- Viewpoints
Opinions and perspectives of experts and leading thinkers in the research for development field
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Success is Relative — Wara Alderete 2007-11
Smoking prevention campaigns are a tough sell in Argentina, but Ethel “Wara” Alderete is diligently working against powerful barriers to limit smoking and its impact on the health of citizens in her country.
Advancing Regional Collaboration — IDRC Supporting Asia's Development 2007-11
IDRC’s Singapore-based Regional Director for Southeast and East Asia, Richard Fuchs believes that people who want to understand how the world is changing should look to the wave of transformation that is sweeping across Asia.
*Net Protectors Defend the Global Commons 2007-11
As states encroach on Internet governance around the world, IDRC is supporting a major new initiative that will investigate the impacts of Internet censorship in Asia.
Africa and Climate Change: Adapt, Survive, Thrive? 2007-10
Because of a changing climate, projects to help Africans adapt are springing up across the continent.
Farmers Have Their Say “Where the Water World Meets” 2007-10
During World Water Week, IDRC and the International Water Management Institute organized a workshop on pollution management in urban watersheds — with a creative twist. Panellists were asked to answer questions posed by farmers in Africa and Asia, who had been videotaped in the weeks running up to the meeting.
From Green to Evergreen: Updating the Food Revolution 2007-10
Hunger can be eradicated “in my lifetime,” says the man known as the father of the Green Revolution in India. M.S. Swaminathan speaks about his values, his achievements, and his ambitions.
Facilitating Open Dialogue — IDRC Plays a Key Role in Latin America and the Caribbean 2007-09
The challenges that Latin America and the Caribbean face today have arisen, in large part, because of flaws in the way the region’s economies were reformed in the 1990s, says Federico Burone, IDRC’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Competition Policy at the Service of Development 2007-09
Inefficiency and corruption collude to keep people poor. The solution: rules and regulations that force companies to compete fairly. IDRC hears from the experts.
Managing Opium: Policy choices for Afghanistan 2007-09
Income from illegal opium poppy cultivation helps sustain the livelihoods of millions of rural Afghans, but also provides significant revenues to criminals. IDRC recently joined with Aga Khan Foundation Canada to host a presentation by two counternarcotics experts on the political and economic implications of opium production in Afghanistan.
High Hopes for High Tech 2007-07
A profile of Michael Clarke, director of IDRC’s Information and Communication Technologies for Development program area.
A Nation Evolves 2007-07
From the empowerment of women to managing their health — information and communication technologies have changed the lives of thousands of Indian villagers.
Giving Back — IDRC Photo Contest Winner Shares Prize with Senegalese Colleagues 2007-06
Brendan Baker, a winner of IDRC’s 2006 "Expose Urban Solutions" photo contest, shared his CA $2 500 prize with the two people who made his photo possible.
The "e-green" Revolution in Uruguay's Classrooms 2007-05
Every primary school student attending public school in Uruguay will soon have access to an important new tool — a textbook-size laptop computer.
Agro-biodiversity in Nepal: Wise Insurance 2007-04
Working with researchers in the field, farmers in Nepal learned that conserving local crop varieties is wise “insurance” in case of a natural disaster, and that applying basic breeding practices can pay off in the short run.
Palestinian Refugees: Challenges of Repatriation and Development 2007-04
McGill University political science professor, Rex Brynen, and Roula El-Rifai, senior program specialist for IDRC's Middle East Special Initiatives, talk about their new book that explores the complex issue of Palestinian refugee repatriation.
Getting Back to Basics 2007-03
Profile of IDRC's Innovation, Policy and Science program area.
Heroes of Danajon Bank 2007-03
They are unlikely heroes — poor families who eke out a living fishing by lantern-light. Yet, they have been recognized internationally for their efforts to conserve the marine environment on the Danajon Bank in the Central Philippines.
Finding India's Missing Middle 2007-02
An IDRC-sponsored workshop examined how research might be used to better shape labour markets to reduce poverty and inequality. In India’s case, it will likely mean addressing the lack of mid-sized firms.
