Siid Podcast Series

In July 2019, the Sheffield Institute for International Development was privileged to have several colleagues with diverse expertise on conservation visiting from Tanzania: Christine Noe from the University of Dar es Salaam as well as Thabit Jacob and Wilhelm Kiwango from the University of Dodoma. Together with two researchers working on conservation at SIID, Dan Brockington and Judith Krauss, we recorded a conversation on conservation which is now available as a SIID podcast, reflecting on the past, present and future of conservation. We discussed big trends in conservation around what understandings of nature and conservation have been prominent, who makes decisions and how the global level affects the local level. We ended on some ideas about what we would like to see happen in conservation going forward.

How do people in rural areas in the global south access water and land – essential resources for their livelihoods? And how do institutions work to shape natural resource management and development? This is the ongoing focus of Frances Cleaver’s research. For the last two decades or so there has been a strong emphasis on ‘getting institutions right’ in development policy. Robust and adaptable institutions are thought to contribute to good governance and democracy through a focus on pubic debate, and through mechanisms for accountability and transparency. They are also thought to deliver sustainability by ensuring appropriate and responsible local resource use. A lot of money and effort has been spent by governments and development agencies in building strong institutions at the local level – including Water User Associations, Farmer Groups, Forest Management Committees and the like. But the evidence for the success of these initiatives is mixed and critics say that such arrangements often reproduce pow

Recently, companies that had supported the Fairtrade label through retail partnerships have decided to step away from this engagement. Cadbury one of the main supporters of the Fairtrade label has launched its own label “Cocoa Life”, although Fairtrade claims to be supporting this initiative. Similarly, Sainsbury the world’s biggest retailer of Fairtrade certified products has decided to replace the Fairtrade label for its tea’s with its own “Fairly Traded” label. Sainsbury promises to improve the Fairtrade practice of providing a minimum price guarantee and a social premium with additional benefits such as long term commercial relationships which it acknowledges are missing from the Fairtrade system. Sainsbury in presenting its rationale for making this change brings out the problem with the Fairtrade system. Despite having been around since 1992, the Fairtrade label has not translated into sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers despite having made some progress in improving livelihoods. This is du

Dr Daniel Hammett is a senior lecturer within the Department of Geography. His research and teaching focuses on political geographies of the global south. In this podcast, he talks us through the ‘100 questions’ project, and gives us a glimpse into what he’s currently working on. On the first day of 2016, the global development agenda underwent a significant shift with the move from the Millennium Development Goals agenda to a new set of shared goals, the Sustainable Development Goals. At the heart of this change was an awareness of the failures of the MDGs but also optimism that shared goals and shared commitment would help push forward an international development agenda that was now focussed on a global – not just global south – scale. Inspired by the emergence of a post-2015 development agenda, a group of colleagues – led by Jean Grugel, Johan Oldekop and Lorenza Fontana amongst others – launched an ambitious consultative project to identify the key research questions that could inform and support inter

Military-style approaches are being employed as a means to call a halt to wildlife losses. This has led many to question whether such approaches are necessary to ensure the adequate conservation of some of our favourite animals. In the podcast, Rosaleen Duffy, Professor of International Politics, tells us more about militarised conservation, explaining exactly what it is, and the impact it is having on both animals and humans. The rises in poaching of some of the worlds most iconic animals, especially rhinos, tigers and elephants, have led to a growing sense of urgency in conservation. It is often argued that we are in a race against time to save species from extinction. This sense of crisis and of urgency has been accompanied by a key shift in conservation towards more forceful and military–style responses. This is not just confined to active use of force, but encompasses a wider range of processes including training of rangers by former military personnel now working in the burgeoning private security sect

Wellbeing is more than just being happy. But what exactly is it in its entirety and how can we measure its levels within our societies? Allister McGregor, is a Professor in Political Economy. He uses a human wellbeing framing to understand why issues such as poverty and inequality persist. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a specific goal for improving human wellbeing (and health – SDG 3) but the overall framework for the SDGs is inspired by a broader conception of human wellbeing. It includes goals that address the material conditions that people face (having enough nutritious food, shelter, clean water), their relationships in society (gender relations and inequality  - “leave no-one behind”) and they also consider how we might ensure that the state of the planet is such that there is the possibility of wellbeing for people in the future (sustainable development – climate change, life under the water, life on land). Although the term ‘wellbeing’ is very powerful and is used widely in intern