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 Educational Tools for Combatting Micronutrient Malnutrition
1999-04-16
An international research team funded by the Micronutrient Initiative has produced a CD-ROM educational program on iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Using its interactive format, health professionals can learn the basic biology and biochemistry of iodine and the clinical presentation of IDD. To prepare them for work in the community at large, different sections of the program cover population health issues, approaches to prevention and therapeutic programs, and how to work with government and non-governmental groups to achieve sustainable programs for the total elimination of iodine deficiency. 
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Canadian Window on International Development Awards
1999-04-15
The International Development Research Centre has recommended two candidates for the 1999 Canadian Window on International Development Award. This award recognizes doctoral research that explores the relationship between Canadian aid, trade, immigration and diplomatic policy, and international development and the alleviation of global poverty.
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Technology File: Fortifying Salt with Iron and Iodine to Relieve Micronutrient Malnutrition
1999-04-13
Iron and iodine are essential to good health, yet at least one-third of the global population does not get enough of these micronutrients. Researchers supported by IDRC and the Micronutrient Initiative have now found a way to fortify table salt with both iron and iodine, an achievement that has eluded scientists for 20 years. The breakthrough by food scientists at the University of Toronto involves coating iodine with a water-soluble starch called dextrin. This prevents the iodine from reacting with the iron and causing both nutrients to lose their potency, which reduces the amount available for absorption by the human body.
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 Rehabilitating the Dnipro River
1999-04-09
There's more to rehabilitating a river than cleaning up pollution. It is also a state of mind. That's one of the lessons from an ambitious program to clean up Ukraine's Dnipro River basin — source of 70% of the country's drinking water. Since the program was launched in 1994, with funding from the Canadian government, it has evolved into a revamp of Ukrainian environmental policy and public attitudes.
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In Conversation with Robert Miller
1999-04-06
The late Gregory Wirick and Robert Miller are the co-editors of Canada and Missions for Peace: Lessons from Nicaragua, Cambodia and Somalia. In an interview with Reports, Robert Miller reflects on the changing landscape of peace, conflict and development.
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 Testing the Waters: Indigenous Ecotours in Venezuela
1999-04-01
It was a memorable holiday. The jungle travellers dined on alligator, piranha, cassava, manioc, and other local delicacies. They watched traditional dances and a blowgun competition, traded for local handicrafts, and rafted down rivers. Beth Rohr was sent on the inaugural ecotour operated by indigenous Venezuelan villages on behalf of IDRC. The pilot trip showed that developing ecotourism has potential, primarily with travellers in search of adventure. The Organizacion Regional de Pueblos Indigenas de Amazonas, a cooperative indigenous organization, hopes to bring a sustainable flow of tourists to the Amazonas region.
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Promoting Cover Crops for African Farmers
1999-03-29
Established two years ago with funding from IDRC, an information centre in Benin is helping to spark interest in cover crops as a tool for improving African soil productivity. The Center for Cover Crops Information and Seed Exchange in Africa is involved in: (i) collecting and disseminating information on cover crops and on organizations and individuals working with cover crops in Africa; and (ii) identifying, screening, multiplying, and disseminating cover crop seeds.
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 Preventing Malaria: Mixing Public Health Interest with Private Profit
1999-03-26
Studies have shown a 20 to 63% reduction in malaria following the introduction of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). But African governments do not have the resources to provide ITNs to large numbers of their citizens, let alone to entire populations. Nor can they ensure that the nets are retreated every six months with pyrethroid insecticide, a biodegradable material that is safe for humans. More people could use nets if governments joined forces with selected private-sector partners and donor agencies, according to research done by PATH Canada.
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 Preventing Eye Infections in Rural Nepal
1999-03-19
In Nepal, eye infections are the leading cause of blindness, after injury. Agricultural workers often get eye infections when they remove wheat and rice chaff, which then hits an eye. With funding from IDRC, a team of Kathmandu researchers has developed an identification and treatment regime, delivered at the local level, and is testing its effectiveness in preventing infections. Nepal's Ministry of Health has agreed to adopt the program on a national scale if it proves cost-effective.
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In Conversation: Aldred H. Neufeldt
1999-03-18
People with disabilities have long been faced with barriers when it
comes to employment or generating their own income. Be it the result of
blatant discrimination, or a narrow focus by policy-makers or professionals,
historically we have been led to believe there are only two options for
people with disabilities: reliance on familial assistance plus social safety
nets, or wage employment. However, there is another possibility:
self-directed employment -- people with disabilities owning their own businesses.
In Disability and Self-directed Employment: Business Development Models
authors Aldred Neufeldt and Alison Albright present the first comprehensive
exploration of this alternative.