Cutting Down Tobacco 2007-02
Tobacco is a crop as addictive to growers in the developing world as it is to any user. For them, dependency is economic rather than physical or psychological — but while ready cash is attractive, farmers are beginning to realize that growing tobacco is threatening the health of their families, their land, and their local ecosystems.
The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum: Campaigning for Freedom in the Homeland 2007-01
Once the "breadbasket of Africa," Zimbabwe today is wracked by hyperinflation and periodic shortages of foreign exchange, fuel, and food. The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum is working for political change in its homeland.
A Responsibility to Report — The Role of the Media in the Rwanda Genocide 2007-01
Veteran journalist and assistant professor at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communications, Allan Thompson, has had Rwanda on his radar since the mid-1990s when he first visited the African nation. He has now edited a book exploring the role of the media in the Rwanda genocide.
Building Capacity and Transferring Knowledge: The Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program 2007-01
The Teasdale-Corti Global Health Research Partnership Program, developed by the founding partners of the Global Health Research Initiative, honours the legacy of Canadian surgeon Lucille Teasdale and her Italian husband, Dr Piero Corti.
Afghan Journalists Tour Canada to Share "Afghanistan's Story" 2006-12
To commemorate the 17th Jailed Journalists Support Day, IDRC and Reporters Without Borders Canada invited two Afghan journalists to tour five Canadian cities to speak about freedom of the press and the role of women in Afghanistan.
New Policy Challenges on a Changing Economic Landscape 2006-12
Profile of IDRC's Social and Economic Policy program area.
Evolving Approaches to Sustainable Development 2006-11
Profile of IDRC's Environment and Natural Resource Management (ENRM) program area.
Cooperating for Coastal and Community Survival 2006-11
To protect Cambodia's threatened mangrove stands — and to improve the lives and livelihoods of local people — it has been necessary to take a long-term look at social relations and the legacy of war.
Rehabilitating Kenya's Judicial System 2006-10
"Corruption underdevelops a country. […] It cripples the whole machinery of government and society," says Justice Mary Ang'awa of Kenya's High Court. Ang'awa is a member of the Kenya Women Judges Association, which has been working to address two of Kenya's biggest problems – corruption within the judiciary, and gender violence.
Getting the Word Out: Boosting Science Reporting in Africa and the Middle East 2006-10
An innovative new mentoring program aims to strengthen science reporting in developing countries.
A Multipronged Approach to Ensuring Food Security 2006-10
IDRC believes that poverty alleviation, food security, and environmental sustainability go hand in hand. It also believes that effectively addressing these interlinked challenges requires working actively with the main actors, from farmers to researchers to government officials.
HIV/AIDS and Food Insecurity: Double Jeopardy 2006-08
In 1989, while working at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Stuart Gillespie spent six months examining the connection between HIV/AIDS and food security. It quickly became clear to him that the epidemic's long-term impacts could have a devastating effect on hunger throughout the developing world.
Youth Take Aim Against AIDS 2006-08
An IDRC-supported project in Peru employs youthful creativity and advanced communication technology in the battle against HIV/AIDS.
And the Winner is ... An Interview With Brendan Baker 2006-08
IDRC interviews one of three winners of IDRC's "Expose Urban Solutions!" photo contest that was launched prior to the Third World Urban Forum.
Putting Children in the Economic Picture 2006-06
"Young Lives" Ethiopia is a 15-year research project concerned with how children have been affected by Ethiopia's poverty reduction strategy.
India's Missing Daughters 2006-05
A new study estimates that 10 million girls have gone “missing” from India’s population since 1985 because of the practice of selectively aborting female fetuses. Dr Prabhat Jha says the new calculation shows the need for a range of social policies to reverse a potentially disastrous future imbalance in the male/female ratio of India’s population.
Addressing the Social Causes of Illness 2006-04
A recent panel discussion reveals the high expectations for a new World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health.
