Valentine U. James - Böcker

Sustainable development has been approached from many viewpoints over the past 15 years without a concise or precise definition of what sustainable development really stands for. James has solicited contributions from an international group of experts who write about aspects of sustainable development from many different disciplines. Their consensus is that sustainability depends upon concerted development across the spectrum of socioeconomic factors that affect the environment, natural resources, health, education, and welfare of the populations in the emerging nations. The necessity of incorporating indigenous knowledge with technological and international expertise has become crucial.

Sustainable development has traditionally neglected the contributions of women until recently. Government and institutions in developing countries, as well as foreign aid agencies, are just beginning to realize the important roles filled by women as farmers, entrepreneurs, food providers, educators, and role models in developing countries and are attempting to integrate women into nongovernmental organization projects and voluntary organization programs. According to James and his contributors, women should not be just acknowledged, they must be included in the planning, construction, implementation, and operation of development schemes in Africa in order for development to be successful and widespread.

Sustainable development has traditionally neglected the contributions of women until recently. Government and institutions in developing countries, as well as foreign aid agencies, are just beginning to realize the important roles filled by women as farmers, entrepreneurs, food providers, educators, and role models in developing countries and are attempting to integrate women into nongovernmental organization projects and voluntary organization programs. According to James and his contributors, women should not be just acknowledged, they must be included in the planning, construction, implementation, and operation of development schemes in Africa in order for development to be successful and widespread.

Women have historically provided vision and leadership to African countries and are now being recognized as pivotal to the overall sustainable development of Africa. In many cases, however, this recognition has not resulted in the empowerment of African women, who still face great discrimination. This edited volume explores the contributions women have made to all phases of development—planning, design, construction, implementation, and operation—and the obstacles they have had to face. Besides analyzing the current situation and identifying trends, the contributors also make recommendations for policy reform and for future planning.

Designed as a text for undergraduate and graduate level courses in Third World development, Resource Management in Developing Countries takes an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of resource management in developing countries. Focusing on Africa, James explains the reasons for the continent's declining resource base from historical, geographical, economic, and political perspectives, and illustrates the links among all these factors. He explores key resource management issues such as threats to ecological systems, water quality management and agricultural production, using case studies where appropriate to illustrate the decline in biological diversity and human potential, the political and economic instability, and the socio-cultural decay that contribute to Africa's resource management problems. James argues that Africa's great loss of natural resources is due to mismanagement by African leaders, multinationals, and colonial governments, and suggests possible solutions to this declining trend.The introductory chapter examines Africa's legacy of colonialism. The author next addresses threats to the continent's ecological systems and the impact of transnational firms on resource management. After describing specific resource bases: water, soils, river systems, and forests, James then compares and contrasts Africa's urban and rural differences-- using Nigeria as a case example. Subsequent chapters discuss the need for proper resource management, perceptions of resource management problems in Africa, likely future scenarios, and the resource management programs currently underway in Africa. James concludes that governments and private and international organizations must assist the African countries in efforts to save endangered species, protect forest and other resources, and provide an acceptable standard of living for the people. Students of planning, as well as policymakers in developing countries, will find this comprehensive treatment of the ecological consequences of various resource management policies in the Third World very informative.