Selected publications
Publications and reports in the field of S&T for Development in ACP countries.
Performance and impacts of conservation agriculture on family farms in the South
This meta-study conducted by scientists from CIRAD (France) and partner institutions in Brazil, presents the advantages and limitations of conservation agriculture (CA). It shows that while CA is a viable option to achieve sustainable and intensive crop production, its success mostly results from the permanent presence of organic mulch on the soil surface and the incorporation of cover crops in the rotations. Thus, applying CA principles requires a significant reorganisation of the production process at farm level, and when facing technical or socioeconomic constraints, most farmers usually opt for applying only partially the three main principles of conservation agriculture. The authors point to further investigations into the consequences of such partial implementation of conservation agriculture principles on its actual efficiency.(CIRAD, 09/2012)
8/02/2013
Increasing food production in Africa by boosting the productivity of understudied crops
Zerihun Tadele (University of Bern, Switzerland) and Kebebew Assefa (Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia) have compiled a review of the major understudied (‘orphan’) crops of Africa (for example: teff, fonio, grass pea, okra, amaranth, among several other crops), listing their desirable and undesirable properties and the current knowledge (economic and scientific) on their production and improvement efforts (and the organisations working on the subject). The call for an agricultural revolution must point to further research on orphan crops of Africa if they are to benefit from modern improvement techniques to enable a truly secure agricultural sector on the continent. Partnerships, farmer participation and modern research capacity dedicated to these understudied crops may well get improved varieties out in the fields.(Agronomy 2012, 2(4), 240-283)
8/02/2013
Policies to shape agricultural investments and markets in favour of small-scale farmers
This report by Oxfam and IIED identifies key policy levers at a national level that can tip commercial investments in favour of either small- or large-scale farming. It shows how policy levers influence market governance to constrain or to support the fair sharing of risk and reward between small-scale producers and the rest of the market. This report develops a framework to examine the role of policy at three levels: at the level of agricultural policy basics (Agriculture within wider development policies; Infrastructure and institutions; Cross-cutting gender laws and policies; Voice and participation); at the level of directly shaping investments (Investment policies; Control over land and natural resources; Conditions for investor access to land and natural resources; Contract farming and supply chain relationships); and at the level of market governance (Support for producer organisations; Diversity of market outlets; Market co-ordination; Competition policy; Quotas and market preferences; Public policies for private standards; Trade policy). The report also examines policy elements that can specifically contribute to gender-equitable results. Case studies, conducted in Guatemala, Nigeria, Tanzania and the Philippines, supported the research.(Oxfam and IIED, 6/12/2012)
8/02/2013
Fostering breakthrough research: a comparative study
This comparative study of the research policy system of five countries, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Switzerland was commissioned by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA). Worried that the international importance of Swedish research is declining, the KVA sought to understand the reasons and explore avenues to counteract the decline. Some reasons that were identified include: 1) the rapid increase in undergraduate education without adequate funding and the increasing separation of education from research; 2) the ongoing shift towards more strategic research and the increase in short-term external funding which has weakened the sector’s more challenging, investigator-driven basic research, which requires a longer-term view. The report recommended that the Swedish research universities take steps to improve conditions for research which a) give the universities more independence from government regulations and thus greater freedom; b) secure the universities’ long-term block funding for core, basic research; c) develop more efficient administration systems for operational sectors; undergraduate education, independent long-term academic research prioritized by the university, externally financed, targeted research and externally funded commercialization; d) establish internationally attractive research chairs and increase researchers’ national and international mobility and e) handle issues of intellectual property rights (IPR) more professionally.(KVA report via University World News, 16/12/2012)
8/02/2013
New genes in traditional seed systems: diffusion, detectability and persistence of transgenes in a maize metapopulation
Gene flow of transgenes into non-target populations is an important biosafety concern. The case of genetically modified (GM) maize in Mexico has been of particular interest because of the country’s status as centre of origin and landrace diversity. In contrast to maize in the U.S. and Europe, Mexican landraces form part of an evolving metapopulation in which new genes are subject to evolutionary processes of drift, gene flow and selection. There has been little study into the population genetics of transgenes under traditional seed management. Here, recently compiled data on seed management practices are combine with a spatially explicit population genetic model to evaluate the importance of seed flow as a determinant of the long-term fate of transgenes in traditional seed systems. Our results have important implications concerning the feasibility of long term transgene monitoring and control in traditional seed systems.(Bioversity International, 2012)
23/11/2012
Towards Marine Ecosystem-based Management in the Wider Caribbean
An approach that encompasses the human and natural dimensions of ecosystems is one that the Wider Caribbean Region knows it must adopt and implement, in order to ensure the sustainable use of the region's shared marine resources. This volume contributes towards that vision, bringing together the collective knowledge and experience of scholars and practitioners within the Caribbean region to begin the process of assembling a road map towards marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) for the region. It also serves a broader purpose of providing stakeholders and policy actors in each of the world's sixty-four Large Marine Ecosystems, with a comparative example of the challenges and information needs required to implement principled ocean governance generally and marine EBM in particular, at multiple levels. Additionally, the volume serves to supplement the training of graduate level students in the marine sciences by enhancing interdisciplinary understanding of challenges in implementing marine EBM.
