Successful Social Marketing for Health and Family Planning in Niger posted on: 2009-12-18
In 2003 the Government of Niger with financial support from the German Development Bank KfW engaged the consortium GFA Consulting Group / Constella Futures to launch a five year Condom Social Marketing Project. Following intensive research and the participation of key partners and the public alike, an attractively packaged Nigerienne condom was developed and placed on the private sector market.
by:  Ina Rosenstiel, GFA Consulting Group
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Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) an Effective Tool for Private Sector Involvement in Development posted on: 2009-11-30
Public funding alone will not be enough to alleviate poverty and especially to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015. The private sector is the main engine of economic development, therefore private-public partnerships can be a very effective tool to achieve economic, social and environmental development goals.
by:  Hans-Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert, GFA Consulting Group
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The South African Urban Renewal Programme (URP): Development of rural/urban nodes in the context of migration posted on: 2009-10-15
The Urban Renewal Programme (URP) and its rural nexus, the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP) were launched, by President Mbeki in his 2001 State of the Nation Address to conduct a sustained campaign against rural and urban poverty and underdevelopment, bringing in the resources of all three spheres of government in a co-ordinated manner. The URP as a strategy is routed through local municipalities, using mechanisms of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) as provided for in the Municipal Systems Act (2002). The agenda for the URP is physical and social re-engineering of townships (so called urban nodes) to break the inheritance of the past. The main focus of the URP is the renewal of townships in the sense of spatial, social and economic integration. In the center of attention is better public service delivery, connectivity and job creation. The aforementioned challenge is further amplified by the present fact that townships apart from hosting the majority of South African population and suffering from huge infrastructural back logs are increasingly netrecipients of migration flows both, rural-urban and circular. In short: Townships renewal or transformation respectively and successful migration in South Africa are inseparable; both related and interdependent.
by:  Anke Küsel, GFA Consulting Group
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Sustainable Conservation Management in Sub-Saharan Africa 20 Years of Experience in Keeping the Balance between Conservation and Development posted on: 2009-09-14
Across the globe, awareness is growing that nature and climate protection implies a close connection of resource utilisation in the developed and the developing countries. With its vast nature reserves - in many cases overlapping national boundaries and still in a virtually pristine state - Africa is at the centre of the international efforts to achieve sustainable conservation management.
by:  Christoph Schaefer - Kehnert, GFA Consulting Group
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"Palliris": Female Miners in BOLIVIA posted on: 2008-06-30
Bolivian women extracting minerals in front yards of mines are typically called "palliris" and are usually widows of miners, abandoned women or single mothers. The word "Palliris" originates from the quechua verb form "pallai" that means "chose".
by:  Sohrab Tawackoli and Tarik Kubach, GFA Consulting Group
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Philippine President opens the 1st International Conference on Local Government Financing posted on: 2007-11-27
After 8 months of development the Phil. version of iTAX is already in use in 11 pilot-LGUs in the Province of Negros Oriental in the Philippines. The actual version, based on the iTAX-Version for the tax administration in Tanzania, was designed by the GFA Local Team leader in Dumaguete City for the Tanzanian Revenue Authority (TRA) in the year 2000 in Dar Es Salam.
by:  Ernst- Dieter Fuchs
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Financial Sector Development and Capacity Building: The Case of Syria posted on: 2007-02-19
BSSP II aims at assisting in the first stages of the institutional, legislative, and operational modernization of the Syrian banking sector by rationalizing banking procedures and improving banking services and products. One of the focus areas is the improvement of the skills of staff and management at different levels of the public and private banks as well as the Central Bank. The following document aims at highlighting the enormous Human Resource Development (HRD) efforts needed to modernize the economic systems of the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa), in particular in Syria. It will in a first step describe the general education and training situation in the MENA countries, before pointing out the specific situation in Syria. In the second part, the scope and need for training activities within the BSSP II project will be outlined. Finally, it describes how overall deficiencies in education and training affect the Syrian financial sector and what lessons can be drawn for the implementation of the Banking Sector Support Programme II.
