Guide to the Papers of Bryant Allen

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MS 8246

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Collection Summary

Creator
Allen, Bryant James
Title
Papers relating to the Magarini Settlement Project
Date Range
1975-1992
Collection Number
MS 8246
Extent
1.26 metres (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
national Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Contents

The collection comprises reports and files accumulated by Bryant Allen and his colleagues Gaye Thompson and Doug Porter while researching their book Development in practice: paved with good intentions (Routledge, 1991) on Australia's role in the Magarini Settlement Project in Kenya. The papers include data on rainfall, research notes, articles, Joint Review Mission papers, correspondence, interview transcripts, drafts, illustrations and chapter outlines. Interviewees include Bob McCown, Paul McGowan, Henry Nix, Coral Bell, Kevin Stephens, Helen Hughes, Doug Campbell, Anthony Vale and Bill Hayden. There are also unpublished reports and official reviews and documents which were used as source material for the book.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is available for reference.

Conditions Governing Use

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Bryant Allen, National Library of Australia, MS 8246, [series number, subseries number, file number]'.

Provenance

The papers were donated to the Library by Bryant Allen in 1995 and 2000.

Arrangement

The first instalment of papers was indexed by Bryant Allen in chronological order. Library staff have integrated material received in 2000 in the chronological arrangement and split the papers into two runs of files relating to the production of the book and reports and documents used in its production.

Biographical Note

Dr Bryant Allen was a senior fellow with the Department of Human Geography, Australian National University and co-author (with Doug Porter and Gaye Thompson) of Development in practice: paved with good intentions (London; New York: Routledge, 1991). In 1987 he was a member of the Joint Review Mission which reviewed the Magarini Settlement Project.

Item Descriptions

Series 1. Development in practice: paved with good intentions, 1975-1992

The Magarini Settlement Project was first proposed in 1976 to settle 4000 families of the Giriama people onto 60,000 hectares of land in Kilifi district, Coast Province, Kenya. It was to be Australia's largest aid project in Africa, taking advantage of Australia's expertise in dryland farming techniques. Its aims were to alleviate poverty, reduce landlessness among the Giriama people and increase agricultural output in a sustainable way. To support settlement, an extensive road network was to be provided, with ground water reticulation taking water to within 500 metres of every settler's 13 hectare plot.

The project proceeded in three stages. Phase 1 (resource investigation) was undertaken in 1977-1979, although there were immediate difficulties with finances, variable soils and the availability of water. By 1980, members of a joint Kenya-Australia review of the project considered the project to be fatally flawed. The project continued through phase 2 (implementation) until 1982. In 1983 the Foreign Minister Bill Hayden asked the economist Professor Helen Hughes to examine the affair and withheld funding for phase 3. With adjustments to the project design, phase 3 proceeded from 1985. In Oct 1986 a mid-term review was conducted which identified design and implementation difficulties and led to a joint government review in February 1987. The Joint Review Mission (JRM), of which Bryant Allen was a member, concluded that changes to the direction and emphasis of Australian assistance were warranted. In 1988 the Australian Government withdrew from direct involvement.

Bryant Allen, Doug Porter and Gaye Thompson document the fate of the Magarini Settlement Project in their monograph Development in practice: paved with good intentions, which was published by Routledge in 1991. In the book they maintain that the project had adverse outcomes for the Giriama and contributed to land degradation. The series has been arranged into two sequences. The first comprises files maintained by the authors including data on rainfall, research notes, articles, Joint Review Mission papers, correspondence, drafts, interview transcripts, illustrations and chapter outlines. Interviewees include Bob McCown, Paul McGowan, Henry Nix, Coral Bell, Kevin Stephens, Helen Hughes, Doug Campbell, Anthony Vale and Bill Hayden. The second sequence comprises unpublished reports and official reviews and documents which were used as source material for the book. Authors include the Australian Development Assistance Bureau and consultants engaged by them such as McGowan and Associates and Coffey and Partners.

