No description available.

No description available.

This thesis looks at the organisation of social welfare in the town of Eldoret in Kenya. It outlines the structure of welfare services provided by a number of different individuals and agencies and the way the giving and receiving of aid performs a structuring role in this multi-racial and multi-tribal town. I have used an anthropological approach to investigate the nature of 'welfare', showing that it is often approached from the wrong direction. 'Welfare needs' are not something 'out there' waiting to be met, they are defined and highlighted by the welfare services themselves. An overview of the situation and the complexity of the urban structure reveals how problematical a definition of the concept of 'need' is. The history of welfare activity and the contemporary situation are described and discussed. It is shown that there is in the town a juxtaposition of many international, national and local groups willing to be involved in welfare work, and a number of people who feel that the problems which they encounter in the urban setting make them eligible for this aid. Throughout the history of the town the giving and receiving of aid has been one of the activities contributing to the acquisition of power and status for individuals and for groups. There is no form of coordinating structure to organise the many participants in the social welfare activities and gaps in the provision therefore exist. It is shown that self-help groups have often been formed which bridge the gaps and help the recipients, their members, gain access to welfare donors. These groups provide their members, and particularly their leaders, with the chance to accrue status and advance socially in the urban environment which, because of their lack of education or contacts, prevents their access to other sources of personal advancement. The role of the broker is highlighted both in the self-help groups and in the formal welfare agencies. It is argued that these actors, moving between the donors and the recipients provide structure and linkages in the fluid urban system. The implications of the research findings for welfare and aid planning in Kenya suggest that more attention should be paid to encouraging these self-help groups. There is also a need to adopt a means of coordinating the use of aid in the towns, perhaps making use of the broker role, so that the aid reaches the target population.

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is complex and a serious elephant conservation concern across Africa and Asia where elephants are found. HEC occurs whenever people and elephants share common interests. For HEC to be ameliorated and elephant conservation to be successful locally and regionally, the distribution and implications of HEC should be understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the spatial distribution of HECs and characterize elephant herds in terms of herd size responsible for crop-raiding in Kasigau. The study was generally guided by two working a priori hypotheses: (1) farms near the bush edge or livestock watering points will experience more crop raiding incidences than those farther away, and (2) given the geographical differences, the total cost of damage to crops sustained in all the farms will be different across the seven villages. For hypothesis 1, the distances of random farms to the bush and to the bush edge were mapped and measured on Google EarthTM. Results of the study showed that there were differences in the distribution of the distances from the bush and from water for farms that experienced damage and a random selection of farms (p < .0001). Additionally, total cost of damage to crops (Kruskal-Wallis; p < 0.0001), average cost of damage to crops per acre per incursion (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA; p = 0.0255) and mean cost of damage to crops and facilities (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA; p < 0.0001) were also found to be statistically different across all the villages. Four villages (Bungule,Ngambenyi, Makwasinyi, and Kisimenyi) sustained high total cost of damage to crops and average cost of damage to crops per acre per incursion indicating that these villages had similar elephant pressure. Ngambenyi village sustained the greatest cost of damage to crops while Kiteghe recorded the greatest average cost of damage to crops per acre per incursion. A posteriori hypotheses included: (1) there will be seasonal distribution of elephant attacks on farms. Results showed that the proportion of total crop-raiding incidents was different during wet and dry seasons in my study period (X2 = 5.49, df = 1, p < .019) with the greatest occurrence of attacks taking place in February, which coincided with crop maturity. This indicates that crop raiding incidents were most common during harvesting time. This result coincides with what was reported elsewhere. (2) there will be difference in the number of crop-raiding incidents by single and multiple elephant responsible for crop incursions in Kasigau. Results demonstrated that the number of crop-raiding incidents by single and multiple elephants were significantly different (X2 = 329.1037; df = 1; p < .0001). A total of 163 (72%) farm incursions were caused by elephant herds comprising multiple individuals while single elephants were responsible for 62 crop-raiding incidents, or 28% of total farm incursions. 100% (225 incursion) of crop incursions reported occurred during the night.

No description available.

Thesis (doctoral)--Kingston University, 1997. / BLDSC reference no.: DX205783.

Thesis--Uppsala. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 244-248).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 296-314).

Thesis--Uppsala. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 244-248).

No description available.