by:  Ali Sabet, international training expert in the EU financed Banking Sector Support Programme II (BSSP II) in Syria
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Public-Private-Partnership in irrigation - A magic formula? posted on: 2006-12-01
No doubt, the present article draws heavily on what I was allowed to get to know during an international seminar on public-private-partnership in irrigation management (PPP, pronounce: "peepeepee", unlike some of my South Asian co-seminar fellows swallowing the last syllable - or sometimes the first) organised by INPIM (International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management). But should we digest what we get to know without chewing? No; getting to know becomes only then learning when the new knowledge is referred to what is already known and when it is put into a greater context.
by:  Christian Rake, GFA Consulting Group
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Project Experiences with Land Management in Countries in Transition posted on: 2006-11-01
The process of managing resources on land is described as Land Management. The main challenge in Land Management is to manage the use of land resources in a way balancing the interests between owners, municipalities, state institutions and the whole society. All Land Management projects in transition and developing countries require an effective system of Land Administration (LA). This system is responsible for managing the information on land resources and hence for achieving an efficient Land Management (LM). Efficient LM requires reliable data to provide correct and complete records for administrative decisions. Therefore, the essential task consists in the provision of a functioning system with complete and up-to-date data. Both in Georgia and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Land Administration and Land Management projects of considerable size have been carried out with the assistance of international consultants. The experiences and lessons learnt shall be spelled out in this article.
by:  Gernod SCHINDLER, GCI; Ronald SCHMIEDER, GCI; Jasper LAUERT, GFA Consulting Group
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Agricultural Research for Development in Eastern and Central Africa posted on: 2006-10-23
Agriculture is widely perceived as the engine for Africa's overall economic development. Increased agricultural productivity and sustained agricultural growth rates higher than in the past are the necessary conditions. To achieve these, Africa needs improved technologies and practices adapted to the many varied agro-ecological, socio-economic and market circumstances across the continent. Agricultural research efforts are needed to change past trends of poor agricultural performance.
by:  Michael Duerr, GFA Consulting Group
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National Agricultural Advisory Services in Uganda posted on: 2006-10-04
In 2001, the Government of Uganda launched a new and innovative programme for agricultural service delivery - the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Programme - to help the 80% of the population which is involved in subsistence agriculture. To endorse the Government's commitment to improving the livelihoods of the rural population, the NAADS programme was passed by law through its Act of 2001. It is a 25 year phased programme which is not only spearheading agricultural development in Uganda but is also providing the blueprint for private sector delivery of agricultural advisory services in Africa as a whole.
by:  Sally Bastow and Christoph Batzlen, GFA Consulting Group
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Benefit Sharing in Community Forest Management; Successfully Piloted in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam posted on: 2006-09-14
On 29 August 2006, two recently completed pilots on benefit sharing in community forest management (CFM) were evaluated during a workshop in Buon Ma Thuot City.
by:  Daniel Wahby, GFA Consulting Group
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Integral solid residue and waste management in Guatemala A systemic national policy with local impact posted on: 2006-06-12
An institutional arrangement as the basis for working with multiple players on different levels.
by:  Martin Lux, Rodolfo Cardona, Rita Kotov
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Clarification of competencies for the decentralization of the National Coordination Agency for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) posted on: 2006-05-09
Natural disasters such as the tropical storm "Stan", which caused extensive damage in September 2005 in Guatemala and neighboring countries highlight the importance of clarity of sector and institutional competencies and their respective compliance for adequate risk management and impact reduction.
by:  Oscar Rojas, Martin Lux, Rita Kotov
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Introduction of payment for environmental services in the municipal water regulation of San Jerónimo Municipality in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala posted on: 2006-04-06
Every day it becomes more evident that environmental protection and economics cannot be dealt with separately, since the natural environment is present in every economic activity and its mismanagement may not only threaten economic benefits but even human safety, as in the case of natural disasters.
by:  Oscar Rojas, Martin Lux, Rita Kotov
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Agriculture in Uganda posted on: 2005-12-30
In 2001, the Government of Uganda launched a new and innovative programme for agricultural service delivery - the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) Programme - to help the 80% of the population which is involved in subsistence agriculture. To endorse the Government's commitment to improving the livelihoods of the rural population, the NAADS programme was passed by law through its Act of 2001. It is a 25 year phased programme which is not only spearheading agricultural development in Uganda but is also providing the blueprint for private sector delivery of agricultural advisory services in Africa as a whole.
