Dr Maud Orne-Gliemann

     DR MAUD ORNE-GLIEMANN

     M.A. (King’s College London)

     Ph.D. (Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier).

 

Maud was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Human Economy Programme in 2012. She can be contacted on [email protected].

Maud’s research focuses on small-scale farming in Southern Africa. She is interested in farmers’ perceptions of their environment and their understanding of generally accepted notions in development discourse.  Maud completed a PhD in geography at the Université Paul Valéry, Montpellier 3 (France) in 2011. Her thesis, entitled Representations of local water management. Study of the discourse and representations surrounding the implementation of the South African institutional water reform in small-scale irrigation schemes, looked at the public policy of local water management within small-scale irrigation schemes in South Africa and small-scale farmers’ social representations of water management. The thesis findings are based on in-depth case studies combining interviews, verbal associations and participatory photography.

In the context of the Human Economy Program Maud will continue her work with small-scale irrigation schemes in South Africa, specifically looking at farmers’ social representations of development and agricultural development projects in the country. Today, small-scale farming is recognized as having a “crucial role [to play] in enhancing food security and reducing poverty in developing countries” (European Parliament, 2009). Understanding small-scale farmers’ representations of ‘development’ and ‘agricultural development’ is thus critical in making sense of past and current difficulties encountered by development projects in the region. It is critical and in helping develop future projects that not only comply with economic development theories but are also in tune with small-scale farmers’ ambitions, needed independence and state of mind.

Some of Maud's recent publications include:

Orne-Gliemann, M. (2008) « Water users’ associations from the users’ perspective: local water management at Thabina irrigation scheme, Limpopo, South Africa », TD: The Journal for Transdicsiplinary Research on Southern Africa 4(1): 1-29.

Moliner, P. and Orne-Gliemann, M. (submitted) « Social representations and photographs of water management in South Africa », European Journal of Social Psychology.