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 Fishing for Less Mercury in the Amazon
1999-03-12
People living along the Tapajós River in Brazil's Amazon Basin know that many of the fish they eat are poisoning them with mercury. But how do you avoid mercury contamination when fish is a large part of your diet? This is the quandary facing local villagers and a team of Brazilian and Canadian researchers, who have been studying the problem since the mid-1990's. Early this year, a workshop was held in Brasilia Legal — a village of about 500 people — to discuss the best ways to limit or eliminate the threat of mercury exposure.
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Presentation and Slide Show on Nagaland Project
1999-03-10
Beginning at 10 a.m on Monday March 22, 1999, officials with the Nagaland Environmental Protection and Economic Development (NEPED) project will give a presentation and slide show in the 14th floor auditorium
of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), 250 Albert Street, Ottawa.
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 The Oodi Weavers Story: Social Change Through Community Economic Development
1999-03-05
In 1977, Oodi was a traditional rural village in Botswana. Today, the round thatched huts coexist side-by-side with modern cement houses and cattle graze in the shadow of satellite dishes. One constant in the life of the village, however, has been a cooperative weaving project where women and men have crafted beautiful tapestries and blankets that have sold around the world. This project is the subject of the new book, Equal Shares, Oodi Weavers and the cooperative experience, which provides some important lessons about achieving social change through community economic development initiatives.
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 Latin American Telecentres: The Community Networking Pilot Project
1999-03-01
The Internet is coming to indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest. The Community Networking Pilot Project in Ecuador is bringing telecentres equipped with computers and radio modems to three isolated communities in northeastern Ecuador — villages where the local environment has been damaged by oil exploration and production — as part of a broader effort to help indigenous peoples protect their culture and their lands.
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 Improving the Management of Biological Resources in Viet Nam's Tam Giang Lagoon
1999-02-26
At 22,000 hectares and almost 70 kilometres in length, Tam Giang lagoon is the largest coastal lagoon in Viet Nam. But its natural resource base is under threat as a result of population growth and over-exploitation from fishing and, increasingly, from aquaculture. In 1995, a team of government and university researchers began reviewing the utilization and management of the lagoon's biological resources by local communities. Their aim is to improve the management of fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, and other activities in order to provide sustainable livelihoods.
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In Conversation with Liz Rykert
1999-02-25
When properly used, email can transform the standard workplace into a busy, boundless, and more productive "workspace." But harnessing the potential of this powerful tool can be a frustrating and sometimes
intimidating experience, especially for working groups unfamiliar with the use of email lists. Until now! Authors Liz Rykert and Maureen James have developed a user-friendly
guide, to help virtual work teams take full advantage of the unique opportunities offered by email.
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Zambia: vitamin A in sugar
1999-02-24
(SYFIA Democratic Republic of Congo/France) Zambia has recently started to add vitamin A in sugar. It is an innovation in sub-Saharan Africa where millions of mothers and children suffer from vitamin A deficiency and can lose their sight, their health or their life. (Article is in French)
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IDRC-CSIR Partnership Aims to Bring Information Technology to Rural African Communities
1999-02-24
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize a public-private relationship aimed at building an information society in Africa. Through this partnership, CSIR and IDRC will work together to extend access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) to disadvantaged communities in Africa.
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 Educational Reform in Latin America: Facing a Crisis
1999-02-19
Latin American schools are in crisis, according to an IDRC-supported task force on education, equity, and economic competitiveness in the region. Most students are deprived of a decent high-quality education, stated task-force co-chair, José Octavio Bordón, at a conference on educational reforms. "Enrolment has soared rapidly in the past three decades," he said, "but quality has eroded just as dramatically."
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The Asian Crisis: Why Did It Start and How Can We End It?
1999-02-18
The rapid devaluation of Thailand's national currency in July of 1997 signalled the start of the 'Asian Crisis' — a regional economic and financial crisis that pushed several East Asian countries into recession. By the following summer, the crisis had escalated into global financial turmoil as currencies and stock markets plunged around the world. Last month, Carleton University hosted a full-day workshop to discuss why it started and how to fix it.
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 The War-torn Societies Project in Eritrea
1999-02-12
In 1991, following 30 years of war with Ethiopia, Eritrea became the youngest African state. Four years later, the War-torn Societies Project launched an initiative in Eritrea that brought government and external representatives together for the first time to discuss priorities for reconstruction and to conduct action-research. For the Eritrean government, the WSP project provided a much-welcomed forum for explaining its policies to international donors.