by:  Sally Bastow, GFA Consulting Group
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Bolivian-German Development Cooperation in Protected Areas - Objectives, Activities and Impacts in Relation to the Millennium Development Goals posted on: 2005-11-29
Bolivia is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse countries in the world. Over the last ten years, its National System of Protected Areas has grown in size by more than 1000%. Today it covers about 20% of the country's territory; the 22 national protected areas alone have an extension of approximately 170,000 km² (equal to 15% of the country). More than 150,000 people live in the national protected areas, and they are economically and socially as well as ecologically related to about 100 municipalities with a population of more than two million. This situation is reflected in state norms and policies that focus on "protected areas with people", emphasising people's right to live permanently and improve their living conditions in these areas.
by:  Lutz Horn-Haacke (GFA Consulting Group) and Jürgen Czervenka (GFA Consulting Group) with contributions from Nicole Häussler (CIM), Dirk Hoffmann (CIM) and Martin Jovanov (DED Bolivia)
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Quenching Beijing's Thirst: The Need for Integrated Management for the Endangered Miyun Resevoir posted on: 2005-08-16
Miyun reservoir, a large reservoir northeast of Beijing municipality, is the Chinese capital's most important source of drinking water. For many years the Beijing municipal government has made great eforts to protect the reservoir and its catchment area. However, successful implementation has been hampered by numerous user conflicts. This paper investigates the origin and various types of conflicts, which include inter-provincial, city-county disputes, as wel as conflicts between county government and local residents living in the water protection zone. The magnitude of these conflicts and continued deteriorating quality of the reservoir underline the need for integrated watershed management approaches as stipulated in the 2002 revised Water Law, and the adoption of a water economy that includes the costs for water protection and compensation for those required to carry out watershed protection activities.
by:  Christoph Peisert (GFA Consulting Group) and Eva Sternfeld (CIM)
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Community Based Geographical Information Systems as a basic tool for environmental and disaster risk management posted on: 2005-08-12
In recent years the east region of Guatemala, bordering with Honduras and El Salvador was exposed to several droughts. This led to a severe nutrition crisis in rural areas and increased forest fires in the watersheds, augmenting the vulnerability of the region. Especially in the mountainous areas the majority of the population is indigenous, with very limited access to arable land. A regional information system network helped to integrate disaster risk reduction and environmental management. The involved actors / important stakeholders established relations between local, regional, national and even international levels. As this example in the rural central American context shows, one of the key elements for the successful implementation was the creation of a network and the effectiveness of strategic alliances among local, regional and national as even the international level. The ownership of strong local actors, who coordinate the support from different agencies rather than being influenced only by externals, is crucial for the generation of internal dynamics.
by:  Martin Lux, Diana Gallrapp, Oscar Rojas and Elfriede Maussner, GFA Consulting Group
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Survey on Wood Product Certification Systems in Germany posted on: 2005-04-11
GFA is presently the only company with headquarters in Germany that is accredited for the worldwide certification of forest and wood-processing enterprises (Chain of Custody, CoC), in line with the internationally most recognized FSC standard. The GFA Certification Department currently looks after approx. 150 customers in 17 different countries. In collaboration with an official Quality Assurance Association, GFA also offers a Combined FSC/PEFC CoC Certification. In the context of a master thesis carried out at the University of Hamburg, FSC and/or PEFC certified companies within the Chain of Custody in Germany were interviewed regarding their experiences with the certification process and the received certificate.
by:  Torge Petersen, GFA Consulting Group
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Monitoring and Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Programmes posted on: 2004-12-22
Monitoring and evaluation (M & E) of natural resource management programmes is becoming an increasingly complex subject. Its purpose is to assess progress towards improved resource conditions by presenting information on regions' policies, programme performance, and natural resource status. Impact monitoring seems to be the most difficult part. The underlying assumptions of the causes and driving forces behind environmental degradation have to be discussed by specialists from various disciplines. Indicators have to be specified and long-term observations and measurements have to be financed by various stakeholders. In developing and emerging countries this usually means long-term external financing if programmes are to be sustained locally after the project's end.
