Knowledge for Development

International

A selection of international S&T organizations.


International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT)

International Center for the Improvement of Maize and Wheat (CIMMYT), based in Mexico City, is developing and testing maize and wheat seed that yields well and resists or tolerates diseases, insects, and other stresses. It holds maize and wheat genetic resources from all over the world, including seed of old and rare varieties.

14/12/2004


International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), based in Washington, DC, identifies and analyzes policies for meeting the food needs of the developing world, to support policymakers, NGOs and civil society. The Environment and Production Technology Division (EPTD) focuses on ways to improve food production by identifying appropriate technological and institutional changes and policies, agricultural research and extension, and on property rights and collective action.

14/12/2004


International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), based in Croydon, UK, is working to develop sustainable production systems in the humid tropics. IITA's research addresses ways to increase agricultural production, improve food systems and manage natural resources. Activities include germplasm conservation, and research on smallholder cropping and postharvest systems, and food crops (cassava, cowpea, maize, plantain/banana, soybean and yam).

14/12/2004


WorldFish Center (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, ICLARM)

WorldFish Center (International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, ICLARM), in Manila, the Philippines, conducts research on all aspects of the dynamics, management, and productivity of fisheries and other living aquatic resources, both inland aquatic (ponds and rice floodwaters) and marine (coastal and coral reef) systems in tropical developing countries.

14/12/2004


ICRA - International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture

ICRA is a capacity building organisation. Its mission is to facilitate hands-on learning of professional skills needed to address complex problems in sustainable rural development. In the process of designing a training programme, ICRA has developed an ARD procedure. The ARD procedure integrates the contributions of different disciplines, organisations and stakeholders into the analysis of complex rural development problems and into the design of action plans to address these problems.

14/12/2004


International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution established by the UN in response to the food crises in the Sahel in the early 1970s. IFAD finances projects to improve food production, nutritional status, income generation, and environmental sustainability. IFAD emphasizes the importance of public?private partnerships in improving the productivity of smallholder farmers. In its projects in the Latin America and Caribbean region, IFAD is working with the private sector to develop agricultural solutions and technology packages.

14/12/2004


CGIAR ICT-KM Program

This program promotes and supports the use of information and communications technology (ICT) and knowledge management to improve the effectiveness of the CGIAR's work on behalf of the poor in developing countries. For 2004, 15 projects have been proposed, grouped around three thrusts: ICT for Tomorrow's Science; Content for Development; and A CGIAR without Boundaries.

14/12/2004


Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD)

CIRAD est un organisme français de recherche agronomique au service du développement durable des pays tropicaux et subtropicaux. Les sciences du vivant et les sciences sociales appliquées à l'agriculture, la forêt, l'élevage, la gestion des ressources naturelles, l'agroalimentaire, aux écosystèmes et aux sociétés du Sud.

14/12/2004


Center for Global Development

The Center is dedicated to reducing global poverty through policy-oriented research and active engagement on development issues with the policy community and the public. The Center's research assesses the impact on poor people of globalization and of the policies of industrialized countries, developing countries and multilateral institutions. The Center seeks to identify alternative policies that promote equitable growth and participatory development in low-income and transitional economies, and, in collaboration with civil society and private sector groups, seeks to translate policy ideas into policy reforms. The Center partners with other institutions in efforts to improve public understanding in industrial countries of the economic, political, and strategic benefits of promoting improved living standards and governance in developing countries.

14/12/2004


Learning Innovation Knowledge (LINK)

LINK is an initiative of United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT). Its goal is to advance the understanding of innovation for a new rural economy in developing countries through concepts, lessons and guidelines and by facilitating discussions amongst scholars, policymakers, development investors and practitioners dealing with rural development. Coordinated out of offices in Hyderabad , India and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the LINK network regional hubs bring together local clusters of researchers, policymakers, and development organisations. The hubs are linked through UNU-MERIT to the international community of scholars and policy experts working on innovation policy studies in developing countries. LINK publishes two periodic bulletins – the LINK Research Bulletin and the LINK News Bulletin – detailing research and other activities on rural innovation as well as news and views on the spread and application of innovation perspectives in development.

7/01/2008


Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building (GIPB)

One of the main objectives of GIPB is the establishment of a Knowledge Resource Center, including a shared information portal covering key areas such as training needs and opportunities, access to conventional and molecular breeding technologies and genetic resources, general information on breeding programmes and useful links. The organization and consolidation of a mechanism for sharing information among partners can provide access to newly available information in a format that is accessible and organized to meet the needs of breeders in developing country programmes, as well as of national plant breeding capacity building efforts.

2/12/2008


Online Learning Resources for Agriculture

The CGIAR have developed a new web repository of learning resources for Agriculture. The repository, which is linked to Moodle, an open source learning management system hosts more than 500 resources, which throughout the past year CGIAR staff and partners have used to deliver several courses, ranging from Urban Agriculture to Research Methods. The system which was launched and supported by CGIAR’s ICT-KM Programme, is now planning for a new phase of development which it is hoped will improve access to learning materials generated by the international, publicly funded research of the CGIAR and its partners.

5/11/2008


IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard

A partner for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank provides financing, leverage, policy advice, research, and technical assistance to carry out development projects in 26 countries of the region. The Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI) and the Structured and Corporate Finance Department (SCF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have created a Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard based on the sustainability criteria of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels. The primary objective of the Scorecard is to encourage higher levels of sustainability in biofuels projects by providing a tool to think through the range of complex issues associated with biofuels. Since the scientific debate around these complex issues continues to evolve, the Scorecard should be seen as a work-in-process and will continue to be updated and revised as needed. Comments can be submitted at the end of filling out the Scorecard.

9/10/2008


CGIAR PRGA

The CGIAR Systemwide Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis develops and promotes methods and organizational approaches for gender-sensitive participatory research on plant breeding and on management of crops and natural resources.

4/04/2006


Young Professionals' Platform for Agricultural Research for Development (YPARD)

SciDev.net , 23 May 2006| An association is being formed to bring fresh blood and an injection of new ideas into agricultural research and policymaking in developing countries. The Young Professionals' Platform for Agricultural Research for Development (YPARD) will be formally launched in November during the Global Forum on Agricultural Research in New Delhi, India. CTA supported the participation of young African researchers and stakeholders in the strategy planning meeting.

9/06/2006