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Women entrepreneurs, the Kinshasa way
1999-02-11
(INTERFACE) A sociology student from Université du Québec in Montreal recently returned from a stay in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she studied women's initiatives in urban micro-trade. (Article is in French.)
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Technology File: MIMAP: Economic Policies for All
1999-02-09
In any country, access to adequate information is key to designing economic policies that will have a more favourable impact on the poor and vulnerable. Unless governments understand the dynamics of poverty, the less fortunate are likely to lose out when new economic policies are implemented. In 1989, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) created the MIMAP program to help countries in the South develop alternatives to traditional macroeconomic policies by meshing policy analysis with poverty monitoring.
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 Rethinking Municipal Water Tariffs
1999-02-05
Municipal water tariffs are hurting both the poor and the environment in many developing countries. The most widely used water tariff -- called the increasing block tariff system -- is seriously flawed, argued Dale Whittington, Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina, during a workshop hosted by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA).
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 Transferring Biopesticides to Mexican Farmers
1999-01-29
A group of Mexican universities is working with a small biotechnology company to transfer biological pesticides into the hands of local farmers. With funding from IDRC, the team plans to produce environmentally friendly biopesticides based on different strains of Bacilllus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring bacteria that produces a protein which is toxic to certain insects but relatively harmless to other animals including humans. The idea is to provide farmers with products that are safer to use and are better suited to local crops than the chemical pesticides sold by multinational firms.
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In the Tawahka forest
1999-01-28
Kendra McSweeney, a Ph.D. student in geography at McGill University, is studying how the Tawahkas, an isolated aboriginal group, take advantage of their forest home. This question is crucial to understanding the best way to protect Central America's rainforests. (Article is in French.)
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The Nile, 'River of Desire'
1999-01-27
(SYFIA Egypt) Fifty years from now, one billion people - four times more than today - will be living on the banks of the Nile. In order to avoid serious shortages and to limit the risks of a conflict between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia - countries whose agriculture depends on the river - the Nile's waters need to be managed and distributed more equitably. (Article is in French.)
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Bellanet Launches Webmail Server
1999-01-27
The Bellanet International Secretariat has launched a free Webmail server as a public service to Internet users, particularly people in developing countries, who have access to e-mail but are unable to surf the Web — the world's largest multimedia information resource. Webmail is an automated Internet service that fetches documents from the World Wide Web, and sends them to users as e-mail messages. The technology allows people to retrieve information from any public Web site, anywhere in the world.
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 IDRC Annual Report Wins Award for Excellence
1999-01-25
The International Development Research Centre's 1997-98 Annual Report has won the Auditor General of Canada Award for Excellence in Annual Reporting by Crown Corporations. This prize — of which two are announced each year — is designed to recognize "enhanced accountability through improved disclosure of information on corporate performance." IDRC also received the Award for Excellence in 1995 and was a finalist in 1996 and 1997.
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 The Environmental Impact of Chinese Rural Policies
1999-01-22
Collectivized farms and little red books are becoming a distant memory in China's rural landscape. But the country's transition from a planned to a market economy may wreak more havoc on an environment already degraded by decades of destructive policies, suggests studies by Dr Justin Lin and colleagues at the China Centre for Economic Research.
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Togo: no more fertilizers for food crops
1999-01-20
(SYFIA Togo) While the Togolese Government says that food security is an essential element of its policy, food crop producers are almost totally unable to obtain fertilizers. Unlike cotton farmers, they cannot buy them on credit any more. (article is in French)
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 The Economics of Tobacco Control in South Africa
1999-01-15
The South Africa government is introducing legislation that would ban all tobacco advertising, including the sponsorship of sports and other public events. The proposed Tobacco Products Control Bill would also prohibit smoking in public places and the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 16 years of age. The Bill's policy foundations are partly the result of studies supported by IDRC and Research for International Tobacco Control, a secretariat housed at IDRC headquarters.
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Young Africans: a new target for cigarette manufacturers
1999-01-13
(SYFIA-Guinea) While cigarette makers in Northern countries are beginning to acknowledge that they play a role in smoke-related diseases, in the South they try to lure young people with aggressive advertising campaigns. (article available in French only).
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 The War-Torn Societies Project in Guatemala
1999-01-08
In January 1997, after decades of bloody conflict, Guatemala took giant steps towards a brighter future when the government and opposition guerilla forces signed the Peace Accords. A few days later, after months of preparation, representatives from government, international agencies, research centres, and other institutions officially launched a 15 month-long experiment of the War-torn Societies Project -- a global initiative dedicated to helping war-torn societies rebuild.
