Hazel R. Barrett

Adapting visual methods: action research with Kampala street children

The paper examines the use of four visual ‘action’ methods for eliciting information from street children about their interactions with the socio-spatial environment. These methods were adapted and used to encourage child-led activities and minimize researcher input. The advantages and constraints associated with the successful implementation of visual methods with children are examined, followed by a brief examination of the ‘real’ and ethical considerations surrounding their use. The paper concludes that visual methods allow a high level of child-led participation in research, as well as providing a stimulus for eliciting further oral material.

Organic certification and the UK market: organic imports from developing countries

Abstract Demand within the UK for organic food is increasing dramatically. Much of this demand is met by imports, including many product categories from the developing world. Organic standards in Europe are rigorous, with all stages of the organic marketing chain regulated by law and guaranteed within each member state by a ‘competent authority’. The paper provides a detailed review of current mechanisms of certification and inspection and discusses the obstacles to becoming certified that confront organic producers in the developing world. The paper goes on to report on the breadth and acceleration of organic imports into the UK from the developing world, utilising data recently made available by the European Commission and the UK’s organic regulatory authority. Already over 60 countries are involved in this increasingly global trade and some countries, for example, Brazil, Mexico and Sri Lanka, dominate current import authorisations. Cost-effective certification is essential for an expansion of this trade.

Ethics and Participation: Reflections on Research with Street Children

There are important ethical issues that must be carefully thought through when undertaking research with children. This paper explores how the context of such issues changes with the individual circumstances of the children involved, particularly when they are marginalised or excluded by wider society. By reflecting on experiences of research with Kampala street children, this paper highlights how participation throughout the research process can both raise and resolve ethical dilemmas. This is illustrated by reflecting on two examples, namely discussing sensitive topics and the dissemination of socio-spatial research findings. In conclusion, the paper demonstrates the importance of ethical sensitivity to the changing situations that arise when conducting research with street children and the importance of incorporating and involving them in both the research process and ethical dilemmas.

Smallholder Farmers and Organic Certification: Accessing the EU Market from the Developing World

ABSTRACT Organic imports into the EU from the developing world are growing rapidly. Certification regulations for the import of organic products are very rigorous and smallholder farmers, in common with all farmers, must comply with a complex array of rules and procedures to access this market. This paper investigates the many challenges faced by smallholder farmers in acquiring certification as well as the benefits to farmers of being able to export certified organic produce. Certification costs are high but, as the paper explains, can be overcome by smallholders forming producer groups, acquiring external funding, selling on contract and, in some countries, being able to utilize national rather than EU certification bodies. The bureaucracy and paperwork of certification are problematic to smallholders, who must also choose the ‘right’ certifier to ensure acceptance in the market. Another issue for smallholders examined in the paper is the necessity for reliable marketing linkages. Although there are obstacles, there are also benefits from certification and the paper evaluates evidence of benefits both to individuals and communities.

The Applicability of Behaviour Change in Intervention Programmes Targeted at Ending Female Genital Mutilation in the EU: Integrating Social Cognitive and Community Level Approaches.

With increased migration, female genital mutilation (FGM) also referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting is no longer restricted to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The European Parliament estimates that up to half a million women living in the EU have been subjected to FGM, with a further 180,000 at risk. Aware of the limited success of campaigns addressing FGM, the World Health Organization recommended a behavioural change approach be implemented in order to end FGM. To date, however, little progress has been made in adopting a behaviour change approach in strategies aimed at ending FGM. Based on research undertaken as part of the EUs Daphne III programme, which researched FGM intervention programmes linked to African communities in the EU (REPLACE), this paper argues that behaviour change has not been implemented due to a lack of understanding relating to the application of the two broad categories of behaviour change approach: individualistic decision-theoretic and community-change game-theoretic approaches, and how they may be integrated to aid our understanding and the development of future intervention strategies. We therefore discuss how these can be integrated and implemented using community-based participatory action research methods with affected communities.

