The 2010 and 2011 drought has meant that the global spotlight has once again pointed to the drylands of the Horn of Africa. Thirteen million people were affected by the drought, including 7.7 million in Kenya and Ethiopia. This drought has mobilised governments, citizens, NGOs and other agencies to look again at drought in the drylands and many are calling for new longer-term approaches. The new energy and debate in seeking solutions... Read more

This month, the well-known TV show The Apprentice returned to British television, and a motley crew of young men and women swaggered across our screens at the start of their competition to obtain start-up business financing from 'Suralan' Sugar.  The solipsistic self-promotion, and clear belief that the cut-throat pursuit of short-term profits is both desirable and also a guarantor of success in business, sets these... Read more

The concept of the 'green economy' is a complex one, and the international community has yet to come to a political consensus on its meaning, use, usefulness, ensuing policy implications, or what actually constitutes a green economy.  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) believes that to achieve equitable and sustainable development there needs to be a balance between the economy, society, and the environment.... Read more

In July 2010, a special issue of Gender & Development was published which analysed the impact of the economic crisis on women. At the time, there was very little evidence about the long term effect of the crisis. So where are we now, two years later?   Some things related to the crisis and women's lives are clear. The studies published two years ago demonstrated that in some countries and some sectors, women were facing... Read more

Oxfam has been involved in sustainable livelihoods and enterprise development since the 1960s, gaining practical experience in setting up businesses that deliver social as well as economic development. Since we believe that gender inequality is one of the greatest barriers to poverty eradication worldwide, over the last three years we have been piloting an innovative Enterprise Development Programme (EDP) - a unique initiative with an investment... Read more

A few months ago, on the happy concurrence of World Food Day and International Rural Women's Day, I blogged here on the important role women play in our food production and rural development, and I mentioned that we were working on a new publication: Gender Inequality: it's your Business. With consistent regard for important dates in the calendar, we are now publishing this new Briefing for Business in time for International... Read more

For too long, women have been under-represented in formal producer groups and agricultural marketing cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa, despite contributing a high proportion of the agricultural labour. Development practitioners frequently ask: when promoting women in markets through effective and empowered economic organisations, should we work with women-only groups or mixed (women and men) groups? In order to answer this question... Read more

As someone who grew up in Bangalore, I have seen my city undergo a startling transformation, from the Pensioners Paradise to the Silicon Valley of India. I am almost a pensioner myself now - I started writing this blog on my 60th birthday. Sometimes I feel stupefied and amazed by the changes - but I can't feel old: not with so much energy all around me. And from what I see, I feel truly optimistic about the new India, and in particular,... Read more

New partnerships often lead to innovative solutions for old problems. An example is the use of mobile telephones as a flood warning system in Ethiopia. When rainfall levels can be communicated instantly by upland farmers to lowland pastoralists, cattle, livelihoods and people can be saved. In this example the unlikely partnership between local communities, a mobile phone company and an INGO thus created a positive development gain. In a similar... Read more

The doughnut 'compass' is a powerful idea. The original 'planetary boundaries' concept focused on biophysical factors: there was some internal logic to this - it aimed to identify the conditions under which we couldn't expect the planet to continue supporting us, regardless of how we care to organise ourselves as a human race.  But of course, as soon as you ask practical questions about how we might manage our interaction... Read more