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Lessons Learned from the War-torn Societies Project
1999-01-01
How can you help a country that has just been through a civil war? That's the central question addressed by the War-torn Societies Project -- a unique international pilot program launched in 1994 with the support of various donors, including IDRC. The Project's main goal was to help clarify policy options in societies that are emerging from major social and political conflict.
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Citizen Participation and Environmental Management
1998-12-23
Mexico City - the largest city in the world and the oldest in North America - is one of the great cultural capitals of the Western Hemisphere. But the daunting environmental problems facing its 20 million inhabitants - severe air pollution, a sinking water table, and chronic water shortages - present the government of Cuauhtémoc Cardenas Solorzano with an enormous challenge.
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 Project Seahorse: Conserving the Oceans' Medicinal Resources
1998-12-18
To some people, it's a charming sea creature. But in many parts of Asia, the seahorse is prized for its medicinal properties. More than 45 countries now trade in dried and live seahorses and with demand increasing at a rate of 10% per year, researchers, fishers, and traders alike have noted serious declines in Asian seahorse populations. With funding from IDRC, a July 1998 workshop in the Philippines brought conservationists, aquaculturists, and traditional Chinese medicine traders together for the first time to improve the sustainability of trade in marine medicinals.
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 Tackling Deforestation in Viet Nam: Learning from Ethnic Minorities
1998-12-11
In Viet Nam, the agricultural know-how of ethnic minorities -- a long overlooked source of knowledge -- may soon help resolve the country's deforestation problems. With funding from IDRC and the Ford Foundation, a team led by Professor Hoang Xuan Ty is assessing the sustainability and effectiveness of traditional knowledge and practices in the management of sloping agricultural land.
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 Catching Rooftop Rainwater in Gaza
1998-12-04
A roof is not just a means to keep rain off our heads. It can also be used to bolster drinking water supplies. With funding from IDRC, scientists from Canada and Palestine tested 11 rooftop catchment systems in the Gaza Strip -- an area plagued by water shortages because of arid conditions, ground water pollution, and political instability. The project looked at their technical and economic efficiency, as well as the social acceptability of rooftop water.
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New IDRC Funding Program Encourages Collaborative Research on Ecosystem Health
1998-12-01
The International Development Research Centre's Ecosystem Approaches to Human Health Initiative has launched a new collaborative research funding program to improve health cconditions in developing countries. The program encourages Canadian universities, international agricultural research institutions, and local health and agricultural research organizations in developing countries to jointly explore how the management of agricultural ecosystems affects human health.
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 Combatting Sexual Violence in South Africa
1998-11-27
More than 50,000 cases of rape were reported to South African police in 1996. With financial support from IDRC, the Johannesburg Southern Metropolitan Local Council in partnership with CIETafrica launched a 'social audit' in 1997 to investigate the causes of rape and other forms of sexual violence. Already, this study has amassed the largest and most detailed body of information on sexual violence in Africa. Some of the findings may help communities, police, and social service workers address the problem more effectively.
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 Global Forum on Health Research: Diverting Resources Toward the South
1998-11-20
Launched in 1997, the Global Forum on Health Research aims to help correct the "10/90 disequilibrium." Each year, the world spends $50 to $60 billion on health research and development, of which just 10% is used to study the health problems of 90% of the global population. The Forum is fostering collaboration between a wide range of partners in order to exchange information on health research, reduce duplication in health research and development, and identify and support the most cost-effective health interventions.
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 Harvesting Red Algae for Senegalese Coastal Communities
1998-11-13
A project designed to help Senegalese coastal communities harvest red algae promises to increase income levels. With funding from IDRC, researchers are cultivating a variety of drifting algae, called Hypnea musciformis, using nylon webs attached to underwater ropes. The algae produce a commercial colloid called carrageenan, which is used in textiles, cosmetics, antacids and other medicines, printing inks, and foods.
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 Creating Ecologically-Based Businesses for the Maya Biosphere Reserve
1998-11-06
Launched by the NGO ProPetén, the Ecoempresas program is designed to help people who live within the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Guatemala develop micro-enterprises based on value-added forest products and low-impact tourism. These community-based businesses will offer a sustainable alternative to the slash-and-burn agriculture and timber cutting that now threatens forests across the Petén, the country's largest and northern-most department.
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 'It's Rude to Say No': Vietnamese Attitudes Toward Smoking
1998-10-30
Public attitudes toward smoking is one of the main obstacles to tobacco control efforts in Viet Nam, suggests a recent report by Canadian and Vietnamese researchers. "Until people better understand the true extent of the harm caused by cigarettes to health and economy, and the motivation behind government measures to control tobacco, any government measures are likely to meet with strong opposition and current educational attempts are likely to fail," concludes It's Rude to Say No: Vietnamese Opinions About Tobacco Control.
