The Nordic Africa Institute – Publications

A reflection on change to trans-disciplinary team-working through the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating both flexibility in adapting to new ways of working and frustration in not being able to undertake essential fieldwork. All underlining how transdisciplinary team working needs energy, trans-disciplinary skills, and imagination to capture opportunities for sustainable transformation.

Understanding the capacity for credible, salient and legitimate knowledge production is crucial to support African countries in developing their economies and societies inclusively and sustainably. Here, we aim to quantify the current and historic capacity for African knowledge production to support African development and identify important topical gaps. With a focus on topics relating to Governing Inclusive Green Growth in Africa (GIGGA), our research mapped how much Africa-focused research is being produced, from where and which African countries have higher or lower supply; and the topical focus of the research, mapping it against the African GIGGA policy discourses visible in government strategies. To do this we undertook a systematic review using a two-stage process, mapping the literature for GIGGA. This resulted in 960 verified citations. Content analysis of core metadata and article abstracts enabled mapping of the research focus. The analysis revealed a significant role for South Africa as both the pre-eminent producer of GIGGA literature as well as the geographic focus of GIGGA research, with Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya representing emerging loci of credible, African-relevant knowledge production. Topically, there was a strong emphasis on development, policy and environment while topics important for growth that is inclusive in character were infrequent or absent. Overall the results reinforced the view that investment is needed in research on inclusive green growth, linked to capacity building for knowledge production systems in Africa. Furthermore, from a policy perspective, policy makers and academics need to actively explore best to collaborate to ensure that academic research informs government policy.

This briefing paper provides an overview of what is "social equity" and how it's applicability for climate-resilient agriculture in the context of the need for transformative adaptation.

Despite the potential of its known gold deposits, Ugnda has no history of large-scale gold mining. Instead, the story of gold focuses largely on informal artisanl and small-scale mining (ASGM) and on the gold trade that extends through the region. Recent changing global trends in gold investment are stimulating the expansion of both refining and industrial extraction. Here we explore how these trends become articulated in the Ugandan context, with a focus on ASGM. Reflecting nationalistic discourse and new planning priorities, government today characterizes gold as a "national treasure" and an engine for development transformation. To this end, and in line with initiatives promoted by multilateral agencies, it seeks to encourage the industrial sector compled with the formalisation of small-scale gold mining. These formalisation dynamics are embedded within a semi-authoritarian regime privileges a (trans)national elite whose interests in gold extend into mining and into (trans)national trade and refining. Against this background, we echo a familiar story where institutional and regulatory capacity is weak, namely that formalisation privileges some gold miners but also reinforces inequalities, undermining potential for equity and discounting the value of the sector for people’s livelihoods.

This article introduces a special issue on the contribution ofsocial science to addressing transformations to sustainability. Articles underline the importance of embracing theoretically rooted, empirically informed, and collaboratively generated knowledge to address sustainability challenges and transformative change. Emphasis is placed on the role of thesocial sciences in elaborating on the politicisation and pluralisation of transformation processes and outcomes, helping situate, frame, reflect and generate societal action, while acknowledging the complexity of societal transformationin different contexts.

Small-scale gold mining sustains millions of people’s lives and yet it stimulates environmental harms and social conflicts. Global environmental crises drive calls for fundamental change to how people live on the planet. For small-scale gold mining, this raises questions about whether current dynamics can provide a basis for sustainability transformations. Proposing the notion of gold lifeways to focus on the lived experience of mining and gold resources as relational phenomena, we ask what sustainability looks like from different miners’ perspectives and probe the practice dynamics of current transformation. Our methodology is social science-led and transdisciplinary. From multi-sited and trans-regional research between South America and Africa, we draw cases from Suriname, Guinea Conakry, and Uganda. Our study finds that gold lifeways give expression to different strands of sustainability: sustaining everyday life in mining; discourses framing mining practices; and government repression of mining. Hence, as our empirical data demonstrates, miner perspectives on sustainability gain content not in isolation, but as part of gold lifeways embedded within different contexts and shaped by societal dynamics. Ultimately, the transformative potency of small-scale gold mining is located in personal lives and precarious dynamics rather than glittering promises of a sustainable future.

Growth strategies in mining regions promote gold extraction based on industrial mining, associating Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) with persistent informality. Against this background, we consider how to approach transformations to sustainability in ASGM. Acknowledging how problematic this topic is for sustainability debates, given how ASGM is associated with a host of environmental and social problems, we argue that a justice lens demands we confront such challenges within the global politics of sustainability. This leads us to review advances in the study of ASGM, linked to debates on extractivism, resource materialities, and informality. We use the notion of gold lifeways to capture how the matter of mining shapes different worlds of extraction. We argue that consideration of the potential for transformations to sustainability needs to be grounded within the realities of ASGM. This necessitates giving value to miners’ knowledge(s), perspectives and interests, while recognising the plurality of mining futures. Nevertheless, we conclude that between the immediacy of precarious work and the structural barriers to change in ASGM, the challenges for transformation cannot be underestimated.