by:  Johannes Lagemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Site Mapping - a Precondition for Sustainable Forestry posted on: 2004-11-26
Most of the afforestation activities financed by the international donor community suffer world-wide from low survival rates of the seedlings. One of the reasons for the bad performance of plantations is inadequate site/species matching. Against this background, GFA-Terra Systems developed a simple method of site mapping which has been developed and tested in a number of afforestation projects in Viet Nam. The results clearly indicate higher survival rates of the seedlings. Therefore, the authors argue that the explained technique can also be applied in other afforestation projects provided it is tailored to the prevailing conditions of the respective area.
by:  Joachim-F.Kirchhoff and Nguyen Khac Ninh, GFA Consulting Group
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Viet Nam's Plantation Forestry at the Crossroads - Innovative versus conventional approaches posted on: 2004-11-08
The rehabilitation of degraded forest lands was high on the agenda of the Vietnamese Government during the last two decades. To this end, the Government launched two massive afforestation programs to halt deforestation. The first program (Decree 327) started in 1992 but was abandoned in 1998. The second program (Decree 661 or 'Five Million ha Reforestation Program') followed with the ambitious target to reach an average forest cover of 43% until 2010.
by:  Joachim-F. Kirchhoff and Ulrich Apel, GFA Consulting Group
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REFLECTIONS ON PARTICIPATION: THE CASE OF SMALL IRRIGATION SCHEME REHABILITATION posted on: 2004-09-17
The imperative of a participatory approach in land management projects, either by investment in irrigation or in anti-erosive measures, has already been demonstrated in various cases. It is the only guarantee of real ownership of the installations by the local beneficiaries that will use them but – with a view to the sustainability of the investments – should also ensure their maintenance. Certainly, a participatory approach requires great efforts in the fields of communication, diagnosis and participatory planning, transparency, and seriousness of the main stakeholders. However, the other constituent element of a participatory approach is the contribution of beneficiaries to the investments in order to ensure ownership. The present text mainly deals with this latter aspect.
by:  Christian Rake, GFA Consulting Group
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Carbonsequestration - Waiting for the green light posted on: 2004-06-21
High-quality FCP will play an important role in the global strategy to combat climate change. Besides generating carbon credits, highquality forestry will provide a positive public image. Green investment schemes or combining ODA with CDM for project finance would have the potential to reduce costs and country risk for private investors. Ideas for combining bio-energy and fuel production in energy plantations can reap double benefits:
by:  Joachim Schnurr, Michael Dutschke, Gerald Kapp,GFA Consulting Group
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Higher Synergy Through Coordinated Donor Intervention posted on: 2004-06-07
National governments, donors, implementing agencies and local partners recognise the urgent need for higher impacts of bi- and multilateral development aid. Synergy and complementarity, harmonisation and avoiding duplication are the buzz words often heard and discussed during donor coordination meetings. PRSP led multi-donor intervention, SWAPS, budgetary support follow this new intervention logic. The example of two projects in Vietnam, a German and a Swiss funded development project in the Dak Lak and Dak Nong Provinces in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, shows that at project level, where clearly defined activities are implemented, such coordination may be much easier and direct cooperation more tangible.
by:  Daniel Wahby, GFA Consulting Group
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Land Use Planning in Forestry - Necessity and Challenge posted on: 2004-05-10
Currently 81 million people live in Vietnam2 of which some 70 percent (57 million) depend on agriculture. The country's population will continue to grow over the next 20 years. The land area, however, is limited to about 33 million ha of which some 7 million ha are suitable for agriculture (22% of the total land area). These figures indicate that the majority of the population makes a living out of very small pieces of land averaging not more than 0. 12 ha per person. In view of this fact, it may be concluded that the accurate and socially acceptable allocation of land to different kinds of land use is fundamental for the development and performance of the agriculture and forestry sector.
by:  Joachim- F. Kirchhoff [1], GFA Consulting Group
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Poverty Reduction through Resource Protection in Viet Nam posted on: 2004-04-27
How can the forestry sector contribute to the reduction of poverty? An innovative approach developed by GFA has been successfully implemented in Vietnam since 1995.
