The many meanings of collective action: lessons on enhancing gender inclusion and equity in watershed management

"Collective action in agriculture and natural resource management is all too often perceived of in terms of the mere number of participants, with little consideration given to who participates, why, and the outcomes of inequitable participation. The literature is replete with cases of how uncritical approaches to participation structure positions of privilege vis-à-vis project benefits and the natural resource base. Yet lessons on how to engage with local communities in ways that promote equitable participation of women, the poor and other stakeholders are only now coming to light. This paper focuses on approaches under development under the rubric of the African Highlands Initiative to bring collective action principles to bear on gender-equitable change processes in natural resource management. The paper utilizes a number of case studies to illustrate the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches for enhancing gender inclusion and equity throughout the stages of problem diagnosis, planning and monitoring. The analysis suggests that an arbitrary definition of collective action is insufficient for assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, and that method evaluation should consider the different forms that collective action can take. A typology of different forms of collective action is proposed, and then utilized to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of different approaches for fostering gender inclusion and equity in watershed management." Authors' AbstractNatural resource management, Gender, Water, Collective action, Community organizations, Community-based organizations, Women, Watershed management,

Natural resource integrity: A resilient community on the degraded slopes of Mount Elgon takes on mending its broken landscape

The once beautiful foothills of Mount Elgon, in eastern Uganda are today seriously degraded, with excessive water run-offs and landslides becoming regular occurrences. Restoring the health and productive potential of the agroecosystem had become a dire need of those, mostly women, who stayed to farm it. By challenging the status quo and doing things differently, the Kapchorwa District Landcare Chapter (KADLACC) has been helping this farming community over the past fifteen years to manage its natural resources more sustainably, as well as more profitably. By building on the innovation skills of the community, by helping it address local challenges and by empowering the women of the community to manage their natural resources in sustainable ways, the platform has helped to restore much of what has been lost in recent decades. Before the platform was established, crops, properties, infrastructure and even lives were regularly destroyed. Trees and other vegetation were removed indiscriminately to make room for farms and settlements. Fragile soils were exposed to the agents of erosion. Heavily sloped land was tilled. Women, although providing up to 90% of the agricultural labour force, had little decision-making power. Household incomes and food security declined steeply, along with soil fertility and women’s engagement. With the establishment of KADLACC, twin journeys towards land restoration and women’s empowerment began. Community members were quick to support the entire process. Awareness of women’s rights was raised through consultative processes from village to sub-county levels, engaging individual farmers, farmer groups, local government officials and external actors. Community members, through farmer learning cycles, were linked to trained facilitators. This helped farmers and farmer groups consolidate their grassroots understanding of the challenges they faced and the options they could employ to address them. Livelihood goals were linked to conservation goals. Local-level policy reforms helped define and encourage women’s ownership and control over land. Over these 15 years, community by-laws supporting watershed management, land restoration and agroforestry practices have been developed and implemented. Women have been given greater priority in natural resource management decision-making. Some 300 women displaced from their land have been granted access to collective land for organic and horticultural farming. And by improving this community’s access to agricultural and information services, KADLACC has helped this farm community significantly improve its productivity, while restoring the integrity of its natural resource base

Policy and institutional context for NRM in Kenya: Challenges and opportunities for Landcare

Kenya’s natural resource base has dwindled over the years. The existence of many land-related laws, some of which are incompatible, has resulted in complex land management regimes, giving rise to fragmented interventions, poor land administration, and inadequate provision of agricultural services. The consequences are serious environmental problems aggravated by social, economic and political factors. Traditionally, land use practices were more sustainable, but many of these Landcare practices were discarded with the advent of colonialism. Today, significant progress is evident in rule-making, paving the way for adoption of more integrative approaches to natural resources management (NRM), including the more sustainable Landcare. Landcare is a widely-adopted community-based approach to NRM, that started in Australia in mid 1980s. The adoption of Landcare in Kenya, however, requires understanding of the policy and institutional contexts for which it can be applied. This paper attempts to identify regime structures and policy instruments for anchoring the Landcare approach in Kenya. It informs a larger regional effort for the transformation of NRM through a Landcare framework. This review paper concludes that: 1) the existing policy context is neither inhibitive for Landcare nor does it require new policies; 2) Due to the existing complex institutional architecture, the introduction Landcare approaches in Kenya should be pragmatic and nuanced; 3) Landcare adoption will not only lead to achievement of national goals, but international obligations as well; 4) The relevance and longevity of Landcare is dependent on appropriate modes of integration; and 5) a coalition approach appears to have the potential mode for integrating Landcare in Kenya

