Social capital, collective action and access to water in rural Kenya

Bisung, Elijah; Elliott, Susan J.; Schuster‐Wallace, Corinne J.; Karanja, Diana M. S.; Abudho, Bernard

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.07.060

Cited by 94 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Further, a significant proportion (42%) of residents practiced open defecation. 23 Water challenges manifest in a wide range of health and social concerns for residents, including diarrheal diseases, physical collection burden, and loss of productive time. 14,24 It is important to mention that the community gained access to piped water from the Kisumu Water Company after data collection for this study had been completed.…”

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It makes us really look inferior to outsiders”: Coping with psychosocial experiences associated with the lack of access to safe water and sanitation

Bisung

Elliott

2017

Can J Public Health

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OBJECTIVE: This paper explores daily experiences and coping resources related to the lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation in Usoma, a lakeshore community in Western Kenya. METHODS:A qualitative approach that involved 10 focus group discussions and 9 key informant interviews with community leaders, volunteers and professionals was used to explore the research objectives. Data were collected from June to August 2013. RESULTS:Daily practices and experiences around water and sanitation, such as water collection, open defecation and shared toilets, were a major concern to residents. In the absence of safe water, residents used social networks and support, financial resources and the nearby Lake Victoria as coping resources. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE:Findings from this study are important for mobilizing resources in vulnerable settings as a first step towards designing community-based interventions. For public health practice, practitioners must work with -and collaborate across -sectors to enhance and strengthen social networks and cohesion, and protect the natural environment while working toward addressing water-related challenges in deprived settings.KEY WORDS: Drinking water; sanitation; psychological stress; Kenya La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

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Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It makes us really look inferior to outsiders”: Coping with psychosocial experiences associated with the lack of access to safe water and sanitation

Bisung

Elliott

2017

Can J Public Health

Self Cite

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“…The basis for this assertion lies in Bisung and Elliott's (2014) work, exploring a framework linking social capital with community management of water resources. They argue that social capital influences water management practice by shaping collective action, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors [22]. At its heart, social capital offers a route to sustainable management and governance of common pool resources [23].…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing Stakeholder Water Source Preference Based upon Social Capital: a Case Study of the Fajr Jam Gas Refinery in Iran

Ghoochani

Dorani

Ghanian

et al. 2017

Water Conserv Sci Eng

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Gas refineries are among the most water-intensive industries in the world. The Fajr Jam gas refinery is one such example, located in the southern Iran. The indiscriminate use of aquifer resources for this highly profitable industry creates tragedy of the commons effects, causing significant environmental controversy and threatening the long-term water security of the region. It behooves decision makers, therefore, to examine a broad range of adaptive water management strategies for this industry. The implementation of such strategies requires understanding the preferences and potential conflicts that may emerge among competing stakeholder interests. This quantitative social scientific study examines stakeholder preferences among water management options through the lens of social capital. Elite stakeholder representatives (including agricultural organizations, governmental organizations, the Water, and Power Authority, Department of Health, Bureau of Water and Wastewater) were canvassed through a survey instrument using paired comparisons. Data were analyzed using Expert Choice software and an analytic hierarchy process technique. The results show that accountability is the main criterion for selecting the best water sources and ranked first with the Eigenvector 0.62. Also, the results show that the least important criterion was social cohesion with the Eigenvalue 0.033. The criteria of partnership and trust ranked as two and three with Eigenvalues 0.215 and 0.133, respectively. The results indicate that the construction of salt water transmission from the sea (A = 0.240) is the preferred option among other alternatives, and this is confirmed by sensitivity analysis.

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“…Access to services and information is important for enhancing adaptive capacity of individuals and groups. As manifestations of collective action, community groups have played a role in providing safety nets for households and providing avenues for addressing common environmental problems (Bisung, Elliott, Schuster-Wallace, Karanja, & Bernard, 2014). The effect of group membership on uptake and use of technologies for adaptation varies depending on the local context.…”

Section: Adaptation and Membership In Collective Action Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing adaptation to climate variability in the East African highlands: a case for fostering collective action among smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda

Ombogoh

Tanui

McMullin

et al. 2016

Climate and Development

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There is an increasing recognition of the role of climate change adaptation among smallholder farmers in rain-fed agriculture in Africa. Collective action among smallholder farmers has been suggested as influencing local adaptation processes hence the need to evaluate its impact in different contexts. This paper provides evidence of collective action in enhancing local adaptation to climate variability. It determines the importance of different forms of collective action for enhancing adaptation. Through simple random sampling, a survey of 240 households in Embu County in Kenya and 200 households from Kapchorwa district of Uganda was undertaken. Focus-group discussions involving farmer groups and local government representatives were performed to triangulate information collected through the surveys. The results show a positive relationship between membership in farmer groups and adaptation to climate variability in both sites. Four main components of collective action were identified in Embu and these included the development of internal group capacities, assets mobilization and management, collective marketing, and management of human and natural capital. In Kapchorwa, the development of internal group capacities, risk spreading, and financial resources were significant. We argue that locallevel governance and institutional arrangements for collective action are critical for successful adaptation to climate variability.

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Social capital, collective action and access to water in rural Kenya

Cited by 94 publications

References 21 publications

“It makes us really look inferior to outsiders”: Coping with psychosocial experiences associated with the lack of access to safe water and sanitation

“It makes us really look inferior to outsiders”: Coping with psychosocial experiences associated with the lack of access to safe water and sanitation

Analyzing Stakeholder Water Source Preference Based upon Social Capital: a Case Study of the Fajr Jam Gas Refinery in Iran

Enhancing adaptation to climate variability in the East African highlands: a case for fostering collective action among smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda

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