by:  Joachim-F.Kirchhoff, GFA Consulting Group
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The Resource Allocation Strategy as a Key to Irrigation Project Design posted on: 2004-01-05
The way in which resources (mainly land and water) are allocated within an irrigation project is crucial for determining whether the project's social and production objectives can be reached and also if the project will be sustainable in the long run. This article presents three examples of preparatory phases or feasibility studies for irrigation projects in Latin America and Africa. These examples provide a practical example of how resource allocation considerations are taken into account and what repercussions they have on overall project design.
by:  Lutz Horn-Haacke, GFA Consulting Group
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Developing BDS Markets: Product Development and Commercialisation in Ghana posted on: 2003-12-22
The PSME "Promotion of Small and Micro Enterprises" Project focuses on financial assistance to enterprises via a credit fund, and on market development for selected BDS (Business Development Services) with the aim to develop or improve BDS products for small enterprises (SEs), to build supplier capacity in product development and marketing, and thereby to sustainably increase the purchase of selected BDS.
by:  Katja Legien, GFA Consulting Group
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The Potential Environmental Impacts of CAP Mid Term Review Proposals posted on: 2003-10-16
The European Commission (EC) published its latest proposals for the Mid Term Review (MTR) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in January 2003 under the title "A Long Term Policy Perspective for Sustainable Agriculture". This paper summarises the likely impacts of the CAP-Reform at the farm level in England and provides a qualitative assessment of the likely environmental impacts based on a multi-dimension approach.
by:  Paul Silcock, GFA Consulting Group
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THE TURKISH CONSULTING SECTOR posted on: 2003-06-13
The Turkish consulting sector is very traditional and more in an infant stage of development. It mainly offers management consultancy services in the relatively new and growing sector of the market, and classical consulting engineering as well as auditing and accountancy services. According to the World Bank, especially shortcomings in auditing and accountancy have contributed to the recent crisis. Similar to the situation in other emerging markets, the demand for consultancy services is mainly originating from bigger sized companies. Small and medium sized companies are unaware of consulting regardless of an intrinsic need of such services. So far there are only small scale and piecemeal efforts to develop the consulting market for SMEs. The Turkish consulting companies would like the Government to be more active in regulation and quality control of service providers. With the EU integration and enhanced competition in the Turkish economy they expect increasing demand for their services.
by:  Frank Alleweldt (Coordination), Levent Cinemre (Interviews and local reporting), Senda Kara (Research), GFA Consulting Group
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THE PAKISTANI CONSULTING SECTOR posted on: 2003-05-12
One of GFA-Management`s core activities is the development and strengthening of markets for business services in developing and transformation countries. Although there are generic tools to initiate and speed up the market development process, tools and instruments have to be adapted as country specifics have to be taken into account. At the start of the consultancy process GFA Management has to elaborate a profile of the consulting sector in a particular country and create a common understanding of the starting situation between all involved parties. The following paper gives an example of such a profile. It starts with (i) a market overview which wraps up the supply and demand situation, followed by a (ii) short description of the framework conditions and finally gives (iii) a view on past policies and future policy perspectives.
by:  Frank Niemann, GFA Consulting Group
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The Untapped Potential: Self-governing Communities for Public Service Provision in Rural Areas - The Kilifi Experience posted on: 2003-04-24
Community driven development comes into the focus of an increasing number of development organisations. This article summarizes the experience of the Kilifi District Development Programme, a district-based, multi-sectoral rural development programme situated at the North Coast of Kenya. It is supporting 100 communities to plan and manage their own development initiatives for poverty reduction. Experience shows that communities, even in the remotest rural areas, can organise themselves according to democratic principles and can greatly contribute to their own social and economic development. Traditional village leaders can be part of modern self-governing structures. To safeguard and expand on the achievements, the right of communities to govern themselves needs to be legally recognized. Especially in the initial stage, communities need to be technically and financially assisted in their aspirations to improve their living situation. To disseminate the positive experience, a huge national effort would be required alongside the establishment of decentralised technical and fiscal support systems. However, the national costs of introducing the concept can be almost balanced by the savings made through the lower-than-usual costs, if communal projects are not commissioned to government departments or commercial enterprises, but are implemented and thereafter managed by the communities themselves using their own resources and possibilities.