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 Using All of the Olive: Transforming an Environmental Problem into an Economic Opportunity
1998-10-23
A simple fermentation technique has the potential to help solve three major challenges of concern to rural Moroccans: how to safely dispose of 180,000 tonnes of olive 'dregs', which are cakes formed from crushed olive sediment; how to ensure that animal feed is affordable after the government reduces imports; and how to create opportunities for educated, jobless youth to start their own micro-businesses.
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Press Release: Tools for Debt Management
1998-10-23
Under the auspices of l'Agence de la Francophonie, a Regional Upgrading Workshop on Debt Management Tools was held in Dakar, from October 5 to October 16, 1998. The 46 participants came from ten countries in West and Central Africa as well as from four regional institutions.
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School Children Around the World to Examine State of Planet's Water Supply
1998-10-22
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has created an international school network on water toxicity. Called Aquatox 2000, it will bring together students, aged 9 to 14, from 60 schools around the world to participate in experimental research while creating a global picture of the state of water on the planet. Kits needed to test for water toxicity will be provided by IDRC while technical assistance will be provided by laboratories in Canada and the developing world. Participating schools will post their results on the Aquatox 2000 web site that is scheduled for launch in January 1999. Teachers interested in having their students participate in the Network can contact Silvia Caicedo at scaicedo@idrc.ca. For more information, have a look at the Aquatox 2000 Information Kit.
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Economy and the Riches of the Poor
1998-10-20
Dr Majid Rahmena has spent much of his career thinking about poverty. By his own admission, there was a time when the Iranian scholar was overwhelmed by the issue of poverty and his inability to offer any new insights on the topic. His awakening to a new, more radical view of poverty and the poor began on the streets of Calcutta.
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 Clouds on Tap: Harvesting Fog Around the World
1998-10-16
Six years ago, fog collectors were used for the first time to supplement the water supply of Chungungo, a remote Chilean village. Today, this simple technology has more than doubled the amount of water available in Chungungo, while inspiring similar efforts in other communities around the world. The Chilean experiment was one of the highlights this summer at the First International Conference on Fog & Fog Collection in Vancouver, Canada.
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 Investigating an Environmental Disaster: Lessons from the Indonesian Fires and Haze
1998-10-09
Policy and property rights failures helped cause the Indonesian fires of 1997/98, which burned five million hectares -- an area the size of Costa Rica -- and affected about 70 million people. About 80% of the fires were set by plantation owners to clear land for palm oil, rubber, and timber. In May 1998, the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia and the World Wide Fund for Nature released a study estimating the total fire and haze-related damages at US$4.5 billion.
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 Producing Essential Oils in West Africa
1998-09-25
To reduce their dependency on imports and increase employment in rural areas, Togo, Benin and Ghana are trying to encourage the creation of small businesses that produce essential oils derived from local crops. With funding from IDRC, a team of West African researchers is helping rural communities acquire the skills needed to extract essential oils from Gambian tea, basil, lemongrass, as well as other native plants. The research team is also investigating local, regional, and international markets for essential oils.
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 Editorial: IDRC, a close friend of South Africa
1998-09-25
In the dark days of apartheid, when the Canadian government could not be officially involved in the affairs of South Africa, IDRC and Canadian nongovernmental organizations provided support to the demcratic movement in South Africa. That early support has garnered praise from South African President Nelson Mandela and it established a close working relationship that continues to grow.
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 Alternative Approaches to Managing Conflict Over Natural Resources
1998-09-18
Community organizations have a pivotal role to play in managing conflicts involving the use of natural resources, but they need support from external agencies and legitimacy from the state, concluded an expert panel on Alternative Approaches to Conflict Management hosted by IDRC. The event was held this May during an international workshop on Community-Based Natural Resource Management in Washington, D.C.
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 Monitoring and Evaluating Poverty Alleviation Programs in Peru
1998-09-04
About 4.5 million Peruvians live on less than US$33 per month. To improve their plight, the Peruvian Government has allotted US$2.7 billion toward its Focused Strategy for Extreme Poverty Alleviation. The success of this program, which aims to cut extreme poverty in half by the year 2000, hinges in large part on the ability to identify and measure extreme poverty and its causes, and then to evaluate the impact of relief efforts. These tasks are being handled by a team of IDRC-sponsored researchers at the Centro de Investigación de la Universidad del Pacífico.