Fighting Corruption: An Uphill Battle 2006-03
The anti-corruption movement has gained momentum in the last decade with countries around the globe making strides toward good governance. But John Githongo, one of Africa's most prominent advocates of governance reform, knows first-hand how tenacious corruption can be.
Rural Women in the Wired World 2006-03
Women living in rural areas are at a particular disadvantage in the digital world — facing multiple barriers related both to gender and location. But there is hope. In 2005, for instance, the small grants fund GenARDIS received some 300 applications to fund projects aimed at breaking down barriers separating rural women from the benefits of ICTs.
Pandora's Box: A New Model for Education in Asia 2006-01
In Asia, distance education using information and communication technologies is proving to be an efficient way of delivering high-quality education. And by making higher education affordable and accessible, it is helping to address equity issues.
WTO Accession: Tough Love or a Heavy Hand? 2005-12-13
Thirty-one countries from war-torn Afghanistan to Yemen are queued for membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The reasons officials give for staying in the queue range from improved market access for their exports to the positive signal — a seal of approval really — that WTO membership sends to the global trading and investment community.
Come Together: African Universities Collaborate to Improve Bandwidth 2005-12
African universities pay dramatically more for Internet access than comparable institutions on other continents. To help increase the flow of information, participants at the Conference on African Research and Education Networking and Infrastructure, held 14 and 15 November 2005 in Tunisia, developed a multifaceted approach for collaboration.
“How Will It Help Veronica?…” 2005-12
During my trip to Uganda, one individual stayed with me throughout my travels, so much so, that “How will it help Veronica?” became a mantra for the trip. — ICT4D Director, Richard Fuchs.
Onno the Liberator 2005-10-18
Onno Purbo has been described as an Internet activist, an information and communication technology (ICT) evangelist, and now liberator. His mission: to transform Indonesia into a knowledge-based society and its people into knowledge producers by tirelessly promoting low-cost, build-your-own, community-based ICT networks.
Work in Progress — Rural Pondicherry's Wireless Internet 2005-10-06
An award winning project to provide high-speed wireless telephone and Internet access to villagers in southern India has also wrought social change in the past five years. As the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation is discovering, new information can change lives.
A Robin Hood for the Digital Age 2005-10-06
The Rede de informaçãoes para o terceiro setor (RITS), a nonprofit organization based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been working since 1997 to make computer technology and its powerful communication tools available to the poorest sectors of the population. It also wants to modernize civil society organizations and enable them to share information widely. And it's doing just that using such means as a Web portal, a "webzine," and a directory of organizations.
The Heredia Rules: A New Route for Protecting Privacy in Online Judicial Information 2005-10-06
What is a boon for many lawyers is also proving to be a liability for some individuals in Latin America. Judicial decisions are now being published, full-text on the Internet, making them easy to access and helping to open up the legal system in Latin America. The problem is that sensitive information about people’s private lives also ends up online. To address this issue, researchers, judges, and representatives from civil society as well as from the private sector met in Heredia, Costa Rica to develop voluntary guides for judicial bodies in the region to follow when putting information on the Internet. Known as the Heredia Rules, these guidelines are helping to strike a balance between judicial transparency and the protection of personal information.
Cultivating Research in a War-ravaged City 2005-09-12
The Kingtom Bomeh municipal dump site in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is a post-apocalyptic landscape. But amid the skeletons of rusted-out cars and piles of burning trash Yebu Sesay is expanding her vegetable garden. Researchers supported by IDRC are now studying urban agriculture practices in Freetown. The goal: improve sustainability and productivity.
Technology and Language: Learning to Say Mouse in K’iche’ 2005-08
Thousands of children in Guatemala’s rural highlands are using computers to learn to read and write in their native Mayan language of K’iche', thanks to a local NGO’s support of intercultural/bilingual education and educational technology.
Reflections on Water: An Interview with Margaret Catley-Carlson 2005-08
In an effort to demystify the water "problem," IDRC Bulletin speaks with IDRC governor Margaret Catley-Carlson who has been working in the area of water for 20 years, most recently as Chair of the Global Water Partnership and member of the World Water Commission.
