The Volta River is one of the major rivers in Africa. A transboundary basin, which is the principal water source for approximately 24 million people in six riparian states, it is likely to experience increasing stress in the near future as a consequence of both greater water demand and climate change.

Poverty is a persistent problem throughout Indonesia. Seven years after decentralisation began there is little improvement in the wellbeing of rural people. Local governments have received new opportunities and responsibilities for development, but few districts have the necessary capacity and experience to effectively reduce poverty. This report provides a portrait of household poverty and wellbeing in Kutai Barat, a district that was only established in 1999.

Deals with water resource & its exploitation in tropical Africa from an engineering point of view, giving an insight into the wide range of problems in water development & providing general guidelines for future planning. Considers such issues as the mechanics of the hydrological cycle, the origins of wide variations in rainfall, the potential for water resources development in pastoral areas & low cost methods of exploiting these resources, & problems of water quality.

Poverty is a persistent problem throughout Indonesia. With decentralization, local governments had a new direct role in alleviating poverty and local wellbeing. At the same time they could do so in accordance with local realities and development needs. Yet, there is little improvement in the wellbeing of rural people. Local governments may lack the necessary capacity and experience to reduce poverty effectively. This report shows how a local specific monitoring system can be developed and applied.

This presentation concerns the key property rights issues arising in the West African Semi-Arid Tropics (WASAT). The WASAT contains three main agro-climatic zones: Sahel (300–600 mm of annual rainfall falling in 2.5–4 months); Sudanian (600–900 mm, 4 to 6 month rainy season); and Guinean (900–1100 mm, 6–7 month rainy season). The author presented a conceptual framework to explain the responses that farmers in the WASAT region have adopted to deal with changes in their environment.

A senior agricultural extension officer for Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe describes how the extension service is helping farmers to cope with less reliable rainfall.

Planting nitrogen-rich trees that also provide fuelwood

For co-management of conservation areas to be effective, detailed information on local people's use of natural resources is essential. One method to obtain some of that information, a household record keeping study, is given. It is simple to implement and analyse, and provides useful, quantitative data on resource use and income levels. The method and present data derived from three studies of Melayu and Iban communities in and around the Danau Sentarum Wildlife Reserve in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, are described.