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 Tapping Indigenous Knowledge: Antioxidants in the Traditional Diet of the Maasai
1998-08-28
The traditional diet of East Africa's Maasai people may contain powerful plant-based antioxidants with the potential to reduce cholesterol levels and provide other health benefits. According to Dr Timothy Johns of McGill University, up to 66% of the calories consumed in the Maasai diet come from fat, primarily saturated fats. Yet Maasai serum cholesterol levels are in the normal to low range, possibly due to their use of plant products, such as chew sticks and gums stripped from local plants.
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 Improving Access to Telecommunications in South Africa
1998-08-21
The Universal Service Agency (USA) is opening telecentres in South Africa to improve access to phone, fax, and computer services among disadvantaged and underserviced communities. The USA is supported by two IDRC projects that aim to assess the impacts of telecentres on local communities, and evaluate their potential role in achieving universal access.
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 The Global Tobacco War
1998-08-14
Despite some progress in Canada and in other developed nations, global tobacco consumption is showing no signs of decline, says anti-smoking activist Rob Cunningham. Every year, about 3 million people around the world die from tobacco-related illnesses and the World Health Organization predicts that if current trends continue, the death toll will rise to 10 million a year by 2025 -- including 7 million in the South.
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 Combining Environmental Protection and Poverty Alleviation in Colombia
1998-08-07
When it comes to growing crops and protecting the environment, Pedro Herrera is on top of things -- in more ways than one. The small-scale farmer lives in one of the poorest regions of Colombia, in the Andean hills of the province of Cauca. But he and his family are active participants in a bold experiment to conserve natural resources in the local watershed and to help community members improve their standard of living.
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 Bangladeshi Women and the Grameen Bank
1998-08-04
In 1994, Aminur Rahman set out to study how the world renowned Grameen Bank of Bangladesh has improved the lives of women. He found, however, some disturbing findings: out of the 120 female borrowers in his study, 70% reported an increase in verbal and physical aggression from male relatives after taking out loans. And while their loans were intended to help them earn income, most of these women were reduced to "middle men," borrowing money on behalf of their spouses or male relatives.
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 Estimating the Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture
1998-07-31
A new study by a team of American researchers suggests that some of the anticipated negative impacts of global warming on agriculture may be unfounded. Ironically, climate change will probably benefit the North, which releases most of the world's industrial "greenhouse gas" emissions, while adversely affecting Southern countries near the equator -- those who are least able to bear the burden.
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 Assessing the Peace and Conflict Impact of Development Projects
1998-07-24
International development and aid organizations are starting to think hard about the ways their projects may trigger conflict or advance peace in the world's unstable regions. Kenneth Bush, author of an IDRC working paper on Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment, argues that any development project set in a conflict-prone region may reduce, create or intensify violent conflicts by: changing access to resources; creating or exacerbating socioeconomic tensions; changing the material basis of economic sustenance or food security; or changing existing political, economic or social systems.
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 Communicating with Indigenous Peoples: Lessons from Guyana
1998-07-17
Effective two-way communication is an essential component of development activities involving indigenous peoples, suggests an IDRC-sponsored field study in Guyana. "A lot of development experts assume the answer is to provide better technology, but the real focus should be on improving communication," concluded Ellen Hagerman, who spent six months in an Amerindian village near the edge of the Iwokrama International Rainforest.
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 Improving Health and Living Conditions in the Gilbert Hill Slum
1998-07-10
In 1992, when SNDT Women's University first approached the people of Gilbert Hill in Mumbai, India to help develop their community, they had very different priorities. But the community became more receptive when the university not only agreed to share the results of an IDRC-funded study on the health and nutrition status of women and children, but also to involve the people in gathering data, planning, and implementing the research project. The participatory study has led to much greater impacts than expected, including improvements in sanitation, health and nutrition, as well as life skills and livelihood training for local women.
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 Promoting Community Resource Management in the Maya Biosphere Reserve
1998-07-03
The theory is simple: if you help people develop stable livelihoods from the sustainable use of their local resources and provide them with a strong economic incentive, they will protect their environment and preserve local biodiversity. One of the testing grounds for this hypothesis is Central America's largest protected area, the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Here, the director of ProPéten, a local environmental organization, can point to several significant successes including the communities of Carmelita and El Cruce a dos Aquadas.
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 Designing a Sustainable Entrance Fee System for Thailand's National Parks
1998-06-19
Many of Thailand's national parks are under threat due to encroachment by local villagers, forest fires, soil erosion, and pollution. The costs of managing Thailand's national park system are currently borne by the government's central budget and park entrance fees, but neither source provides sufficient revenues. With the support of IDRC's Economy and Environment Program for South East Asia, a Thai economist has established a framework for an improved entrance fee system.
