Location
Eldis is an online information service providing free access to relevant, up-to-date and diverse research on international development issues. The database includes over 40,000 summaries and provides free links to full-text research and policy documents from over 8,000 publishers. Each document is selected by members of our editorial team.
To help you get the information you need we organise documents into collections according to key development themes and the country or regionthey relate to. You can browse these on the website or find out about our subscribe options to get updates in a format that suits you.
Who produces ELDIS?
Eldis is hosted by IDS but our service profiles work by a growing global network of research organisations and knowledge brokers including 3ie, IGIDR in India, Soul Beat Africa, and the Philippines Institute for Development Studies.
These partners help to ensure that Eldis can present a truly global picture of development research. We make a special effort to cover high quality research from smaller research producers, especially those from developing countries, alongside that of the larger, northern based, research organisations.
Who uses ELDIS?
Our website is predominantly used by development practitioners, decision makers and researchers. Over half a million users visit the site every year and more than 50% of our regular visitors are based in developing countries.
But Eldis is not just a website. All of our content is Open Licensed so that it can be re-used by anyone that needs it. Website managers, applications developers and Open Data enthusiasts can all re-use Eldis content to enhance their own services or develop new tools. See our Get the Data page for more information.
Members:
Resources
Displaying 1111 - 1115 of 1156The adoption of soil conservation practices in Burkina Faso
Building soil conservation practices on a base of indigenous knowledge greatly increases the rate at which they are adopted by farmers in Burkina Faso. Indigenous soil conservation practices are ecologically sound and need to be taken into account when efforts are made to introduce modern agricultural techniques. This article provides an example of how soil conservation practices built upon local systems for conserving resources were preferred by small-scale farmers over newly introduced conservation techniques.
Indigenous Soil Classifications: What are their structure and function, and how do they compare with scientific soil classifications?
Focuses on two themes in the study of ethnopedology: (1) the hows and whys of indigenous soil classifications. (2) the differences and overlaps between indigenous soil classifications and western soil classifications. Aims to come to a synthesis of how to link the two sources of information to improve the success of cooperation in sustainable agricultural development.
Dynamic carrying capacity analysis as a tool for conceptualising and planning range management improvements, with a case study from India
The paper begins with a literature review of the basic theories which underpin range science. Two major approaches for determining carrying capacity (CC) are described, animal or plant oriented. The inherent problems with each approach are discussed in the light of a recent, wider debate, questioning the validity of CC as a range management tool.Methodological approaches for determination of CC, with inherent problems, are discussed.
Range degradation in Botswana: Myth or reality?
Paper attempts to dispel some of the confusion surrounding the application of the range degradation concept in Botswana. It has three objectives. First, to present the current thinking of range ecologists vis-a-vis range degradation. Second, to dismiss recent arguments that range degradation in Botswana is insignificant.
Carrying capacity, rangeland degradation and livestock development for the communal rangelands of Botswana
A useful debate is developing over carrying capacity and the degradation of communal rangelands in sub-Saharan Africa. With a few lonely exceptions, scientists and policy-makers have in the past claimed that degradation is universal and livestock productivity lowered because of overstocking on communal range. This position has been mainly dogmatic. More recent research has not supported dogmatists; hence the debate, which impinges on livestock development policy in Botswana.A new livestock development policy is being promoted by the Government of Botswana (Ministry of Agriculture 1991).