The important role of information and communication in food processing SMEs in Africa has not been adequately reflected in strategies to develop this sector. This seminar was organised in collaboration with the Government of Benin to look at the contstraints involved and how to covercome them and develop more effective strategies.

L’importance de l’information et de la communication pour les PME africaines de la transformation agroalimentaire n’a pas été suffisamment prise en compte dans les stratégies de développement de la filière.

This paper reports on the results from a household survey of forest resources use in the north-central regions of Namibia (NCR), focusing on the four relatively densely settled rural areas, which also include several small rapidly developing urban nodes. The paper aims to address the concern that both poverty and economic development are increasing and driving over-utilisation of forest resources. We examined current levels of utilisation of forest resources at a household level and applied a dynamic modelling approach in order to develop policy pointers that can maximise poverty alleviation and conservation benefits as Namibia develops

This paper is for government authorities with responsibility for the forest sector. It aims to clarify what ‘responsible forest business’ might mean. Drawing out four major conclusions, it proposes a bigger and bolder idea of responsibility than many notions of corporate social responsibility. It suggests broader ethical consideration of what business is responsible for, who business is responsible to and over what time frame business is responsible. The paper ends with some practical steps to improve governance towards responsible forest business.

Although Bolivia is one of the countries with the most water per capita in the world, and demand is about 1% of supply, localised water scarcity continues to breed conflicts. Despite many attempts at integrated watershed management, there have been few successes. Projects have rarely focused on improving efficiency or managing demand. Management has usually been through top-down laws and regulations, few of which have succeeded. This report assesses whether market tools can improve watershed management, and the livelihoods of watershed residents. It describes the studies commissioned as part of the analysis, what they were intended to assess, and their findings. The report concludes by offering lessons learned for negotiating fair deals for watershed services in Bolivia.

This report shares field experience and lessons in developing incentive-based mechanisms for watershed protection services and improved livelihoods at micro- and macro-scales at three locations in Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The process, progress and problems in the three sites, and the initial findings, are presented. Key lessons are discussed and specific recommendations made