by:  Walter Salzer, GFA Consulting Group
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RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE IN 2002 - OBSERVATIONS, POTENTIALS, TENDENCIES, BARRIERS posted on: 2003-01-27
This paper is based on the authors experience inside Russia, inside the EU and in other transformation countries during the last 10 years. Tables with gross margin calculations and sector statistics are available upon request.
by:  Martin Struck , Heinz-W. Strubenhoff, GFA Consulting Group
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Turning BDS Into Business Chapter 1: BDS and the 'new economy' posted on: 2002-11-29
Recently, industrialized countries have realized that BDS are the core of what has become known as the 'new economy'. In reaction to past strong growth and employment creation, many industrialized countries now place 'new SMEs' from the knowledge-based business service sector at the center of their SME development policies.
by:  Frank Niemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Turning BDS Into Business Chapter 2: What drives BDS markets – Experience from industrialized countries posted on: 2002-11-28
Past strong growth of BDS in industrialized countries has been brought forward by a number of driving forces such as globalization, technological change, capital investment, public standards and norms, outsourcing and enterprise start-up. Providers have grasped new opportunities by means of active product development and marketing and unbundling 'embedded' service provision. While several such driving forces are also at work in Indonesia, their outreach is restricted by constraints in the business environment.
by:  Frank Niemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Turning BDS Into Business Chapter 3: International best practice in developing BDS markets posted on: 2002-11-27
Retrospective analysis of the politically unintended growth of the BDS sector is promoting international consensus on the benefits of favorable framework conditions over specific support measures. Policies should focus on enhancing competitive pressure, liberalizing service markets, and education policies that emphasize multidisciplinary and lifelong learning. Review of standards and norms and promotion of a corporate governance regime that supports an open and contestable market for corporate control deserves particular attention.Due to their relatively low outreach, transaction-level interventions can support such policies, but not replace them. Program funding and institutional sponsorships have been found to have negatively affected BDS markets in Indonesia and elsewhere. Matching grants are increasingly regarded skeptically due to their potentially distorting effects, but remain an option for temporarily supporting very early stages of service development. Increasing attention is given to voucher programs as a cost-efficient instrument for enhancing service demand.
by:  Frank Niemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Turning BDS Into Business Chapter 4: Challenges and recommendations for Indonesia posted on: 2002-11-26
BDS are not driving development and modernization of SMEs, and can in isolation improve SMEs competitiveness. Rather, the role of BDS is to support modernization processes that have been triggered off by changes in SMEs' business environment. Priority has to be given to creating a business environment in Indonesia that provides incentives for innovation and quality improvement, promotes competi-tion, and enables SMEs to grasp new opportunities. Market liberaliza-tion, improving SME's access to finance, enhancing tax coverage and tax compliance, and a new approach towards enforcement of norms and standards based on certification by accredited providers, deserve particular attention in this respect.Government and donors should accept that BDS provision is essen-tially a private sector task and activity, and phase out institutional sponsorships. BDS supply can be strengthened through provider networking and improving relevant academic education. In order to address specific skills deficits of providers, matching grant schemes for business diagnostics, product & process improvement, and market research by business associations are recommended.
by:  Frank Niemann, GFA Consulting Group
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Improving the Regulatory Framework for SMEs: Streamlining Business Formalization Procedures and Facilitating One-Stop-Services posted on: 2002-11-22
Regulations often create barriers to market entry and compliance cost in terms of time and money. Those Regulation enforced by a inefficient/ corrupt bureaucracy cause additional compliance costs (more time/ more money). Those two aspects of the regulatory framework, which are in fact two sides of one coin, have to be considered if we analyze the impact of business formalization procedures on SMEs. Flexible business entry and exit are essential for a competitive business environment. Government shapes this environment by its business formalization policy, i.e. the regulatory framework set out for a business to obtain and maintain a legal status throughout its lifecycle. The scale of the formalization process is often excessive and so is the interface with bureaucracy. In order to create a conducive regulatory environment for SMEs a reform of inadequate business licenses procedures, business registration and other formal requirements is essential. This goal can be achieved by (i) assessing the impact of regulations on SMEs and if necessary streamline inhibitive laws and regulations (Regulatory Review), and (ii) by transforming public sector business administration into SME-friendly service facilitation. Important factors in reviewing and streamlining the regulative business formalization framework are: - Considering a simple notification before starting a business ; - Introducing of a single business license or registration as the primary formalization requirement; - Reducing requirements and shifting the burden of information provision to the Government. Important factors to simplify the access to business formalization and transforming public business administration into a SME friendly service administrator are: - Introduction of One Stop Shops as gateways (single points of access and information under one roof); - Engender customer-oriented service culture by creating transparency and accountability; - Speed up processing time and efficiency by introducing IT services and a better Management and Information System.