Greywater Turns to Gold: Treatment Units to Help Low-income Households in Jordan 2005-07
In Jordan, the demand for freshwater already exceeds the supply. With no new sources to tap, Jordanians must find ways to reduce their demand and make better use of existing supplies.
Learning Lessons from Traditional Leaders in Ghana 2005-06-06
In Ghana, traditional leaders are at the forefront in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Chiefs and queen mothers are regaining their authority and assuming active roles as partners in development, working to alleviate the social, economic, and health consequences of AIDS in their communities.
Global Approaches to Urban Wastewater Use in Irrigated Agriculture 2005-05-27
Although a common and often ancient practice, the use of urban wastewater — often untreated or inadequately treated — in irrigated agriculture is receiving fresh attention because of the increasing scarcity of clean water resources and the growing volumes of urban wastewater in developing countries. It is estimated that more than 20 million hectares in 50 countries are currently irrigated with urban wastewater and up to one-tenth of the world’s population eats food produced using wastewater. A major concern raised by all contributors to a new book, Wastewater Use in Irrigated Agriculture: Confronting the Livelihood and Environmental Realities, is the need to balance the public health impacts on consumers with that of farmers to increase their livelihoods by using wastewater to grow crops. Case studies demonstrate the wide range of wastewater use practices.
Addressing Barriers to Empowering Women: A South Asian Perspective 2005-05-13
Ten years after the UN’s World Conference on Women in Beijing, women’s movements around the world have made progress in securing women’s basic human rights. However, notes Ratna Kapur, Director of the Centre for Feminist Legal Research in New Delhi, violence against women remains an enormous problem.
Building a Fisheries Research Network 2005-04-04
In the early 1980s, the fishing industry in many Southeast Asian countries was in serious trouble. At the same time, much of the scientific research being carried out on these issues was primarily biological in nature, even while people were starting to recognize that the real solutions were social, economic, political, and institutional in nature. The Asian Fisheries Social Science Research Network (AFSSRN) was launched to address this issue. As a result, nowadays social scientists and economists also study the fishers as well as the fish. Their recommendations are proving very useful to policymakers in Southeast Asia as they seek to ensure sustainable management of the regions fishing grounds.
Engendering Macroeconomic Policies 2005-03-07
Is macroeconomic analysis gender-neutral? Many economists and others think not. Nilufer Cagatay is helping to train senior economists to consider gender in their approach to macroeconomics and international economic policy.
Brain Drain and Capacity Building in Africa 2005-02-22
“In 25 years, Africa will be empty of brains.” That dire warning, from Dr Lalla Ben Barka of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), reflects the growing alarm over Africa’s increasing exodus of human capital. Data on brain drain in Africa is scarce and inconsistent; however, statistics show a continent losing the very people it needs most for economic, social, scientific, and technological progress.
Development Takes on a Face and an Address in the Philippines 2005-02-01
“Waiting for something,” reads the sign above the small waiting shed on the side of the dusty road that cuts through a baranguay (village) in the municipality of Coron on Busuanga Island, in the Philippine province of Palawan. “Waiting for nothing,” reads another a kilometre or so down the road. These two signs may well describe the feelings of many Palawanos, indeed of many Filipinos. Optimism, because of the national government’s commitment since the late 1980s to reduce poverty. Pessimism because, as Celia Reyes of the Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI) at De La Salle University says, “the performance of the Philippines with respect to poverty reduction has been very modest. While the incidence of poverty has declined over the past 15 years, the number of poor has actually increased.”
Colombia’s Laptop Warrior — Connectivity for Peace and Progress 2005-01-31
Vilma Almendra is part of a growing movement to use Internet communications as an antidote to violence against Indigenous peoples. She says that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing a key role in denouncing human rights abuses in Colombia.
Putting Guatemala's Justice System on Trial 2004-12-03
Justice officials, human rights defenders, and experts from other Latin American countries are monitoring Guatemala’s criminal justice system for the "Justice Observatory," an IDRC-supported research project.
