Staff Profile:Dr Henny Osbahr

Name:

Dr Henny Osbahr

Job Title:

Lecturer in International Development

Responsibilities:

• Deputy Director Graduate Institute of International Development and Applied Economics
• Programme Director MA Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods
• Convener for MA modules Food Security and Famine, Social Policies for Development
• Lecturer BA module International Development: Global and Local Issues, Food Security and Famine 

Areas of Interest:

• Political ecology, sustainable livelihoods and the human-environment interface
• Adaptation to climate change and climate-related disasters
• Resilience in rural livelihoods and natural resource management, particularly in rural Africa
• Local knowledge systems
• Poverty, governance and aid

Research groups / Centres:

Recent and Current Research Activities

• Pathways of rural transformation: environmental governance and resilient pastoral livelihoods focuses on drivers of change, natural resources/land use patterns, local political ecology in the Uganda cattle corridor, and implications for policy (with Mbarara University of Science of Technology, Farm-AFRICA and National Agricultural Research Organisation Uganda) – part of Interdisciplinary research capacity development for poverty reduction and sustainable development in vulnerable populations in Uganda (DELPHE - funded by DFID and British Council).
• Resilience, Realities and Research in African Environments (funded by ESRC/NERC) - critical questions in socio-ecological resilience and environmental change in Africa . International workshop was held in June 2007 with scientists, NGOs and policy makers to discuss resilience thinking for development policy and practice ( download pdf report). A series of follow up meetings and research outputs are being held at APD, Reading.
• International Development Programme, Tyndall Centre/Oxford University http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/research/programme4, targets the need to bring adaptation and mitigation into development policy agendas, and to design, implement and evaluate international development under the constraints and opportunities of global warming. Africa has special attention in the programme because of its particular vulnerability to climate change and to match the priorities of the UK and international initiatives on poverty. International workshop on climate change and development was held in March 2007 with scientists, policy makers, and NGOs on the design and application of mechanisms to incorporate climate change adaptation and mitigation into development programmes (download pdf report). Meta-analyses of vulnerability and adaptation were carried out to synthesise data on institutional, economic, social and development linkages. The results were used to assess the role of climate parameters and climate change on the effectiveness of development programmes and activities.
• Adapting to Climate Change (ADAPTIVE Project) , funded by Tyndall Centre - Interdisciplinary programme exploring patterns and processes of adaptation responses and planning to different types of regionalised climate change by natural resource-dependent societies across southern Africa . Locations included those affected by drought, flooding and variable climate. Case studies were used to understand successful public mobilisation, coalition-building and diverse agent strategies to manage risk (through hybrid adaptive co-management), which may influence future adaptive capacity and interventions for poverty alleviation and rural development. The results have significant implications for in-country decision makers (e.g. mechanisms for adaptive governance, scale dimensions of practice) and have been disseminated to this purpose. Partnered with: Oxfam-GB, University of Cape Town, Potchefstroom University NW and collaboration with: Nkuzi Development Association (South Africa), University Eduardo Mondlane (Maputo), Save the Children US, Department of Agriculture (South Africa/Mozambique) and the National Institute for Disaster Management (Mozambique).

Current/Recent Research Students:

• Debodayita Raha (PhD Reading) Women's inclusion in agricultural extension policy frameworks in India
• Naser Farid (PhD Reading) Drivers of food security in monga-prone less favoured north-west Bangladesh: analysis and implications for policy making
• Sarah Cardey (PhD Reading) NGO Communication and HIV/AIDS vulnerability in Uganda
• Ariane Kehlbacher (PhD Student Reading) Advisor
• Alexandra Conliffe (PhD Oxford) Livelihood and national adaptations to drought in Uzbekistan
• Florence Crick (PhD Oxford 2007 )Adaptive strategies to drought in Niger and South Africa
• Jennifer Orr (MSc Oxford 2007) Effective agricultural development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya : linking climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and development
• Anna Lyons (MSc Oxford 2007) Viewing development interventions through the lens of resilience: a case study of Isingiro District , Uganda. 

Also see research in:

• Nature Editorial. How to survive a warming world 2007 446: 716-717
• See Oxfam GB Climate Change website http://www.oxfam.co.uk/resources/issues/climatechange/introduction.html)
• Notes to Stern Review
• Invited case study contributions to pre-G8 joint NGO international awareness document 'Africa -up in Smoke: the second report from the Working Group on Climate Change and Development'. New Economic Foundation, London (download pdf).
  

Publications:

• Thomas, D.S.G., Twyman, C., Osbahr, H. and Hewitson, B. 2007 Adapting to climate change and variability in southern Africa : farmer responses to intra-seasonal precipitation trends. Climatic Change 83: 301-322.
• Lemos, M.C., Boyd, E., Osbahr, H. Tompkins E.L. 2007 Editorial Ecology and Society
• Osbahr, H., Twyman, C and Thomas, D.S.G. In review. Effective livelihood adaptation to climate change disturbance: scale dimensions of practice in Mozambique . Geoforum.
• Osbahr, H. , Adger, W.N., Twyman, C. and Thomas, D.S.G. In review. Successful adaptation: social networks, institutions and climate change. Ecology and Society.
• Osbahr H and Few R 2006 Linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk management for sustainable poverty reduction: Mexico Case Study, EC.
• Osbahr H and Viner D 2006 Linking climate change adaptation and disaster risk management for sustainable poverty reduction: Kenya Case Study, EC.
• Osbahr, H. and Allan, C. 2002 Indigenous knowledge of soil fertility management in southwest Niger . Geoderma , 111(3-4): 457-480.
• Warren, A., Osbahr, H. , Batterbury, S. and Chappell, A. 2002 Indigenous views of soil erosion at Fandou Béri, southwestern Niger . Geoderma , 111 (3-4): 439-456.
• Warren, A., Batterbury, S. and Osbahr, H. 2001 Sustainability and Sahelian agriculture: evidence from Niger . The Geographical Journal , 16(4): 324-341.
• Warren, A., Batterbury, S. and Osbahr, H. 2001 Soil erosion in the West African Sahel: a review and an application of a 'local political ecology' approach in SW Niger . Global Environmental Change , 11: 79-95.

Qualifications:

BSc MRes Ph.D (University College London)