by:  Kai Hauerstein,GFA Consulting Group
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GFA Project Successful in Poverty Reduction in Guatemala through Rural Micro-Enterprise Development posted on: 2002-10-09
Independent research carried out shows that the PROQED project in Guatemala, implemented by GFA Terra Systems within a GTZ contract, has an impact on poverty reduction. PRODEQ has systematically supported the development of micro-enterprises in rural areas of Guatemala. The main activities have focussed on working groups formed by women in the handicraft sector (weaving, ceramic). The following article has been published by the GFA team leader, Oskar Linn, and the independent researcher, Nikolas Gennrich.
by:  Nikolas Gennrich, Oskar Linn, GFA Consulting Group
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Using SWOT for Project Team Planning Sessions posted on: 2002-10-09
This paper presents a simple but effective method for strategic conversation and project planning, based on the classical SWOT analysis.
by:  Lutz Horn-Haacke, GFA Consulting Group
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A Provisional Catalogue of Soundness Criteria for User-Oriented Approaches to Natural Resource Management posted on: 2002-10-09
Over the past decade it has been become more commonplace to approach sustainable resource management and conservation in user-oriented terms. "User-oriented" means involving the stakeholders in resource use in the definition, establishment and operation of new, sustainable resource management systems. The following article is an appendix to the article of Lutz Horn published in the latest GFA Publication on "Natural Resource Management between Economic Development and Nature Conservation". The new GFA Publication can be ordered at Wissenschaftsverlag Vauk, Kiel/Germany. ISBN No. 3-8175-0311-3.
by:  Lutz Horn, GFA Consulting Group
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CONCEPT FOR COMMUNITY FORESTRY MANAGEMENT posted on: 2002-10-09
After a trial period of two years, the SFDP project has been charged since 1992 by the then Department of Forestry to develop and test approaches to Community Forest Management (CFM) in a working area of 100,000 ha which has been set up around a former concession area. The political changes in Indonesia over the last years, most prominently the far-reaching decentralization policies also in the forestry sector, have made the project approach highly relevant by shifting the focus from the national to regional and community levels, and from forest exploitation for the benefit of a few to sustainable management for the benefit of local people. The project has given continuous input into the development of policies and the setting up of a legal framework for the implementation of social forestry in Indonesia at all policy levels. Moreover, the project tested and implemented almost all components developed together with counterpart agencies, NGO’s and the local population. Thus, there are tangible socio-economic and ecological impacts. Special focus has been laid on institutional development. National and international agencies in Indonesia are convinced that the results of the project with the four pillars: Concept Development – Policy Advice– Institutional Development – Field Implementation will have a lasting effect on forest policy development and can contribute significantly to a more sustainable future forest management in Indonesia. The document “Concept for Community Forest Management: Proposal for Replication in Indonesia” represents the final concepts, conclusions and recommendations of 10 years field experience. It is also available in the Indonesian Language.
