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Unlike many global regions, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has yet to undergo a groundwater revolution. In this paper we confirm that for most SSA countries current groundwater use remains under 5% of national sustainable yield. This is likely to be a constraint on wider economic development and on addressing vulnerabilities to climate change and other shocks. Groundwater use has supported the process of economic structural change in other global regions; hence we derive an empirical model for groundwater use to support economic development, comprising trigger, boom and maturation phases. We identify that the trigger phase depends on political and economic (‘secondary’) factors, in addition to resource characteristics. The boom phase is described as ‘semi anarchic’, while the maturation phase is characterized by slowing abstractions but continued economic benefits. In SSA, we posit that the predominance of limiting secondary factors, coupled with a discourse of caution and focus on the maturation phase (more appropriate for other regions), is constraining the use of groundwater for economic development. We suggest that groundwater has the potential to be a foundational resource to support irrigated agriculture, urban and rural water security, and drought resilience across the region, as it has in many other global regions. We argue that overcoming the current barriers and costs to groundwater development can be offset by the benefits of regional socioeconomic development and increased resilience. In the context of enduring poverty and recurrent humanitarian crises in SSA, this new synthesis of information suggests that such an underutilization of sustainable groundwater is unjustifiable. Stakeholders active in the region should prioritize groundwater development to help facilitate a transition to higher value-added activities and greater regional prosperity and resilience, and ensure that measures are put in place for this to be done sustainably. We conclude with some ideas to help trigger such development in SSA.
Jude Cobbing; Bradley Hiller. Waking a sleeping giant: Realizing the potential of groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development 2019, 122, 597 -613.
AMA StyleJude Cobbing, Bradley Hiller. Waking a sleeping giant: Realizing the potential of groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development. 2019; 122 ():597-613.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJude Cobbing; Bradley Hiller. 2019. "Waking a sleeping giant: Realizing the potential of groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa." World Development 122, no. : 597-613.
Food production shocks can lead to food crises where access to appropriate quantities and quality of food become inadequate, unaffordable, or unreliable on a major scale. While the physical causes of food production shocks are well researched, the dynamics of responses to them are less well understood. This paper reviews those dynamics and includes evidence gathered via interviews of 44 expert practitioners sourced globally from academia, government, industry, think-tanks, and development/relief organizations. The paper confirms that policy interventions are often prioritised for national interests and poorly coordinated at regional and global scales. The paper acknowledges future compounding trends such as climate change and demographic shifts and suggests that while there are signs of incremental progress in better managing the impacts of shock events, coordinated responses at scale will require a paradigm shift involving major policy, market, and technological advancements, and a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders.
Aled Jones; Bradley Hiller. Exploring the Dynamics of Responses to Food Production Shocks. Sustainability 2017, 9, 960 .
AMA StyleAled Jones, Bradley Hiller. Exploring the Dynamics of Responses to Food Production Shocks. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (6):960.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAled Jones; Bradley Hiller. 2017. "Exploring the Dynamics of Responses to Food Production Shocks." Sustainability 9, no. 6: 960.
Project interventions are important vehicles for development globally. However, while there is often allocation of resources for new and innovative (pilot) projects—with varying levels of success—there is seemingly less focus on consolidating and/or scaling the positive impacts of successful larger interventions. Assuming an overarching development goal to have long lasting impact at scale, this approach seems somewhat contradictory. Scaling is often not integrated into project planning, design and implementation and rarely pursued genuinely in the ex-post. However, where demand for further development remains outstanding beyond project completion, opportunities may exist to build upon project platforms and extend benefits in a cost effective manner. This paper examines existing scaling typologies, before introducing “scaling-within” as a concept to promote greater continuity of development to a wider range of stakeholders. Scaling-within offers the opportunity to “in-fill” intervention principles and practices to both project and non-project communities within a broader strategic framework to address disparities and to promote sustainable development. The authors draw on research from case studies of large-scale integrated watershed rehabilitation projects and assess scaling-within against a contemporary scaling framework drawn from the literature. While the concept is tested with watersheds as the administrative unit, the authors anticipate applications for other project management units.
Bradley T. Hiller; Peter M. Guthrie; Aled W. Jones. Overcoming Ex-Post Development Stagnation: Interventions with Continuity and Scaling in Mind. Sustainability 2016, 8, 155 .
AMA StyleBradley T. Hiller, Peter M. Guthrie, Aled W. Jones. Overcoming Ex-Post Development Stagnation: Interventions with Continuity and Scaling in Mind. Sustainability. 2016; 8 (2):155.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBradley T. Hiller; Peter M. Guthrie; Aled W. Jones. 2016. "Overcoming Ex-Post Development Stagnation: Interventions with Continuity and Scaling in Mind." Sustainability 8, no. 2: 155.
The United Nations predicts that 70% of the global population will be based in urban areas by 2050. National urbanization rates in the United States and Australia already exceed that level, typically characterized by sprawling cities. This paper reviews urbanization trends in Australia, drawing on recent research and national statistics, and includes a detailed case study of Perth, Western Australia. Perth represents a classic example of urban and peri-urban sprawl focused on a single dominant central business district. This paper explains the features of Perth, its urban form, its land-use and settlement patterns, and the reasons sprawl continues despite government initiatives to slow peripheral growth. A bespoke framework is used to integrate environmental, social, economic, and governance components within a political context and the authors attempt to highlight issues also faced by the U.S. engineering profession. Finally, the paper presents a set of practical indicators for engineers to use in integrated land-use infrastructure planning to help promote managed growth of urban areas and minimize sprawl.
Bradley T. Hiller; Barrie J Melotte; Stephen M. Hiller. Uncontrolled Sprawl or Managed Growth? An Australian Case Study. Leadership and Management in Engineering 2013, 13, 144 -170.
AMA StyleBradley T. Hiller, Barrie J Melotte, Stephen M. Hiller. Uncontrolled Sprawl or Managed Growth? An Australian Case Study. Leadership and Management in Engineering. 2013; 13 (3):144-170.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBradley T. Hiller; Barrie J Melotte; Stephen M. Hiller. 2013. "Uncontrolled Sprawl or Managed Growth? An Australian Case Study." Leadership and Management in Engineering 13, no. 3: 144-170.