Global Development Initiatives and Impacts

Sep 3, 2024

Lecture Notes: Global Development Initiatives

Cassava Farming in Ghana

  • Speaker: Fosa Sichi
  • Background: Cassava, once a symbol of poverty in Ghana, is now a key to wealth.
  • Historical Context:
    • Traditionally processed manually.
    • No machines in the 1980s, relied on manpower.
  • Business Development:
    • Invested in a grating machine.
    • Gained success through training from the Root and Tuber Improvement Program supported by IFAD.
  • Program Goals:
    • Raise incomes of poor cassava farmers.
    • Enhance yields and create efficient markets.
  • Current Success:
    • Employs 34 women.
    • Produces almost 30 tons of gari per week.
    • Extracts starch for textiles and pharmaceuticals, uses cassava peels as animal feed.
    • Recognized as a GPC (Good Practicing Center).
  • Impact:
    • Improved personal wealth and family education.
    • Optimistic about the future with 12 million tons of cassava produced annually in Ghana.

Mobile Technology in the Philippines

  • Context:
    • Known as the texting capital of the world.
    • Significant portion of the workforce lives overseas using SMS for cash transfer.
  • Challenges:
    • Frequent devastating storms, rising sea levels, and conflicts.
    • Displacement and hunger issues.
  • World Food Program (WFP) Initiatives:
    • Provide staples like rice and oil, support cash for work projects.
    • Testing mobile phones for cash transfers to buy food.
    • A digital wallet concept, akin to a bank account.
  • Case Study:
    • Rosemarie Esta received 240 pesos after Typhoon Ketsana.
    • Uses cash to buy varied food, contributing to household nutrition.
  • Significance:
    • Technological adoption in hunger prevention.
    • Offers semblance of normality and sustenance.

Forest Regeneration in the Philippines

  • 2011: Declared International Year of Forests by the UN.
  • Forest Importance:
    • Cover a third of the planet's landmass.
    • Provide livelihood to over 1.5 billion people.
  • Partnership Initiatives:
    • UN FAO and the Philippines government promoting ANR (Assisted Natural Regeneration).
  • ANR Technique:
    • Simple, cost-effective; involves managing grass around young trees to encourage growth.
  • Impact:
    • New income from ecotourism and forest products like baskets from the pandanas plant.
    • Emphasizes forest health as key to sustainable development.

Conclusion

  • Global efforts in agriculture, technology, and forestry are pivotal in addressing hunger, poverty, and environmental sustainability.
  • Programs are empowering communities by improving livelihoods and promoting sustainable practices.