected to mitigate... more
While excitement around biofuels initially focused on finding a clean and secure alternative to fossil fuels, many other expectations have subsequently been attached to the " biofuel boom. " Biofuels are not only expected to mitigate climate change or foster domestic energy security, but also to generate employment, provide opportunities to smallholders and support decentralized energy systems. This paper interrogates the expectations attached to biofuels. We begin by examining how policies in consumer and producer countries articulate a series of expectations for biofuels that are " bundled " with the promise of cleaner energy, using the rationales behind these expectations to derive criteria for success. We then review evidence from the published literature on biofuel outcomes against these criteria to assess whether the most prevalent assumptions have been met. We find that policy expectations for biofuels are often expressed in narrow terms, failing to capture important potential impacts – for example focusing on new jobs in the formal sector rather than job quality or whether employment offsets livelihood costs associated with biofuel investments. Some expectations have proven elusive irrespective of the metrics employed, for example using biofuels to improve energy access in remote rural areas. The paper concludes by discussing implications for policy and practice.
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Sustained interest by the business community in commercial agriculture in the global South has been welcomed for its potential to bring capital into long neglected rural areas, but has also raised concerns over implications for customary... more
Sustained interest by the business community in commercial agriculture in the global South has been welcomed for its potential to bring capital into long neglected rural areas, but has also raised concerns over implications for customary land rights and the terms of integration of local land and labor into global supply chains. In global development policy and discourse, the concept of ‘‘inclusive business” has become central in efforts to resolve these tensions, with the idea that integrating smallholders and other disadvantaged actors into partnerships with agribusiness firms can generate benefits for national econo- mies, private investors, and local livelihoods. Scholarly treatment of the topic has tended to be polarized into win/lose narratives, or points to the contingency and social differentiation of localized experiences. This review paper takes a different approach, exploring published evidence on the structural factors shap- ing agricultural value chains and their implications for social inclusion. We develop a typology of seven agricultural value chains, and use this to select a sample of crops in specific world regions for an analysis of how structural factors in value chain relations - from crop features, to market dynamics and policy dri- vers – affect social inclusion (and exclusion). Such an approach allows us to ask whether inclusive agribusiness is a realistic goal given the broader structuring of agribusiness and the global economic sys- tem. Our study finds that while the characteristics of specific crops and supply chains exert a strong influ- ence on opportunities and constraints to inclusion, the overall trend is towards more exclusive agribusiness as governments scale back support to smallholders, more stringent standards raise barriers to entry, and firms streamline operations to enhance competitiveness. This raises questions about the feasibility of this goal under the current political economic system. Findings point to the need to re- consider the policy choices behind these trends, and how we deploy the fiscal, legislative, and gate- keeper functions of the state to shape agrarian trajectories.