A book of photographs that centre on visualizing mining worlds, notably the worlds of artisanal and small-scale gold miners working in the Brazilian and Surinamese Amazon, and in parts of West and East Africa. Often this gold mining is portrayed in negative, stereotyped, and homogenizing ways. Since miners typically operate in the shadows of the law, their lifeways are remote from the public eye. Visualization by means of photgraphy helps bring to light the diversity of mining terrains and the close connections between miners and these terrains. Images presented in the book are the result of collaboration with gold miners for a project "Sustainability Transformations in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining: Trans-Regional and Multi-Actor Perspectives" (2018-2022).

Recognising and including the knowledge and leadership of indigenous peoples in building resilient food systems is crucial for equitable transformation. Kenyan decision makers must empower indigenous peoples to engage in local climate adaptation and agricultural sector planning, and at the same time protect those peoples’ rights.

The severity of the climate challenge requires a change in the climate response, from an incrementalto a more far-reaching and radical transformative one. There is also a need to avoid maladaptationwhereby responses to climate risk inadvertently reinforce vulnerability, exposure and risk for somesections of society. Innovative technological interventions are critical but enabling social,institutional and governance factors are the actual drivers of the transformative process. Bringingabout this transformation requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, and the embracing ofsocial equity. In this Perspective, we unpack what this means for agricultural research and, based onour collective experience, we map out a research agenda that weaves different research componentsinto a holistic and transformative one. We do not offer best practice, but rather reflections on howagricultural research can more readily contribute to transformative adaptation, along with thepersonal and practical challenges of designing and implementing such an agenda. 

Food systems need to focus more on health, prosperity, and environmental sustainability. This requires changes in what, where, how and by whom food is produced, marketed, and consumed. Interdisciplinary research and transdisciplinary collaboration are needed. Stakeholders need to agree on their respective roles, values, responsibilities and modus operandi so that research better responds to real-world challenges and opportunities. This viewpoint argues that this is especially the case in the Global South post Covid-19. Without these changes, there will continue to be unrealistic expectations of impact from agricultural research, and disappointment when these are not realised.

Climate change will have a largely detrimental impact on the agricultural sector. Reduced yields will lead to greater food insecurity and a rise in food prices. In response, researchers have developed agricultural technologies and practices, commonly known as climate-smart agriculture (CSA). Scaling or large-scale farmer uptake of CSA is often seen as the responsibility of development practitioners. This, however, encourages a false dichotomy between knowledge generation through “research” and practice-based “scaling.” Such binary thinking poses two dangers. Firstly, when faced with donors’ understandable wish to see impact on the ground, agricultural research organizations succumb to “mission drift” and engage in “development work,” for which they have little comparative advantage. Secondly, because scaling is seen as a “development” as opposed to “research” issue, the contribution that research can make to understanding effective scaling is overlooked. We propose that agricultural research-for-development (AR4D) can contribute more to scaling by conceptualizing the process as a multifaceted one that catalyzes three interconnected and complimentary pathways: technology development, capacity development, and policy influence, each overseen by interdisciplinary research teams. We use our experience from rice-based systems in South and Southeast Asia to illustrate how a combination of all three pathways is required to enhance scaling of CSA.

In this opinion piece we address how to ensure that agricultural research for development is fit for purpose for the Twentyfirst Century. We focus on two themes: (i) the urgent need to engage social (together with natural) scientists in transdisciplinary research processes; (ii) the importance of the co-creation of knowledge via more democratic partnerships that genuinely address power asymmetries, as well as different stakeholders' roles (and responsibilities). We highlight discrepancies in the mix of social and natural science agricultural research, and also what may come across as a tepid commitment to partnerships despite the best intentions of many researchers.

Climate risk management is part of the response to the threat of climate change. Much effort has focused on the promotion on climate-resilient agriculture. There continues to be undue focus on technology solutions per se and not enough attention on the coupling of technologies and socio-economics and how they become embedded in ecological systems underpinning smallholder agriculture. In this perspective, we argue that an intertwined social–ecological–technological systems approach to climate risk management is needed to ensure that climate-resilient agriculture contributes more to the realization of goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Furthermore, in line with broader policy thinking on the need for transformative change toward sustainably living on the planet and “leaving no one behind,” a greater focus on transformative adaptation is required. Transformative adaptation tackles the root causes of vulnerability including unevenly distributed power relations, and extant networks of control and influence. There are, however, relatively few examples of moving from the theory of transformative adaptation to practice. Three recent practical examples of transdisciplinary approaches, that we have direct experience of as researchers, provide lessons for initial ways forward as part of climate risk management initiatives. Examples from Vietnam, East and Southern Africa, and Guatemala illustrate the importance of inter- and transdisciplinary responses whereby the inequalities underlying unequal power structures may be addressed, enabling farmers to pursue climate risk management pathways that contribute to climate resilience and human development, as epitomized by the Sustainable Development Goals.