23/11/2012
The Paradoxes of Transparency: Science and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Europe
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) is the central scientific network within the massive set of bureaucracies that is responsible for Europe's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). While spending the past 25 years failing to sustain Europe's fish stocks, this management system also became adept at making the lives of its scientists miserable. Now it is being confronted by the complex challenge of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. If this combination of a multi-national bureaucracy, hard politics, and scientific uncertainty has made it impossible to maintain many individual fish stocks, how are decisions going to be made that consider everything from sea birds to climate change? The old political saw that ‘if you can't solve a problem, make it bigger’ has never been put to a test like this! Yet ICES has begun to rise in an impressive way to the scientific challenge of providing advice for an ecosystem approach within the world's most cumbersome fisheries management system. This book (PDF) lays out the results of extensive sociological research on ICES and the decision making systems into which it feeds. ICES is finding ways to provide effective advice in the many situations where scientific advice is needed but a clear, simple answer is out of reach. In spite of the difficulties, scientists are beginning to help the various parties concerned with management to deal with facts about nature in ways that are more useful and transparent.(Douglas C. Wilson, 2009)
23/11/2012
Local knowledge and adaptation to climate change in Ouémé valley, Bénin
This paper highlights the local dimension of adaptation to climate change and the importance of local knowledge in adaptation planning. A case study of farmers’ strategies for adapting to climate vulnerability in the low valley of Ouémé showed that local people have developed a remarkable ability to adapt to climate threats, or in some cases have turned threats into opportunities. Using finger ponds around irrigated farms and building cropping dikes following an indigenous design, farmers in the region could protect their crop from stronger rains or water scarcity depending on the season.From fishing practices to agricultural techniques and through agro-fishing practices, people of low valley of Ouémé managed to take advantage of their natural vulnerability mainly based on local knowledge. In fact, the trend in applying these local strategies confirms the dynamic nature of adaptation to climate change mainly determined by the extent of vulnerability caused by continued depletion of the environment. Given that this dynamic can sometimes lead to mal-adaptation, it is necessary that local people are assisted in their coping strategies.(African Crop Science Journal, Vol. 20, 11/10/2012)
23/11/2012
Wick irrigation for tree establishment
Small farmers around the world urgently need to increase water use efficiency. Despite the need for low cost, simple, improved irrigation systems that could increase yields, scientific research and international development programmes have largely neglected this challenge. This is primarily due to the lack of money in these resource-limited communities. Even with increased water use efficiency, many farmers will still struggle to meet their basic food needs. Deep pipe, buried clay pot and other traditional systems work well but are often too expensive. Wick irrigation is a low cost alternative that may help many of these small farmers. A wettable fabric or rope is used to carry water from a reservoir or pipe to the roots of the plant. In its simplest form it can be done with rags and recycled bottles at almost no cost. The wicks help move the water further from the clay pot to encourage greater root development. Subsequent tests and research have demonstrated the value of wicks for irrigation even in very severe environments. These wicks can be gravity flow down (fast), capillary flow up (slow), or a hybrid.(The Overstory, 17/9/2012)
23/11/2012
Vegetable breeding in Africa: Constraints, complexity and contributions toward achieving food and nutritional security
Many Africans are presently confronted with nutritional insecurity as their diets are often deficient in essential vitamins and minerals owing to lack of sufficient consumption of fruit and vegetables. This results from problems of availability, affordability and lack of knowledge. There has been a substantive, long-term underinvestment in research and development of the horticultural sector in Africa with particular reference to those indigenous crops which are naturally high in nutritious vitamins and minerals. Lack of breeding effort, ineffective seed supply systems and an inadequate information, regulatory and policy framework have all contributed to the widespread occurrence of malnutrition on the continent. However, public sector research, development and policy amelioration efforts supported by a nascent private seed supply sector are now showing progress. Many new, improved, nutrient-dense indigenous and standard vegetable varieties are being released for which smallholder farmers are finding growing markets in both rural and urban settings. If such developments continue favourably for the next decade, it is expected that progress towards a reduction in poverty and malnutrition in Africa will be marked.(Food Security 4:115-127, 2012 via AVRDC)
23/11/2012
The Global Diversity of Taro: Ethnobotany and Conservation