Palestinian Researchers Apply Evaluation Lessons to Land Use Project 2004-11-04
The Palestinian people face the triple challenge of negotiating a just peace, building a viable state, and laying the foundations for sustainable development — all under adverse conditions. Over the past two years, researchers from the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) have attended the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) in Ottawa. The training has provided triple benefits, strengthening research in land use, building evaluation capacity within ARIJ, and planting the seeds for an evaluation network involving Middle Eastern countries.
Learning Online and On the Job in Mexico 2004-10-21
In 1993, the Mexican government embarked on an ambitious program to reform its public administration. The goal: to build a professional, stable, and nonpartisan public service. Part of its efforts is to offer training courses in good government, management, and technical areas to public servants. The courses will be delivered online, through a new portal — @Campus Mexico — launched on October 20. Canadian experience in Internet and Web-enabled technologies and online learning to improve public administration helped shape the new portal. The Institute for Connectivity in the Americas and Canada’s International Development Research Centre supported @Campus Mexico’s development.
Casting CurriculumNet Wider 2004-09-20
An Internet-based learning project in Uganda is bearing fruit — and may soon send new shoots south, to Rwanda. In March 2004, Kiddhu Makubuya, Uganda’s Minister for Education and Sports, and Professor Romain Murenzi, Rwanda’s Minister for Education, Science, Technology, and Scientific Research, headed a delegation to see the launch and demonstration of CurriculumNet’s content and materials at Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) in Kampala. CurriculumNet is using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide instructors with multi-media materials they can use to teach their classes.
Taming the Wounded Lion: Transforming Security Forces in West Africa 2004-09-07
Coups and conflict have been a sad part of life for millions of West Africans over the past four decades. With the arrival of fragile democracies, new civilian governments are replacing military rule but often the two parties do not know how to talk to each other. The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), a nongovernmental organization that aims to promote the values of democracy, peace, and human rights in Africa, has just published a 176-page handbook on security sector transformation. The Governance in the Security Sector Handbook is designed to provide military, government, and civil society throughout Africa with a holistic tool to analyze and choose alternatives.
Liquid Manna? Treating Urban Wastewater for Local Gardening 2004-08-13
Researchers in Senegal have been experimenting with a biological method of treating water that involves lagoons and pista stratiotes, otherwise known as water lettuce. The resulting water is safer to use for agriculture, flower growing, composting of household refuse, or for watering tree nurseries. It is proving to be “liquid manna” for urban farmers in two poor neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Dakar.
Trade Liberalization: Poverty’s friend or foe? 2004-07-30
Freer trade is supposed to be good for economic growth but does it do anything to reduce poverty? An eight-country study sheds light on the effects of liberalized trade on the poor and provides policymakers with a tool to help them extend the benefits from liberalized trade more broadly.
A Better Brew: Toward a sustainable coffee industry 2004-07-30
The global coffee industry is in freefall, imperilling the livelihoods of millions of farm families. An initiative to use market forces to make coffee supply chains more sustainable holds promise for small-scale coffee producers and other commodity markets.
A Business Case for Social Responsibility in Mining Operations 2004-07-09
The mining firm that wins the auction to develop the Las Bambas copper deposit in Peru (slated to be chosen on 23 July) had “better be prepared to show the families [living there], the community, the neighbouring communities, and the country that the net impact of that mine's life — from exploration to post-closure — is positive for them, for their environment, and for their economy,” warned Paul A. Warner, director of Community Relations and Institutional Affairs for giant Australian mining company BHP Billiton.
Making Mining Work: Bringing poverty-stricken, small-scale miners into the formal private sector 2004-07-09
Digging for precious minerals in precarious, often unhealthy conditions, without safety equipment, proper tools, or recognition from the state is a way of life for about 13 million of the world’s poorest people engaged in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Ten years ago, governments and multilateral institutions operated in the hope that ASM would disappear, but it is now painfully clear that ASM is a reality that must be faced head-on, according to Mining Policy Research Initiative (MPRI) director Cristina Echavarría.