Emphasises the importance of a granular approach to climate justice and indigenous peoples' participation in climate policy processes. A more explicit focus on context specific understanding of social equity allows for greater participation of the most vulnerable within Indigenous communities. This necessitates attention to historical and contemporary relations of power and oppression, ones that frame the lives of indigenous peoples' worldwide. By implication, it mitigates the dangers of maladaptation within these communities and gives greater credence to the pledge to leave no one behind. The importance of social equity highlights a key research develoipment and evidence gap ahead of the 2024 Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC (COP29).

In response to the climate crisis, there has been much focus on climate-smart agriculture (CSA); namely, technologies and practices that enhance adaptation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to food security; the so-called triple win. Success has tended to be measured in terms of the number of farmers adopting CSA with less focus given to the impacts especially on human development. CSA can inadvertently lead to‘maladaptation’ whereby interventions reinforce existing vulnerabilities either by beneftting powerful elites or by transferring risks and exposure between groups. Such maladaptive outcomes often stem from overly technical adaptation programming that is driven by external objectives and discounts the social and political dynamics of vulnerability. Increasingly a more nuanced picture is emerging. This reveals how a failure to contextualize CSA in relation to the structural socioeconomic dynamics associated with agricultural systems that render some categories of farmer especially vulnerable to climate change, undermines CSA’s contribution to reducing rural poverty and increasing equity. In response, there is a growing focus on transformative orientations that pursue a more deep-seated approach to social, institutional, technological and cultural change in order to address the structural contributors to vulnerability and diferential exposure to climate risk. Addressing these questions requires a robust consideration of the social contexts and power relations through which agriculture is both researched and practiced. For agriculture to be transformative and contribute to broader development goals, a greater emphasis is needed on issues of farmer heterogeneity, the dangers of maladaptation and the importance of social equity. This entails recognizing that resilience encompasses both agroand socio-ecological dimensions. Furthermore, practitioners need to be more cognizant of the dangers of (i) benefting groups of already better of farmers at the expense of the most vulnerable and/or (ii) focusing on farmers for whom agriculture is not a pathway out of poverty. The success of these approaches rests on genuine transdisciplinary partnerships and systems approaches that ensure adaptation and mitigation goals along with more equitable incomes, food security and development. The greater emphasis on social equity and human well-being distinguishes climate-resilient from climate-smart agriculture.

Non-technical summary

We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding about the remaining options to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, through overcoming political barriers to carbon pricing, taking into account non-CO2 factors, a well-designed implementation of demand-side and nature-based solutions, resilience building of ecosystems and the recognition that climate change mitigation costs can be justified by benefits to the health of humans and nature alone. We consider new insights about what to expect if we fail to include a new dimension of fire extremes and the prospect of cascading climate tipping elements.

Rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) are high in Uganda, by both global and African comparison, and the Covid-19 pandemic has made things even worse. Breaking the cultural, religious and social norms that perpetuate and trivialise SGBV is key to improve the situation. However, there are also other measures, such as communication channels for reporting and following up on SGBV, safe shelters and support for girls threatened by perpetrators, and improved sexual education in schools.

A study of the perspectives of young indigenous men and women in rural communities in Kenya shows that strong institutions for local governance, inclusive decision-making and collective action are key for social equity and climate adaptation. To achieve this, we need to: (1) invest in the capacities of stakeholders to promote locally-led climate and equity initiatives; (2) promote young women’s and men’s leadership and networks, together with intergenerational exchange of experiences; and (3) build strategies and partnerships that are responsive to locally-identified youth needs.

A study of the perspectives of young indigenous men and women in rural communities in Kenya shows that strong institutions for local governance, inclusive decision-making and collective action are key for social equity and climate adaptation. To achieve this, we need to: (1) invest in the capacities of stakeholders to promote locally-led climate and equity initiatives; (2) promote young women’s and men’s leadership and networks, together with inter-generational exchange of experiences; and (3) build strategies and partnerships that are responsive to locally-identified youth needs.

Non-technical summary: We summarize some of the past year’s most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth’s sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments.