This book on taro (Colocasia esculenta) is among the first to offer a global approach, covering all regions, disciplinary perspectives and uses of the plant. Contributors from different disciplines and geographic regions offer the reader a multidisciplinary and evolutionary perspective on taro that shows how one of the world’s oldest domesticated plant species continues to evolve and acquire new uses. The book also demonstrates how the story of taro can serve as a model for the in situ conservation and use of a staple crop whose global importance is evidenced at the local level in traditional food systems, and not in global commodity markets or trade. Due to the ease with which it adapts to diverse farming systems and food cultures, taro has played a central role in the evolution of agro-ecosystems in many countries, and has helped maintain food security in continuously-evolving rice production systems. As in other crops, genetic diversity in taro has facilitated evolution of the crop. Scientific understanding of taro’s genetic diversity and management will further facilitate its use in providing global food security.(Bioversity International, 2010)
23/11/2012
Monocropping Cultures into Ruin: The Loss of Food Varieties and Cultural Diversity
The loss of genetic diversity of thousands of plants and crops has been well documented at least since the 1970s, and has been understood as a result of epistemological and political economic conditions of the Green Revolution. The political economic arrangement of the Green Revolution, alongside a post-war focus on economies of scale and export-oriented growth, replace high-yield single varieties of crops for a diverse array of varieties that may not have the same yield, but may be able to resist pests, disease, and changing climatic conditions. Also, the harvest does not flow in all directions equally: Whereas smallholder subsistence farming uses a large variety of crops as a food source and small-scale trade, the industrial economic system requires simplified, machine harvested ship-loads of one variety of maize, for example. Diverse varieties of different crops confound the machines, whereas one variety of wheat can be harvested with one setting on a machine. However, none of this is new. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the twin concerns of lost varietals and lost cultures are bound together in the socio-political process of standardization, and to explain some areas of resistance.(Sustainability 2012, 4(11) via Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog, 7/11/2012)
23/11/2012
Land Use and Biodiversity in Unprotected Landscapes: The Case of Noncultivated Plant Use and Management by Rural Communities in Benin and Togo
To contribute to the development of strategies for sustainable agricultural land use and biodiversity conservation in landscapes without formal protection status, researchers from AfricaRice and Wageningen UR, among others, investigated the local use and management of non-cultivated plants as important ecosystem functions of inland valleys in south Benin and Togo, and local perceptions on changes in plant biodiversity and causes for these changes. Local users of non-cultivated plants perceived agriculture and construction as major factors contributing to the reduction of (non-cultivated) plant biodiversity. However, they also collect many useful species from agricultural fields and the village. A small community forest reserve and a 2-ha community garden were the only organised forms of conservation management. Observed ad hoc conservation initiatives were selective harvesting of plant parts, preserving trees during land clearing, and allowing useful weed species in the field. Future development and conservation efforts in unprotected landscapes with multiple ecosystem functions should acknowledge knowledge, interests, and needs of local communities.(Society and Natural Resources: An International Journal, Vol 25, Is. 12, 2012)
23/11/2012
Consent and conservation: getting the most from community protocols
A wealth of traditional crop varieties, medicinal plants and other genetic resources are under the care of indigenous people and local communities – who need legal rights to manage them. New legal backing comes from the 2010 Nagoya Protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which requires prior informed consent for access to traditional knowledge and genetic resources, and calls for support of ‘community protocols’ that set out rules for access and benefit sharing. Community protocols are not just about indigenous rights: they clarify expectations for business and government, preserve irreplaceable biological resources, and support climate change adaptation and sustainable development. But to get these benefits, governments must back up the Nagoya Protocol with national laws and institutions, and support community-led participatory processes. Community Protocols are a vital way forward for negotiating agreements that are equitable, and conserve their local biodiversity and traditional knowledge.(IIED, 10/2012)
23/11/2012
Crop Genetic Resources as a Global Commons – Challenges in International Law and Governance
This book addresses how the collective pooling and management of shared plant genetic resources for food and agriculture can be supported through laws regulating access to genetic resources and the sharing of benefits arising from their use. Since the most important recent development in the field has been the creation of the multilateral system of access and benefit-sharing under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, many of the chapters in this book will focus on the architecture and functioning of that system. The book analyzes tensions that are threatening to undermine the potential of access and benefit-sharing laws to support the collective pooling of plant genetic resources, and identifies opportunities to address those tensions in ways that could increase the scope, utility and sustainability of the global crop commons.
