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Your search keyword '"Merritt, Wendy"' showing total 2 results
2 results on '"Merritt, Wendy"'

1. An integrated approach to improving rural livelihoods: examples from India and Bangladesh.

Author

Croke, Barry, Merritt, Wendy, Cornish, Peter, Syme, Geoffrey J., and Roth, Christian H.

Subjects
AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURAL intensification, RURAL geography, SOCIAL dynamics
Abstract

This paper presents an overview of work in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and SW Bangladesh through a series of projects from 2005 to the present, considering the impact of farming systems, water shed development and/or agricultural intensification on livelihoods in selected rural areas of India and Bangladesh. The projects spanned a range of scales spanning from the village scale (~1 km²) to the meso-scale (~100 km²), and considered social as well as biophysical aspects. They focused mainly on the food and water part of the food-water-energy nexus. These projects were in collaboration with a range of organisations in India and Bangladesh, including NGOs, universities, and government research organisations and departments. The projects were part funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and built on other projects that have been undertaken within the region. An element of each of these projects was to understand how the hydrological cycle could be managed sustainably to improve agricultural systems and livelihoods of marginal groups. As such, they evaluated appropriate technology that is generally not dependent on high-energy inputs (mechanisation). This includes assessing the availability of water, and identifying potential water resources that have not been developed; understanding current agricultural systems and investigating ways of improving water use efficiency; and understanding social dynamics of the affected communities including the potential opportunities and negative impacts of watershed development and agricultural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2018
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2. Integrated Assessment—How Does It Help Unpack Water Access by Marginalized Farmers?

Author

Hamilton, Serena H., Merritt, Wendy S., Das, Mahanambrota, Rahman, M. Wakilur, Bhuiya, Sumana S., Carter, Lucy, Cosijn, Michaela, Roth, Christian H., Singha, Sambhu, and Syme, Geoffrey J.

Subjects
WATER distribution, AGRICULTURAL intensification, WATER supply, WATER, SOCIAL dynamics
Abstract

Water is critical to the lives and livelihoods of rural communities in developing countries; however, access to water can be inequitable within communities. This paper uses a generalized integrated assessment approach to explore the determinants of water access by marginalized farmers in two villages in coastal Bangladesh, before and after the setup of local water institutions. The study was part of a broader project aimed at promoting socially inclusive agricultural intensification. An integrative framework was developed in this study to capture and link the diverse range of factors that influence the distribution of water, including the often-overlooked role of social dynamics and governance arrangements. While interventions around improving water resource infrastructure can be critical for freshwater availability, the case studies show that a breakdown of asymmetric power structures may also be needed for water access to all individuals, especially marginalized groups. Establishing a community-based water institution on its own does not necessarily address power issues in a community. It is imperative that the agency and capacities of the marginalized members are developed and that the institutional arrangements foster an enabling environment for marginalized members to influence decision making. Integrated assessment allowed the case studies to be explored from multiple perspectives so as to gain a greater understanding of the barriers and levers to obtaining equitable outcomes from water interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2020
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