Subseries 1. Research files, 1977-1992

Rainfall data and agricultural surveys, 1977-1989 (File 1-4)
Hansards, 1981-1988 (File 5)
McGowan International articles and documents, 1982-1989 (File 6)
Magarini Settlement Project phase 3- government documents, appraisal reports, correspondence, 1984-1986 (File 7-10)
Foreign Affairs documents, 1984-1987 (File 11)
Miscellaneous articles and documents, 1984-1989 (File 12)
Miscellaneous reports and documents, 1986-1988 (File 13)
Joint Review Mission- duty statements and terms of reference, 1987 (File 14)
Joint Review Mission- catchment management, 1987 (File 15)
Joint Review Mission, 1987 (File 16)
Research papers, 1987-1989 (File 17)
Brigalow (File 18)
Notes and references (File 19-20)
Notes, articles, interview transcripts, 1988-1989 (File 21)
Interview transcripts, 1988-1989 (File 22)
Anthony Vale (interview), 1989 (File 23)
Interview schedules and letter relating to finances, 1989 (File 24)
Chapter outlines, 1987-1989 (File 25)
Chapter 6- Engineering (File 26)
'Paved with good intentions: development in practise' (draft) (File 27)
Bob McCown correspondence and data (File 28)
Correspondence, 1989 (File 29)

Correspondents include Helen Hughes, Bob McCown and Cherry Gertzel.

Magarini workshop, 1989 (File 30)
Book reviews, 1991-1992 (File 31)

Subseries 2. Reports and documents, 1975-1989

'Report on technical mission on dry farming in areas of medium potential in Kenya' by F.H.W. Morley and H.A. Nix, CSIRO, Sept. 1975 (Item 1)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - final report, volume 1, Executive summary', (McGowan and Associates), June 1978 (Item 2)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - final report, volume 2, The project report', (McGowan and Associates), Apr. 1978 (Item 3)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - supplementary report no. 2, Intermediate technology', (McGowan and Associates), 6 June 1978 (Item 4)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 1, Climate', (McGowan and Associates), Dec. 1977 (Item 5)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 1, Appendix 3, Basic climatological data', (McGowan and Associates), Dec. 1977 (Item 6)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 2, Surface water investigations', (McGowan and Associates), Dec. 1977 (Item 7)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 4, Survey and mapping', (McGowan and Associates), Dec. 1977 (Item 8)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 6, Sociology', (McGowan and Associates), Dec. 1977 (Item 9)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project - Annex 7, Infrastructure and Annex 13, A review of settlement schemes', (McGowan and Associates), Oct. 1977 (File 10)
'Magarini land Settlement Project - Kenya, Supplementary report on groundwater investigations', (Coffey and Partners), July 1978 (File 11)
'Child nutrition in rural Kenya' (Central Bureau of Statistics Ministry of Economic Planning and Community Affairs), [1979?] (File 12)
'Crop production handbook for extension workers' by T.G. Reeves, Magarini Land Settlement Scheme, Nov. 1979 (Item 13)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project- draft review report' by R.J. Staples, S. Price and B. Daw, July 1980 (Item 14)
'Magarini Land Settlement Scheme - summary report on groundwater investigation and development' (Coffey and Partners), Nov. 1980 (Item 15)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project quarterly progress report' no. 15-19, 21, 30-34 (McGowan International), 1980-1985 (Item 16-25)
'Draft report review of the Magarini Land Settlement Project' (chapter 7- Agriculture), Apr. 1981 (Item 26)
'Magarini Land Settlement Scheme report on groundwater investigation and development' (Coffey and Partners), May 1981 (Item 27)
'Food and nutrition in the Magarini Settlement Scheme' (Food and Nutrition Planning Unit, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development), June 1981 (Item 28)
'Magarini Land Settlement Scheme - review of physical planning issues by Graham Gaston', Dec. 1981 (Item 29)
'Magarini Land Settlement Scheme - results of agronomy program, long rains March - December 1981' by I.L.C. May, Feb. 1982 (Item 30)
'Future water supply position on the Magarini Project' (Seminar report, McGowan International), Apr. 1982 (Item 31)
'Social aspects of the Magarini Settlement Scheme in Kenya' (seminar paper, Australian Development Assistance Bureau), Sept. 1982 (Item 32)
'Assessment of Magarini Settlement Project Kenya, volume 1, mission report' (Australian Development Assistance Bureau), Feb. 1983 (Item 33)
'Assessment of Magarini Settlement Project Kenya, volume 2, draft project design brief for phase III implementation' (Australian Development Assistance Bureau), Feb. 1983 (Item 34)
'Regional planning study, Malindi, A Division, Coast Province', June 1983 (Item 35)
'Land and farming systems in Kilifi District, Kenya', by Henk Waaijenberg and Mohamed Salim, Dec. 1983 (Item 36)
'Assessment of agroforestry potentials in the Magarini Land Settlement Area, Republic of Kenya' by Wieland Kunzel, May 1984 (Item 37)
'District focus for rural development' (Republic of Kenya, Office of the President), June 1984 (Item 38)
'Magarini Settlement Project appraisal Phase III', (2 annotated drafts), Sept. 1984 (Item 39)
'Magarini Settlement Project appraisal phase III', Oct. 1984 (Item 40)
1983 appraisal annexes, 1984 (Item 41)
Reports, 1985 (File 42)