by:  Martin Lux, GFA Consulting Group
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User-Oriented Natural Resource Management - Guiding Questions for Project Planning and Implementation posted on: 2002-09-25
An almost immeasurable number of publications on participation and natural resource management in development cooperation is available. The intention of this paper is to develop a relatively simple but extendable structure for the design of user-oriented approaches that can be applied in natural resource management. “User orientation” in this context means that stakeholders are involved in the design, establishment, and operation of a natural resource management system. Projects which might be interested in the approach presented here can, among other things, be found in the following fields: - Erosion control - Rangeland management - Fishing - Irrigation - Watershed management - Buffer zone management - Communal forestry/reforestation
by:  Lutz Horn-Haacke, GFA Consulting Group
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ON-SITE PROCESSING OF TIMBER AS A KEY TECHNOLOGY posted on: 2002-08-26
Community Forestry (CF) is widely understood to be an approach whereby local communities become the main actors in managing adjacent forests. Nevertheless, there is still a broad range of perceptions how and where CF can be implemented. It has been the task of the Social Forestry Development Project (SFDP) in West-Kalimantan to develop a model for the sustainable management of natural forests by local communities. The working definition of community forestry used in the project is as follows: Community Forestry is a management system whereby the local communities that have traditional rights over the forests, become main actors in, and the main beneficiaries from, the management of the forest resources in an area with sufficient natural forests still remaining so that their management can contribute significantly to an integrated, regional development. This means the approach, as developed and proposed by Social Forestry Development Project, includes all forest related activities inside and outside existing natural forest areas. It refers to reforestation and land rehabilitation as well as natural forest management with the assumption that the sustainable management of the natural forest resources can be used as a lasting source of capital for rural, regional development. Participatory land use planning, which leads to secure, long-term land use rights and clarification of rights and responsibilities, is a fundamental prerequisite for the implementation of community forestry. Bearing in mind that community forestry is a cross-sector approach, this article will focus on natural forest management and show how the technical solution developed in the SFDP, can contribute to a sustainable and integrated land management with local communities as main actors and beneficiaries.
by:  Martin Lux, GFA Consulting Group
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Deposit Accounts and Reforestation in Viet Nam posted on: 2002-06-06
The Projects’ general objective is to contribute to the protection of forest resources and generation of income in remote and disadvantaged areas. The scope includes afforestation of about 60,000 ha of bare lands and the subsequent management of the plantation. The centerpiece of the Project’s design is the establishment of deposit accounts for upland farmers participating in planting and maintenance. This paper describes the impacts of three current Afforestation Projects supported by the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and GFA Terra Systems. For most of the participating households, it was the first time that they had any contact to a bank. The prolonged period of payments from the saving account also opens opportunities for farmers to plan and invest in other activities that generate cash income (e.g. improved agriculture or horticulture). The design permits a linkage to credit lines supporting agricultural and horticultural based farming systems. Moreover, farm households get used to banking procedures which increases their general ability to apply for credits. Smallholders develop an interest in forestry activities, in particular those that benefit the small farm. Consequently, farmers favor tree species that provide a regular and possibly annual income.
by:  Joachim F. Kirchhoff, GFA Consulting Group
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Water Supply issues in developing countries posted on: 2001-11-22
Water supply in many developing countries is characterized by low efficiencies, no reinvestments and high rates of water losses. Sector reform issues, Governments role in the management of water resources and its mandate to regulate the sector and its stakeholders are discussed. Water services are best delivered by autonomous agencies, either private, public-private or co-operative entities. Three case studies are briefly presented and the services of GFA Management in the water and waste water sector are outlined.
by:  Winfried Borowczak and Kurt Nieradtka, GFA Consulting Group
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Poverty Reduction through Reforestation in Northern Viet Nam posted on: 2001-09-10
The estimated area of designated forest lands in Viet Nam amounts to 18.6 million ha. At the current rate of deforestation (some 100,000 ha/year), the country will lose most of its natural forests and the respective biodiversity within the next 10-15 years. Projects to be prepared for foreign funding will have to adequately address the underlying root causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Viet Nam which will necessarily include (i) rural poverty and high under- and unemployment; (ii) insufficient arable land and regional high population densities; (iii) limited institutional capacity with low numbers of trained field personnel; (iv) the general scarcity of financial resources; (v) lack of tenure security and conflicting land use policies, and (vi) unsustainable forest exploitation and management practices mainly by state forest enterprises (SFE).
by:  J.-F.Kirchhoff 1) , H. Kraienhorst 2) , and Ha Van Hung 3), GFA Consulting Group
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IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT posted on: 2001-09-10
Irrigation water is an indispensable production factor in many regions and this resource is becoming scarcer world-wide. The key to successful irrigation projects is the mutual supportiveness of irrigation infrastructure and irrigation organisation. A brief overview is given on a strategy for the development of irrigation projects, the importance of irrigation rehabilitation, and a broader context: water resources management
by:  Lutz Horn, GFA Consulting Group
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