Effects of nurses’ burnout on patients’ safety : descriptive literature review

This thesis aimed to explore how nurses' burnout affects patient safety by critically assessing the existing literature. A total of 655 articles were identified and extracted for review from various electronic databases, with the main sources including Pub Med, Ovid Medline, and CINAHL. These articles were screened based on their title, abstract, and full text. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were also applied, and only 18 of these articles proceeded to be used for further review in this thesis, which fully satisfied the search criteria set by the author of this thesis. Findings from the 18 different articles showed that nurses´ burnout causes a major effect as medication errors, increases patient illness, and Death. Nurses experiencing burnout are likely to mishandle medications, prescriptions, and distribution. They view these processes as simple and repetitive, which do not require critical thinking, which in turn leads to medication errors and adverse patient reactions

The Origin of Gender Disparity in Land Ownership and Control in Kenya: The Case of Nandi District 1954-1963

The 2010 Constitution of Kenya put in place clauses that support gender equality in land ownership and control but this has not led to women enjoying secure and equal rights to land Women are the majority in the agricultural sector but their role is confined to provision of labour on land owned by a male member of the family This paper adopts a historical perspective to trace the origin of this problem It explore show the Swynnerton Plan of 1954 collaborated with patriarchy to close out women from owning and controlling land and how this influenced gender relations in agricultural production in Kenya and Nandi District in particular The paper is an outcome of oral data collected in the field archival material from Kenya National Archives and secondary data mostly books and journals on the subject from various libraries The main argument is that political economic social and ideological factors interacted in a complex manner and influenced men and women ownership of land Gender relations are essentially perceived as inequitable power relations and in the Nandi society women had less power than men Consequently they were unable to own or control land and most of the agricultural resources and proceeds from the farm Their labour also ended up being controlled by men to produce agricultural product

Enabling equitable collective action and policy change for poverty reduction and improved natural resource management in the Eastern African highlands:

"The role of local and external institutions in natural resource management (NRM) is gaining attention in the literature, fostering greater understanding of the relationship between collective action and poverty, collective action and equity, and the conditions under which collective action institutions take root. It has also led to increased understanding of how uncritical practices by external development institutions can propagate social inequities in NRM. Yet little research has been conducted to understand how to foster local collective action institutions where they are absent, or to improve institutional practice. This research integrates empirical and action research in an effort to generate ‘working solutions' to problems facing rural communities in their efforts to manage their natural resources in the highlands of Ethiopia and Uganda. Following a brief introduction to the literature and the research, findings are presented according to two distinct phases of research. Data are first presented on existing forms of collective action, the influence of local and external institutions on economic development, and NRM problems that persist despite their negative livelihood consequences. Action research themes selected from a list of identified problems are then presented in greater detail, with lessons learnt thus far in attempting to overcome institutional barriers to improved NRM. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of findings for research, institutional practice, and policy." authors' abstractNatural resource management, Collective action, Equity, Livelihoods, East African highlands, Gender, Environmental management,

Transitioning from graduate nurse to registered nurse in a critical care unit

The transition from graduate nurse to registered nurse (RN) in a critical care unit (CCU) is usually marked by both challenges and opportunities. The shift encompass enhanced clinical expertise, fostering teamwork, and building professional confidence. Therefore, it is important to explore the experiences of graduate nurses transitioning to uncover factors that support or challenge their ability to adapt. The purpose of this study was to describe graduate nurses experiences of transitioning to registered nurse in a critical care unit. The approach employed in the study was literature review methodology. A comprehensive search of databases; PubMed, and CINAHL, initially identified 668 articles. After applying inclusion criteria, 5 studies were selected for analysis. The process followed a structured approach, including defining the research question, systematic search for relevant literature, source evaluation, and thematic categorization. The findings indicate that graduate nurses transitioning to registered nurse roles in critical care units face challenges related to professional adaptation, clinical competence, occupational stress, and communication, which can be mitigated through structured orientation programs, mentorship, inter-professional collaboration, and enhanced educational preparation