Development Digest – 28/10/11 | What am I doing here?

Development Digest – 28/10/11

Hi everyone,

Another belated issue, containing only what I had time to read… sorry! But there have been some really great EWB blog posts in the past couple weeks – I hope you take time to read some of them. Enjoy!

-Erin

If there’s anything you’d like to see added or removed from the Development Digest, please let me know!

If you only have time to read a few articles, read the ones with the *star*!

Africa news:

Africa set for steady growth, with threat of faster inflation – http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2011/CAR101911A.htm
Democracy in SSA: it’s progress, even if it’s patchy – http://www.economist.com/node/21531010
Africa: A sophisticated plan to boost growth – http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/10/20/africa-a-sophisticated-plan-to-boost-growth
*Women and the Arab awakening: now is the time – http://www.economist.com/node/21532256

Agriculture news:

Farmers facing loss of subsidy may get new one – http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/business/when-one-farm-subsidy-ends-another-may-rise-to-replace-it.html
Trees ‘boost African crop yields and food security’ – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15305271
High costs make it harder to grow young farmers – http://www.npr.org/2011/09/23/140631752/high-costs-make-it-harder-to-grow-young-farmers
Spore: the magazine for agricultural and rural development in ACP countries – http://spore.cta.int/modernisation/index.php/article/voir/en/2
*China’s farming history misapplied in Africa – http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/10/201110241502249406.html
Kenya: a glimpse of climate-smart agriculture – http://ccafs.cgiar.org/blog/kenya-glimpse-climate-smart-agriculture-bad11#
How can contract farming work for poor farmers? – http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=7298

Development thinking:

Who is going to pay for open aid data experts? – http://aidnography.blogspot.com/2011/10/who-is-going-to-pay-for-open-data.html
Some days… – http://talesfromethehood.com/2011/10/12/some-days/
Cash transfers: What have we learned so far? What are the implications for policy? What more do we need to know? – http://blogs.worldbank.org/impactevaluations/cash-transfers-what-have-we-learned-so-far-what-are-the-implications-for-policy-what-more-do-we-need
*Development impact calls for knowledgeable development practitioners – http://blogs.worldbank.org/impactevaluations/development-impact-calls-for-knowledgeable-development-practitioners
Important communication to all aid bloggers related to the urgent need for better coordination in the sector – http://handrelief.blogspot.com/2011/09/important-communication-to-all-aid.html
Joint learning and partnership building events on scaling up the fight against rural poverty (good links) – http://www.ifad.org/events/scalingup/index.htm
The rise of the ‘new’ donors (India, China, etc.) – http://www.irinnews.org/IndepthMain.aspx?reportid=94004&indepthid=91
Global resilience requires novelty: a speech by Buzz Holling at SFU – http://aidontheedge.info/2011/10/25/global-resilience-requires-novelty-a-speech-by-buzz-holling/
USAID’s complexity journey – http://aidontheedge.info/2011/10/17/usaids-complexity-journey/

Special Feature: Aid blogger ‘J’ held a Blog Forum on Admitting Failure (and I missed it! damn…)
Here are some of the highlights (in my opinion):
*Fad surfing in the Development Boardroom (hard-hitting post on Admitting Failure) – http://www.architecturefordevelopment.com/2011/10/fad-surfing-in-the-development-boardroom/
10 levels of failure: a framework to fail in everything you do – http://wayan.com/ict4d/10-levels-of-failure.html
With fails like these, who needs success? – http://bottomupthinking.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/with-fails-like-these-who-needs-success/
Beneficiaries, Idealism and Admitting Failure – http://buildingmarkets.org/blogs/blog/2011/10/20/beneficiaries-idealism-and-admitting-failure/
Admitting Failure: the “naked truth” for water and sanitation? – http://beginninginbamako.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/admitting-failure-the-naked-truth-for-water-and-sanitation/
Admitting failure is trendy but, at least for NGOs, not prudent – http://aphaih.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/admitting-failure-trendy-but-at-least-for-ngos-not-prudent/
On admitting failure, otherwise known as learning – http://onmotherhoodandsanity.blogspot.com/2011/10/on-admitting-failure-otherwise-known-as.html
The paradox of aid failures – http://aidontheedge.info/2010/12/13/the-paradox-of-aid-failures/

EWB blog posts:

Special Feature: Blog Action Day on the topic of Food
Siera: Smart interventions for food security in Africa – http://mydevelopmentdiary.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/smart-interventions-for-food-security-in-africa/
Duncan: Nothing is that simple – http://waterwellness.ca/2011/10/16/nothing-is-that-simple-post-for-blog-action-day-2011/
Don: The ‘Last Mile’ in agricultural development – http://impactnotintent.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/the-last-mile-in-agricultural-development/
Erin: Sustainable Food Security: Agricultural Models for the 21st Century – https://erinantcliffe.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/sustainable-food-security-agricultural-models-for-the-21st-century/
Robin: Food: The good, the bad and the nasty – http://addictedtoimpact.blogspot.com/2011/10/food-good-bad-and-nasty.html
Janine: My friend Gani, malnutrition and the merit of soya beans – http://chasingquestions.wordpress.com/2011/10/16/my-friend-gani-malnutrition-and-the-merit-of-soya-beans/

Amusing and interesting things:

*New York Times Infographic: The Great Regression – http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/09/04/opinion/04reich-graphic.html?ref=sunday
*Personal Best: Coaching a Surgeon: What makes top performers better? – http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=all
Here is a Way Development & Aid Workers can Overcome Isolation at Work – http://developmentcrossroads.com/2011/10/here-is-a-way-development-aid-workers-can-overcome-isolation-at-work/
The world’s top 100 economies: 53 country, 34 cities and 13 corporations – http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?p=7164
16 Tips to Simplify your Life and Increase your Productivity – http://tombasson.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/16-tips-to-simplify-your-life-and-increase-your-productivity/
Wonderful video made by the Summer 2011 EWB Junior Fellows!! – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfZhHEk4m8I

This entry was posted on October 28, 2011 by erinantcliffe. It was filed under Development Digest .

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What am I doing here? Thoughts from an agricultural development gal in Ghana