Time for Development? The Case of Women's Horticultural Schemes in Rural Gambia

Abstract Much work has been published in recent years on the role of women in the development process in Africa. One of the major themes to emerge from this literature is that the demands on womens time and energy are increasing. The result is that women are working harder but deriving little benefit from it. The authors’ research in The Gambia has shown that rural women are increasingly being drawn into the development process through involvement in various income‐generating projects, such as vegetable cultivation. Some of these schemes are sponsored by government agencies, others by non‐governmental organisations and others are spontaneous self‐help schemes. The consequence of involvement in such projects is that time, for rural Gambian women, is becoming a scarce resource; women not only participate in horticultural projects, but are also responsible for domestic production and reproduction. All these tasks are performed without any modern equipment. It is suggested that the rural development process ...

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and migrant “risk environments”: The case of the Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant community in the West Midlands of the UK

The flow of migrants from high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence regions such as sub-Saharan Africa to western countries is changing the profile of HIV infection in host countries, with immigrants from these countries accounting for the majority of heterosexually acquired HIV infection. Few studies have been conducted on the sexual culture and practices of different migrant African communities living in western countries including the UK. Significant gaps therefore exist in our knowledge of the HIV/AIDS prevention needs of culturally diverse communities, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa living in the UK. Based on empirical research undertaken in 2007, this article explores the knowledge and practices concerning HIV amongst the Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant community living in the West Midlands of the UK. Using in-depth qualitative methods, the study investigated the HIV “risk environment” of this immigrant community. The research found that the group had little knowledge or understanding of the HIV epidemic in the UK and this resulted in serious misconceptions which led to risky sexual practice. Whilst the group had good knowledge and understanding of the disease and its transmission which had been acquired in their country of origin, this was not translated into practice. The perceived “low-risk environment” of HIV in the UK, as well as traditional male domination concerning sexual issues goes some way in explaining the low usage of the male condom amongst this group. Promoting the use of the female condom could empower women within this community to practice safe sex, which is acceptable to their male partners. The study identified a number of issues relevant to this immigrant group that could be easily tackled, empowering them to make informed decisions and take actions commensurate with the real, rather than perceived, HIV “risk environment” of their new home.

Women, occupation and health in rural Africa: Adaptation to a changing socioeconomic climate

Abstract Over the last ten to fifteen years socioeconomic conditions in sub‐Saharan Africa have declined. Economic crisis has resulted in the adoption of International Monetary Fund and World Bank sponsored economic structural adjustment policies by most African governments. These highly criticised policies have had limited economic success and are often blamed for stagnant and even deteriorating human development indicators and declining living standards. At the same time families and communities are coping with the increasing morbidity and mortality and social issues associated with HIV/AIDS. These changing socioeconomic conditions have particular implications for vulnerable groups, such as poor rural women and their families. Using empirical material collected by the author in Southern and Western Africa, the paper examines the triple workload borne by rural African women. Their roles as biological and social reproducers as well as economic providers are described and the links between these occupation...

The destination life cycle: International tourism in Peru

Abstract The destination life cycle, a concept first publicised in 1939 in the Scottish Geographical Magazine by E. W. Gilbert is reviewed. The destination life cycle model of Butler (1980) is used to examine the main trends in the total numbers of international tourists visiting Peru between the late 19th century and 1995. Possible extensions to Perus tourist life cycle are considered in the light of the countrys tourism resources, government promotion of the industry, tourism infrastructure and security issues. The relevance of case study material to the applicability of the model is briefly considered.

Workloads of rural African women: The impact of economic adjustment in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Abstract Womens workloads in rural Africa are extremely demanding in terms of time and energy. In a continent where fertility rates are high, literacy levels very low and labour‐saving technologies hardly available, womens duties in reproductive and productive roles are examined and explained, using examples drawn from many countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Evidence that women are not receiving their share of the benefits of development, despite their significant contribution to that process, is presented. Economic decline, and the attempts to ameliorate this by economic adjustment measures, have tended further to increase womens workloads. With cuts in government funding, education and health facilities are less available to the rural poor, with the burden of care being transferred to households. In many countries export crop promotion is drawing more fully into the market economy, where their labour is under‐valued and their time ‘stretched’ to give an even longer working day. Gender‐sensitive develop...