Happiness and Progress: Measuring Human Wellbeing in Bhutan and Canada 2004-06-17
The country of Bhutan wants to safeguard its social values by entrenching them in terms that the wider world can understand and respect, that is to say, in new measures of progress. The country is following through on the 1972 declaration made by His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck: “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.” To this end, the Bhutanese are striving to develop a comprehensive set of social, environmental, and health indicators that can accurately represent human wellbeing.
Solving the Water Crisis: Increase Supplies or Improve Management? 2004-06-03
Large-scale, centralized water management has gone about as far as it can in many regions. There are no more big rivers to dam; aquifers are being mined to exhaustion; vast irrigation schemes have reached their limits. The second option — better managing existing supplies — holds greater promise. Thirty years of research shows that community-based or local water management could play a large role in efforts to supply clean water to all.
Using Video to Settle Land Disputes in Lebanon 2004-04-30
In Lebanon’s sparsely settled highlands, a long-time Arab method for settling disputes has taken a decidedly technological twist, as video cameras help the traditional majlis council structure do its work. The cameras helped facilitate dialogue between groups embroiled in a longstanding land dispute in Arsaal — an important step for developing a workable approach to managing the region’s fragile natural resources.
The Challenge of Achieving Health Equity in Africa 2004-04-07
Equity in health implies addressing differences in health status that are unnecessary, avoidable, and unfair, says the Regional Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa (EQUINET). The network addresses three dimensions of equity: in access to health resources, access to social and economic resources, and access to power. It does so by sharing information and by carrying out research. The goal is to build regional capacity and foster equitable health policies. This work is crucial, says EQUINET coordinator Dr Rene Loewenson, as inequities are increasing in Africa.
Applying Lessons in Evaluation 2004-02-26
IDRC sponsored 11 people from organizations in Palestine, Jamaica, Senegal, Mexico, Ecuador, and Uruguay to attend the third annual International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) in Ottawa. Researchers are now applying the skills they learned to their work in the field. Hosted by the World Bank’s Operations Evaluation Department and Carleton University’s Faculty of Public Affairs and Management, IPDET attracted 187 participants from 57 developed and developing countries — an increase of 15% from the previous year.
Biodiversity and Health: Are we killing the plants that can cure? 2004-02-13
In October 2003, scientists, researchers, pharmacists, traditional healers, policymakers, and representatives of the academic and business worlds met in Ottawa, Canada, to take part in an International Symposium on Biodiversity and Health. It was the first time such a disparate group from both North and South came together to examine issues surrounding the use and conservation of medicinal plants and the practice of traditional medicine. What follows is a summary of the presentations and discussions at the three-day symposium.
Kenyan Farmers Discover the Internet 2004-01-29
A project called DrumNet in Kenya brings hope to rural farmers who have long been exploited by brokers and resellers. The smallholder producers can now depend on DrumNet's services to track market prices and make better-informed decisions about the sale of their produce. Additional services are planned to help improve farmers' productivity and incomes.
Urban Agriculture Reaches New Heights Through Rooftop Gardening 2004-01-22
A form of urban gardening increasingly practiced by some of the world’s poorest farmers is being adapted to the rooftops of Montreal. The Canadian development organization Alternatives, working with Mexican and Moroccan researchers, is developing a simplified hydroponics system, using recycled materials, organic inputs, and manual labour to produce crops. The technique uses as little as 10% of the water needed for conventional gardening, helps clean air and groundwater, and saves energy normally used to transport food from rural to urban areas.
India Mainstreams Medicinal Plants 2004-01-08
A new Indian government program to bring medicinal plants into the country’s medical and livelihood mainstreams should put money into the pockets of the villagers who collect them, while making the plants safer to use. The effort marks a shift away from viewing India’s forests as timber stock, to seeing them as sources for a medicinal plant industry.