'Australian agricultural expertise likely to be of value in Eastern Africa'- report to the Australian Council for Overseas Aid by Helen Newton Turner, Mar. 1985

'An agro-economic history of the Mijilkenda of Kenya, 1600-1985' by Henk Waaijenberg, June 1985

'Notions of identity and health: Giriama women and development' by S. Gaye Thompson, June 1985 (Item 43)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project phase III, quarterly progress report no. 1', Sept. 1985 (Item 44)
'Magarini Land Settlement Project phase III, quarterly progress report no. 2', Dec. 1985 (Item 45)
Reports, 1985 (File 46)

Australian Development Assistance Bureau report on operational visit, 25 Aug. to 16 Sept. 1985

'The Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation as an instrument of Australian foreign policy' by T.A. Murphy (MA, ANU, Nov. 1985)

Reports, 1986 (File 47)

'Hydrology and meteorology annual report 1985 Magarini Land Settlement Project' by R.M. Maithya, Apr. 1986

'Magarini Land Settlement Project phase III quarterly progress report' no. 5, Sept. 1986 (Australian Development Assistance Bureau)

'Magarini Settlement Project- project briefing document' (McGowan International), Oct. 1986

'Magarini Settlement Project, Kenya: a review of the status of project documentation and comments on water resources development' (Australian Hydrogeologists International), Jan. 1987 (Item 48)
'Notes on the Magarini Settlement Project, Kilifi District, Coast Province, Kenya', by B.J. Allen, Feb. 1987 (Item 49)
Reports, 1987 (File 50)

'Food security at the household level- Magarini Settlement Project, Kenya' by S. Gaye Thompson, Feb. 1987

'Draft summary report, Joint Review Mission, Magarini Settlement Project', Mar. 1987

'Magarini Settlement Project Joint Review Mission Report' (2 annotated copies), Mar. 1987 (Item 51-52)
'Malindi NGO Programme, phase II, quarterly evaluation report 3 (1 January to 31 March 1987)' compiled by James A. Aremo, May 1987 (Item 53)
'Simulation of plant density effects on maize yield as influenced by water and nitrogen limitations' by B.A. Keating, B.M. Wafula and R.L. McCown, 1988 (Item 54)
'A review of the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau and Australia's Overseas Aid Program' (Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade), Feb. 1989 (Item 55)

Container List

Series Subseries File Box
1 1 1-9 1
1 1 10-20 2
1 1 21-31 3
1 2 1-12 4
1 2 13-19 5
1 2 20-30 6
1 2 31-41 7
1 2 42-52 8
1 2 53-55 9

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