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 Managing Tourism within a Sustainable Carrying Capacity
1998-06-12
It's the largest mass migration in human history -- and it happens every year. It ranks among the largest industries on Earth and is probably the only one with a positive North-South cash flow. But unless tourism is managed properly, it can be "an engine of destruction" rather than a force for human development, warns an international expert on sustainable tourism.
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New Grant Program Launched
1998-06-10
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) today announced the creation of a $500,000 program of international development grants for young Canadian researchers.
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 Promoting Safer Childbirth in Africa
1998-06-05
Nearly 600,000 teenage and adult women die each year in the South, particularly in Africa, from treatable childbirth complications. And many more women are suffering terrible childbirth injuries that leave them scarred for life. The Safe Motherhood Project is a joint effort of Memorial University, the University of Uyo in Nigeria, and non-governmental agencies. Its mandate includes training traditional birth attendants and midwives, establishing an emergency transport service, and developing treatment centres for women with obstetric fistula. With funding from IDRC, the project is also addressing the refusal of some women to accept medical treatment.
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 Improving Workplace Conditions in the 'Maquilas' of Central America
1998-05-29
Hot, unventilated and overcrowded workplaces, abuse, sexual harassment, unpaid overtime, and dismissal for pregnancy are just some of the labour issues faced by more than 335,000 factory workers -- most of them female -- in Central America's five free trade zones. A few years ago, women's groups from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras launched the Network of Central American Women in Solidarity with Women Maquila Workers, which is dedicated to improving working conditions in each country.
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 The Role of Indigenous Seeds in Africa's Food Security
1998-05-22
Africa's food crisis and the use of indigenous seeds was the focus of the 9th International Training Workshop on Sustainable Management, Development and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources in Lesotho. "Not enough use has been made of farmers' indigenous knowledge acquired through long years of practical agricultural activities. It is time this knowledge is harnessed to save food security," stated Lesotho's permanent secretary for agriculture.
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An anthropological look at malaria
1998-05-19
A medical anthropologist, pursuing her doctorate at the Université du Québec à Montréal, studies malaria in Guinée from an ecological perspective. (Originally published in Interface magazine.)
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Mauritius: the sandstorm
1998-05-16
(SYFIA-Maurice) Vocal backlash in Mauritius after the government puts a halt to the dredging of sand in the island's lagoons by 2001, but allows a local company to continue operations near the capital city. (article in French only).
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 Investigating the Impact of Urban Agriculture in Harare, Zimbabwe
1998-05-15
The amount of land under cultivation in Harare, Zimbabwe has risen rapidly this decade due to the relaxation of by-laws governing urban agriculture. However, environmental groups are concerned about the threats to drinking water posed by chemical fertilizers and by sedimentation. A long-running conflict between urban dwellers and local authorities -- plus mounting concern about potential impacts to public health and natural resources -- prompted ENDA-Zimbabwe to undertake an extensive study of urban agriculture. While highlighting the issue of environmental damage, the study revealed that urban agriculture is now the main coping strategy used by poor households in Harare.
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Case Studies Sought for Solutions Site
1998-05-15
As people around the world search for ways to address global warming and other environmental problems, HORIZON Communications is leading an effort to document and disseminate answers through a SOLUTIONS SITE on the World Wide Web thanks to support from Global Resource Action Center for the Environment GRACE). Harvard and Yale universities, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Development Programme, Population Fund, and UNICEF are collaborating with HORIZON on the Site which will be operational by the end of May. take me to the site now
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 A Global Trading Guide for Community-Based Organizations
1998-05-08
Necessity —- and opportunity -- are driving many small community-based organizations into the global trade arena. Often, their motive is to ensure fair and equitable trade and labour practices, as well as sustainable resource use. To assist them, West End Community Ventures, located near Ottawa, has produced the Practitioner's Resource Guide for Global Trading by Community-based Organizations.
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 'Crops of Truth': Conserving Agricultural Biodiversity in Andhra Pradesh, India
1998-05-01
For generations, farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, have selected and preserved seeds from one season to another. But modern cultivation has threatened the age-old bonds between them and their traditional crops. With funding from an IDRC-sponsored research network, the Deccan Development Society is documenting local farmers' use of agricultural diversity through oral histories, videos, and photo-slides.
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 Counting the Cost of the 1997 Haze
1998-04-24
Almost a year after fires in Indonesia began to cast a choking pall of smoke over much of South East Asia, the total cost of this disaster is still unknown. But a recent study by IDRC's Economy and Environment Program for South East Asia and the World Wide Fund for Nature reveals losses of at least US$1.4 billion in three of the most affected countries.