Digital Solidarity, Key to Africa’s Development — Interview with Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal 2003-12-11
In Dakar, on December 2, 2003, His Excellency Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, accorded Senegalese journalist Mame Less Camara an exclusive interview on behalf of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Mr Wade is coordinator of the information and communication technologies (ICTs) aspect of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The interview took place on the eve of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held December 9 to 12. President Wade considers the new technologies one of NEPAD’s eight priority sectors. In fact, he says, the new technologies “have shown the way for giving concrete application to NEPAD in partnership with developed countries.”
Food Security — Seeds of Threat, Seeds of Solutions 2003-11-27
Over the past few decades, plant breeders have developed new high-yielding cereal varieties. This very success, however, could lead to a gradual loss of plant species, threatening the world’s future food security. Only the help of small farmers in remote areas of the world who have benefited little if at all from the advances in plant breeding can overcome this threat.
In Conversation: Venàncio Massingue 2003-11-17
A pioneer of the digital age in Africa, Dr Venàncio Massingue, Vice-Rector of the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), was a key player in bringing the Internet to Mozambique. From 1996 to 1998 he masterminded the development of the Mozambique ICT Policy and ICT Strategy that were approved by the Cabinet in 2000 and 2002 respectively. He emphasizes and supports the role of young people in his goal of making Mozambique a producer, not just a consumer, of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Dr Massingue spoke to IDRC Reports about his experience and the role of ICTs in development.
Resource Management Goes Wireless in Mozambique 2003-11-17
Mozambique’s forest wardens and wildlife scouts have a new tool with which to fight illegal loggers and poachers: wireless radio telephones. The phones are also helping to break their isolation. In addition, research supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is showing that the radios help to enlist villagers to the cause of sound resource management. Local and provincial governments profit in turn from the additional fines levied on illegal loggers.
Computers Live On In Colombian Classrooms 2003-11-17
Donated computers are making school much more interesting for more than 750 000 students in Colombia and are allowing students from technical colleges to gain valuable work experience. The program — similar to Canada’s Computers for Schools — is also helping teachers learn how to use computers and the Internet as educational tools. Key to the success of this project, supported by the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA), is political will — Computadores para Educar (CPE) enjoys presidential support.
Net Gains With Somos@Telecentros 2003-11-17
Telecentres — community Internet access points — can help marginal groups in society to use the Internet to organize and influence wider thinking on the kinds of national policies, regulations, and human rights issues that affect them. This is the experience of Somos@Telecentros in Ecuador, launched in 1999 as a way to build regional and national communities through the Internet. Today it has about 1750 members in eight countries who share experiences and resources. The network also gives them a collective voice that enhances their participation and their influence in the discussion and formulation of broader public policies.
The Best Policy: Telcom Research from an African Perspective 2003-11-17
Information and communication technologies (ICTS) offer tantalizing possibilities for supporting — even hastening — Africa's economic and social development. Whether or not this potential is reached depends to a great extent on telecommunications policies. These policies cannot simply be imported: they must be based on an understanding of African realities. The aim of the Learning Information Networking Knowledge (LINK) Centre is to promote "made in Africa" research that will contribute to a "made in Africa" information revolution.
What Determines ICT Access in the Philippines? 2003-11-17
As an archipelago of 7000 islands, the Philippines faces major communication challenges. The country also has pressing development needs. The government has introduced several policies to broaden people's access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a way to meet these needs. But Erwin Alamapy found that even though people are close to ICTs, they don't always use them. His research project set out to find out why, and what could be done to encourage the use of new technologies.
A Cyber Shepherd at Work in the Sahel 2003-11-17
How can the pastoralists in the Sahel be helped to adopt more productive livestock management practices and to protect pastures that are threatened by drought and overgrazing? African researchers addressing this question have come up with an innovative answer — putting new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to work for herders. One result: a Web site named "cyber shepherd."
