Since early 2000, a type of group-based informal irrigation for irrigating a very small area – less than two hectares on average, has seen widespread adoption among Malawian farmers. The technology, called “temporary” irrigation, uses farmers’ own labor and locally available materials...

1 Einleitung: Was Forscher dazu bewegt, die Initiative zu diesem interdisziplinären Forschungsprojekt zu ergreifen -- Teil I Verständnis von Agency und ihrer Entwicklung -- 2 Jenseits von distanziertem Zynismus: Ein kritischer Überblick über anthropologische Perspektiven auf Agency und ihre...

1 Introduction: What Moves Researchers to Take Initiatives to This Interdisciplinary Research Project -- Part I Understanding Agency and Its Development -- 2 Beyond Aloof Cynicism: A Critical Overview of Anthropological Perspectives on Agency and Its Development -- 3 A Psychological Perspective...

One of the most important qualities for human beings to have is agency: a core capacity/competence for making decisions, entering into agreements, and acting by and for themselves. Agency is a crucial dimension also in the promotion of gender equality. In practice, women in developing countries...

The objective is to cast new light on the possible contribution of ‘emerging donors,’ highlighting their ‘knowledge creation’ based on the experience of receiving aid. The process of knowledge creation is examined through a model composed of three hypotheses. A knowledge is created...

Although substantial research has been conducted on informal consumption smoothing mechanisms within villages, or within social clusters such as family and friends, few studies have compared the effects of these spatial and social networks. Employing spatial panel econometric models, this study...

How far can new technologies taught to a small number of selected farmers diffuse to other farmers in a village? In order to answer this question, this paper investigates the impact of JICA training on the adoption of rice cultivation technologies and productivity in an irrigation scheme in...

“Human security” has occupied a significant place in the global discourses of peace, development, and diplomacy, despite often made criticisms of its conceptual ambiguity. Arguing for the merit of a broader definition of human security, i.e. “the right of people to live in freedom and...

This study tests alternative hypotheses concerning the motivations behind the participation by rural households in community work. Using unique data from natural and field experiments in southern Sri Lanka, where irrigated fields have been allocated to farmers by government lottery, we compare...