23/11/2012
World Science Academies release report to promote research integrity
To encourage researchers around the world to adhere to universal science values and ethical behaviour, a new report on responsible science has been issued by the InterAcademy Council and the IAP – the global network of science academies. The report is the first product of the IAC and IAP's project on scientific integrity, initiated in response to several major trends reshaping the research enterprise, including the increasingly global and interdisciplinary nature of science, its heightened role in policy debates, and the continued emergence of high-profile cases of irresponsible research behaviour in many countries. To read UK’s DFID comments on the report, click here.(IAP, 10/2012)
23/11/2012
Using Science as Evidence in Public Policy
This book encourages scientists to think differently about the use of scientific evidence in policy making. This report investigates why scientific evidence is important to policy making and argues that an extensive body of research on knowledge utilisation has not led to any widely accepted explanation of what it means to use science in public policy. For social scientists in a number of specialised fields, whether established scholars or PhD students, this book shows how to bring their expertise to bear on the study of using science to inform public policy. More generally, this report will be of special interest to scientists who want to see their research used in policy making, offering guidance on what is required beyond producing quality research, beyond translating results into more understandable terms, and beyond brokering the results through intermediaries, such as think tanks, lobbyists, and advocacy groups. For administrators and faculty in public policy programmes and schools, Using Science as Evidence in Public Policy identifies critical elements of instruction that will better equip graduates to promote the use of science in policy making. (NAP, 10/2012)
23/11/2012
Information Ecosystems of Policy Actors – Reviewing the Landscape
This report is part of a study conducted by the Institute of Development Study (IDS), UK meant to understand how policy actors engage with information systems, and where knowledge intermediaries could best add value. Questions about what information and communication technology policy actors have access to (the elite they represent enjoys good access), how traditional media is used by them (used but not trusted), how they search for information (in poorer countries, they rely on forwarded information), how do they engage with the internet (no direct participation, private correspondence), and how do they value different origins of research (more trust in international research).The study’s findings show that ‘policy actors’ as part of society's elite do have access to the latest information technology. This includes ipads, tablets PCs, and smartphones: the sample of policy actors as a whole have a very similar profile of technology access to the average UK or USA household. In light of this, knowledge intermediaries need to adapt their mechanisms and pathways to ensure they contend for these emerging patterns of behaviour. About 40% of policy actors are already using smartphones, so the development of mobile apps which assist research communications would seem appropriate. There is often an assumption in knowledge intermediary work that senior policy actors may not be searching for information directly themselves, and that they are simply 'presented' with information. While this may remain the case in the poorer and/or more formally organised countries, it is less so in the mid-range countries. The implication is that where connectivity is improving, policy actors will look for information themselves. They will spend a significant amount of time looking for information, and they will be 'persistent and curious'. Finally the findings also offer an insight into 'traditional media' (radio, TV and print). Policy actors do engage with the traditional media and while we have seen that they currently have very negative perceptions of the media’s performance, nevertheless a significant proportion of them are engaging with the media day by day. There is therefore a role for the knowledge intermediary to assist the 'translation' of research and evidence into the media.Read the author’s blog post here.(via Eldis, 2/10/2012)
23/11/2012
Resources to track botanical literature on the Web
The Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog posted a useful reminder to anyone looking online for scientific resources on ethnobotany and germplasm collection. The post has a link to a webpage maintained by the University of Kent listing a comprehensive compilation of online databases, search engines, checklists, image galleries, etc., meant for students in ethnobotany.This page is an overview of where to find complete plant names, conservation status and uses, citations and references managers. For the germplasm collector, Agro.biodiver.se also points to the Crop Genebank Knowledge Base and its page on 'Published sources of information on wild plant species' which is a synthesis of new knowledge, procedures, best practices and references for collecting plant diversity. It explains how and where to check taxonomy/species name, digitized botanical literature and flora guides.(Agro.biodiver.se, 9/10/2012)
19/10/2012
Evaluation of phosphorus indices after twenty years of science and development
The P Index was proposed as a nutrient management tool in 1992 and has been implemented as such in the USA for the past decade. The goal of P Index use today is to help producers manage P, particularly manure-based P, while minimizing P losses and the associated environmental impacts. Included within this goal is the identification of critical source areas and strategic placement of best management practices. However, lack of water quality improvement in agricultural watersheds and discrepancies in P loss ratings between P indices have raised questions about continued use of the P Index.The papers reviewed in this Special Section of the Journal of Environmental Quality conclude that P indices can provide accurate assessments of P loss but must be evaluated appropriately. Evaluation will require compiling large regional P loss datasets at field and small watershed scales. Simulation models may be used to generate P loss estimates; however, models must be calibrated and validated to ensure their accuracy. Further development of P indices will require coordinated regional efforts to identify common P Index frameworks and standardized interpretations. Stringent P Index evaluations will expand the utility of P indices for critical source area identification and strategic best management practice implementation by regulatory, education, and scientific communities alike.(Journal of Environmental Quality 41, 09/2012 via the Soil Science Society of America, 23/10/2012)https://www.soils.org/news-media/releases/2012/1105/564/https://www.agronomy.org/publications/jeq/abstracts/41/6/1703
20/11/2012
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