Gold mining, like all other forms of mining, is strongly associated with the production of a wide range of residues, whether this concerns (toxic) waste materials or the environments transformed in pursuit of gold. Frequently, these residual products, such as soil, mud, rocks, and water, as well as the environments from which they are extracted or where they are deposited, appear as waste, cast aside or abandoned, rendered as useless by-products or destroyed lands. In this photographic essay, we build on recent insight regarding the fluid character of waste by extending analysis into both the domains of materials and of space because not only can specific materials be repurposed as resources, but also specific spaces can be transformed from sites of abandonment to sites of production (or vice versa), whether for mining or other activities. These photographic series show how different actors repurpose material and spatial residues. By centralising images of processes of repurposing, this essay nuances and offers a counterweight to dominant visual narratives. These typically focus on environmental and social damage, and often take a perspective ‘from above’ as they largely draw on aerial images. In doing so, these narratives tend to flatten or even erase local complexity and heterogeneity, and risk reproducing received negative stereotypes about artisanal and small-scale mining and miners. Importantly, as will transpire throughout the essay, the phenomena and processes depicted in our images shape and are shaped by different social, political, economic, technological, environmental, and historical relations and dynamics. These include, for example, former mining trajectories, gendered production relations, miners’ socio-economic positions, the involvement of external actors, and the introduction of new capital, knowledge and technologies. Ultimately, this illuminates the necessity of approaching ‘waste’ in fluid, relational, and transformative terms as material and spatial endings are turned into new beginnings.

The Community of Practice on Gender-Transformative Research Methodologies (GTRM-CoP) builds on work conducted by international gender researchers at CGIAR and partner organizations. The community of practice is committed to gender-transformative change processes; and aims to co-create socially just and gender-equitable futures in food, land and water systems. The GTRM-CoP aims to promote the transformative ambitions of CGIAR, its partners, and interested organizations and individuals, by creating safe spaces for innovating, sharing and scaling gender-transformative research methodologies. The community of practice is part of the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform and housed under the Methods module of the Platform. A Community of Practice (CoP) is an ideal mechanism for promoting rapid, interactive and creative learning. Four initial topic groups have been identified to begin knowledge exchange and co-creation: gender-equitable masculinities, intersectionality, transformative research processes and data, and mobilizing GENNOVATE data and tools. The GTRM-CoP aims to accelerate learning and action that fosters gender-transformative change in food, land and water systems, through the interactions within and between the topic groups, following a set of principles and values and in a spirit of humility and learning. These lessons will be available to others within CGIAR and beyond as part of a global movement toward gender equity and achieving Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).

The discovery of oil in the North Albertine Rift Landscape of Uganda has increased pressure on land andheightened the potential for resource use conflict. In this article, we focus on changing land use dynamics as oilextraction unfolds in a new resource frontier. We ask how the development of the nascent oil industry will affectland use dynamics, including land use conflicts. This leads us to identify the land use change already arising andto use this as the basis for participatory modelling of projected change. Given they are dominant forms of landuse, agriculture and forestry are central to our analysis. Design of the methodology combined remote sensingwith innovative modelling incorporating participatory development methods. This facilitated insight into projected land use patterns, and specifically relationships between small-scale food production, commercial sugarcane production, and forestry conservation adjacent to settlement areas. Our data show that ill–defined landboundaries and an aggressive sugarcane out-grower scheme are avenues for so-called land grabbing. Modellingscenarios under both the status quo and under oil extraction suggest the land area covered by sugarcane production will increase at the expense of food crop farming. Given a context where forestry conservation is animportant form of land use, we also consider the implications of local agricultural change on land reserved forconservation. Overall, our modelling indicates that in accounting for land use change within the resource frontierassociated with oil extraction, there needs to be insight into the intricate interconnections between differentforms of rural land use as future change unfolds. Understanding how oil extraction effects rural land use patternsholds relevance for planning in contexts of the Global South where new oil industries are emerging. Innovativemethodologies for teasing out these complex land use dynamics can aid planning that seeks to anticipate andreduce land use conflict and support agricultural livelihoods. 

‘Exploring Transformations to Sustainability in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM)’ is a 4-year transdisciplinary research project (2018-2022) that examines whether and how societal transformations towards sustainable mining futures are possible in ASGM. It brings together a multi-national team conducting empirical research in Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry, and Uganda. The core team includes researchers from different disciplines, artists, and a community development practitioner. Closely linked are miners and community members who work with the Team.

Project activities include research with miners to understand how they see the future and sustainability in gold mining. This has involved photography, painting and sculpture to find ways to express people’s lives and futures in mining. 

The Exhibition takes the audience down on a journey moving from ‘Exhibition of the Exhibition in Kejetia’ to visual results from all the three regions organized around the themes: Co-labouring, ARTistic and ARTisanal, In-depth terrains, Gold Lifeways and Moving Matters.