Objectives
- To identify the existing measures for improvement of agricultural production in smallholder irrigation schemes in Limpopo province, South Africa and Eastern Province, Kenya;
- To establish the stakeholders involved in the agricultural production improvement measures in the above smallholder irrigation schemes;
- To identify the gaps that exist between agricultural production improvement measures and poverty reduction in the study areas;
- To suggest approaches and policies to poverty reduction through improved agricultural production in smallholder irrigation schemes in these two countries.
Contributions made by the proposed project
Although South Africa and Kenya have already started adopting some technological changes in agriculture and the economy, the research is likely to provide a direct link between agricultural development and anti-poverty actions. Consequently, policymakers and administrators will be sensitized to the importance of streamlining these two aspects. Since Kenya and South Africa represent other developing nations, then chances are that the results are likely to have implications in other African countries that may be carrying out similar actions. These results may cause a reexamination of agricultural practices for the better in such countries to the point of improving the quality and quantity of food produced. This may eventually cause food security and economic growth or sustained development for such nations. (IDRC, par 5)
Developed nations may also be sensitized to the seriousness of the problems within these countries and may be prompted to work hand and in hand with poorer nations to boost their development efforts. For instance, they could do this through the provision of direct donations. Alternatively, they may use other strategies such as carbon trading where nations that exceed their carbon emission standards can be allowed to sell off these excesses for a fee and the money collected can then be directed to poorer countries who have to bear the brunt of climate change without necessarily contributing to it in the first place. Alternatively, developed nations may be prompted to offer technical advice and assistance to countries such as Kenya and South Africa upon realizing that these nations lack experience in determining the policy actions that are most successful in dealing with food security. In other words, the latter countries will be helping poorer ones to help themselves by offering them technical know-how on how to curb or mitigate the effects of food shortages. As stated earlier, it is evident from research that certain rich countries went through the same problems that Africa is currently undergoing but changed this after the adoption of the green revolution.
Strategies / methodologies used
The third and fourth specific objectives are qualitative in nature. Therefore, the research method that can be most appropriately used in this section is participant observation. It should be noted that the latter approach falls under the case study method of qualitative research methodologies. Her fieldwork will be carried out where the concerned researchers will immerse themselves in the lives of Kenyan and South African farmers and ordinary citizens in rural areas. The goal of such a research method is to analyze and observe the participants. Note-taking will form a critical part of this section. Also, personal interviews will be carried out amongst farmers, policy administrators, and other economy-oriented stakeholders. Pictures of the subjects will also be taken. However, because the research is dealing with an aspect that encompasses policy actions over a period of time, then some secondary analyses will need to be carried out. Here textbooks, reports, and articles on recent Kenyan and South African policy initiatives will be looked into and the necessary linkages to field material will be made. After carrying out this process, the researcher will go through all the videotapes made, the field notes written, and interview transcripts in order to make meaning of that data. Key patterns and themes will be derived from this data with regard to the research objectives.
The first and second specific objectives are quantitative in nature. Here, the research will simply be reviewing actions that have been taken in South Africa and Kenya with regard to agricultural development. Therefore secondary research will be most appropriate. At this point, census data, performance data and observational data previously recorded will be taken and analyzed. The most useful policy initiatives will be those ones that were carried out in recent times. To this end, care will be taken to ensure that all statistical analyses link the right parameters as stated in specific objective three.
Timeline for the project
The latter project will last for a period of three years. The first year will be characterized by planning and organization of the resources and individuals who will carry out the project. Additionally, it will entail secondary data collection as this may not be as resource intensive as the primary phase. The second year will involve the collection of data from the chosen areas of study i.e. Kenya and Mozambique. In the final year, completion of data collection will be done and so will compilation of the material that may be useful in meeting research objectives.
Budget
Problems and assumptions in the project
In this project, it is assumed that the institution under analysis i.e. Lagos University will contribute towards the project’s finances as seen in the budget. However, sometimes educational institutions have been known to alter their plans in times of financial hardship. This may create problems for project completion. On top of the latter, a substantial part of the research will involve qualitative analysis. In other words, all the challenges of data analysis associated with any qualitative research are likely to come out in this paper as responses may not necessarily be orderly. There is also the danger of failing to get cooperation from people on the ground especially in terms of policy matters. Therefore, this may hamper the accuracy of results.
How I found the assignment
This assignment was a critical eye opener to me because I was able to understand how project funding goes on for developmental projects in the latter organization i.e. IDRC. It was a challenge because it tapped into my analytical skills when choosing the methodology and strategies to be employed in the paper. I also had to make use of my mathematical background when establishing the budget. Furthermore, it led to my increased confidence in actually carrying out a project because I was able to curve out all the details necessary to do so in the research proposal.