Closing the policy-practice gaps in Nigeria’s desertification interventions: a qualitative document analysis of sustainable practice
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning.Routledge Taylor &Francis Group
Abstract
In Nigeria’s frontline states, the southward dryland degradation continues due to the
failure of interventions to address the human and natural causes. This study provides
a theory-driven evaluation to ascertain the causes of desertification intervention’s
poor performance. It provides a conceptual model for scaling up interventions
towards achieving the 2030 target 15:3 of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). Guided by intervention theory, relevant policy documents on
desertification control were analyzed via Qualitative Document Analysis and
triangulated by a semi-structured interview, and secondary data with the aid of
ATLAS.ti 8. Findings revealed that a weak integration of Sustainable Practice across
the policy cycle is responsible for notable gaps in the areas of an absence of
participation of Civil Society Organizations and the use of Indigenous Knowledge,
non-involvement of local government, and poor community ownership. Others
include monitoring lapses, and the non-inclusion of the Land Degradation
Neutrality concept – leading to failure in the Sustainability of Policy Instrument. A
pragmatic approach integrating multi-stakeholder participation, the establishment
of grass-root structure, and situation awareness should be incorporated across the
policy cycle. The need for the development of Key Performance Indicators for
tracking the progress of the Pan-African Great Green Wall initiative is also required.
Description
Keywords
Desertification, sustainable practice, qualitative document analysis, intervention theory, sustainability of instrument, great green wall
Citation
Abdullahi Mohammad Jalam , Amir Hamzah Sharaai , Mariani Ariffin , Norzalina Zainudin & Haruna Danladi Musa (2020): Closing the policy-practice gaps in Nigeria’s desertification interventions: a qualitative document analysis of sustainable practice, Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, DOI: 10.1080/1523908X.2020.1832883