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 Promoting Urban Farming over the Airwaves
1998-04-17
For millions of people living in crowded cities throughout the South, a rooftop garden or a herd of plump guinea pigs raised in cages could spell the difference between hunger and relative prosperity. With funding from IDRC, the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network has created a series of radio scripts designed to teach people how to farm in urban areas.
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 Balancing Environmental Protection and Economic Development in Mexico
1998-04-10
Every winter, 200 million Monarch butterflies from Canada and the northern United States congregate in the Eastern Sierra Madre mountains of central Mexico. The Monarch's winter habitat, however, is also home for 900,000 Mexicans, many of whom depend on the same forests to survive. Population growth and a weak local economy pose a threat to the Monarch's home in Mexico — a threat the International Model Forest Network Secretariat (housed at IDRC) and Mexico's Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAP) have teamed up to address.
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 Reinventing Home Economics in Canada and Africa
1998-04-03
The profession that exists to meet the needs of women and the small-scale economies of households faces an identity crisis: home economics is losing recognition and in some cases its relevance. These realities are driving an innovative research project initiated by the Canadian Home Economics Association and funded by IDRC. Its aim is to revitalize home economics by exploring how it can best address the human needs that are most critical in today's world, and improve its practice in both Canada and Africa.
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 Sowing the Seeds of Tomorrow's High-Tech Industries: The ENREMON Project
1998-03-27
In Malaysia, a national effort is underway to speed the transition to an information-based economy. In recent years, the traditional foundation of Malaysia's economy (its rubber, petroleum, tin, and oil palm industries) has been strengthened by a rapidly growing manufacturing sector. Under Vision 2020, the government plans to take Malaysia a step further, to build a high-technology nation of knowledge workers by the year 2020. And a private sector consortium, spawned from research funded by IDRC, is angling for a key role in implementing Malaysia's 21st century vision.
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 Francisco Sagasti on: 'The Emerging Fractured Global Order'
1998-03-20
The "Baconian" world view that has guided the actions of industrialized societies for almost four centuries is drawing to a close. For those in the field of development cooperation, the ability to successfully navigate the uncharted waters of the new international order will require "structural adjustment of our minds," argued Francisco Sagasti, President of FORO Nacional/Internacional, during a recent seminar held at IDRC.
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 Combining Education and Conservation in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve
1998-03-13
Over the last 20 years, the Petén region of Guatemala has faced significant pressure due to migration from other parts of the country as well as the uncontrolled exploitation of its natural resources, resulting in the conversion of one-third of the forest-rich region to farms and pasture. In 1992, Conservation International established a US$1.2 million debt-for-nature exchange to support the ProPetén program, which aims to develop environmentally sustainable businesses that provide residents with alternative sources of income. One example is the Eco-Escuela, which was established in San Andrés to provide households with income from teaching and hosting foreign students.
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Vietnam under the watchful eye of Radarsat
1998-03-12
In collaboration with a research team from the University of Sherbrooke, Vietnamese scientists are analyzing images taken by the Radarsat satellite to help devise an environmentally friendly management plan for the Red River. (Aricle published in french only.)
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 Improving Access to Water on India's Deccan Trap Plateau
1998-03-06
Life in the Akole Taluka tribal area of central India had long been marked by hardship and deprivation, exacerbated by a lack of water. In the dry season from February to May, women and children spent most of each day collecting water for domestic use, venturing farther from their villages as available water dwindled. Though challenges remain, the mood in Akole Taluka is considerably brighter now thanks to a new water management strategy developed with support from IDRC.
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From Napoleon to Radarsat: examining the Nile delta
1998-03-05
To chart the changes to the Nile delta over the past 200 years, a student from the University of Québec at Rimouski is comparing maps commissioned by Napoleon with modern-day satellite images. His research should make it easier to forecast the impact of human activity in this region. Article appears in French only
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La Guerre du Tabac
1998-02-26
The International Development Research Centre has recently released a french version of Rob Cunningham's hardhitting book,Smoke and Mirrors: the Canadian Tobacco Wars. Uncompromising and accusatory it should continue to stoke the fires that keep the tobacco "issue" smouldering. This article appears in French only.
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 In profile: IDRC awardee Anna-Marie Ball
1998-02-24
IDRC Doctoral Awardee Anna-Marie Ball devoted her doctoral research to the social and cultural factors related to sexual risk and the spread of AIDS among the youth of Botswana. Her one-year investigation has revealed important subtleties in the risk and extent of HIV infection and provides insights for new approaches to AIDS education.
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Mountain Views
1998-02-23
A hypertext guide to resource issues in the mountains of Nepal is available on CD-ROM and the Internet.
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