Telecentres: From Idea to Reality in Mozambique 2003-11-17
What should a telecentre look like? In Mozambique, researchers from the University Eduardo Mondlane turned to the community for an answer. The result was a one-stop shop with everything from telephones and photocopying services to computer training. The project is having spillover effects as women's organizations avail themselves of some of the services offered. But although the telecentres are valued by the communities, their future remains uncertain due to the high cost of Internet and the need to become self-sustainable.
Tools for Educational Change 2003-11-17
SchoolNet Mozambique is a nationwide network to enhance learning opportunities for students, teachers, and the surrounding community via the Internet. Decision makers have high hopes that it can redress some of the problems endemic to Mozambique's education system, such as inequity in access to education, especially between urban and rural dwellers. Supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), SchoolNet is also seen as a way to prepare Mozambican students for work in the Global Information Society. Ultimately, however, SchoolNet may be the catalyst for systemic change in the way teachers teach and students learn.
Laos: A Final Frontier for ICTs 2003-11-17
A report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on "e readiness," published in 2001, outlines many problems that limit the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development in Laos. These include limited infrastructure and a lack of ICT knowledge. A project on building digital links, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), is helping to build capacity within the government and at the community level to meet Laos' ICT needs.
New Wireless Network for Uganda's Healthcare Workers 2003-11-17
The introduction of cellular telephony has revolutionized Uganda's communication industry, increasing national teledensity by 350% since the first network went live in early 1995. Now the networks that brought remote villages their first voice connectivity are opening new doors for the delivery of health care.
In Conversation: Shafika Isaacs on Transforming Education in Africa 2003-11-17
Shafika Isaacs is executive director of SchoolNet Africa. An African nongovernmental organization (NGO), SchoolNet Africa uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) in schools to improve the quality, accessibility, and efficiency of education. It works with learners, teachers, policymakers, and practitioners, largely through national schoolnet organizations. Isaacs spoke to Reports magazine about her vision for using ICTs to fundamentally change Africa's education system. Africa is experiencing an education crisis because of the large number of children who lack access to good quality, basic education.
Boosting Tourism in South Africa’s Townships 2003-11-17
Cape Town is one of Africa's top tourist meccas as visitors come to enjoy the natural beauty of Table Mountain, the wine lands and white sandy beaches. But Cape Town is a tale of two cities. Not far from the modern skyscrapers and first world luxuries, lie the sprawling, impoverished townships of the Cape Flats. Townships are not just about poverty, though, as foreign tourists are learning. They are communities rich in cultural and ethnic heritages; and for those looking for something a little different, largely undiscovered. As part of a research project undertaken by the University of the Western Cape, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is assessing the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on small, medium, and micro enterprises and how these could be incorporated into the burgeoning tourism industry in the Cape Flats.
Making Plans for Success — The Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project 2003-10-30
Fewer children are dying in Morogoro District in Tanzania — the result of significant improvements in local health care. Morogoro is one of two districts that are the testing ground for the Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project (TEHIP). This research and development partnership between the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Tanzania Ministry of Health has been piloting innovations in health planning, priority setting, and resource allocation. As the successful project comes to an end, the Tanzanian government is now taking steps to apply TEHIP’s lessons to the rest of the country.
Turning the Tide of Violence in South Africa 2003-10-23
The root cause of violence in South Africa has not changed much since the apartheid era. According to the Johannesburg-based Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), South Africa’s current high rate of violent crime is just as related to economic and social marginalization as it was during the 1980s. In an effort to develop strategies to turn the tide of violence, CSVR has been analyzing the causes, extent, and the sustained pattern of violence in South Africa as it moved to democracy.
Seeds of Survival 2003-10-02
In what was dubbed a farmer-to-farmer dialogue, a group of South Asian small-scale farmers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka shared their experiences and the challenges they face with Canadian organic farmers from British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The 10-day program of tours of organic farms, presentations, and a workshop culminated in the drafting of an alternative vision for the future of agriculture.
In Conversation: Carol Weiss and Evert Lindquist on Policymaking and Research 2003-09-11
It seems logical to suggest that public policies would be better constructed if policymakers had access to the best research. Yet all too often, researchers and policymakers inhabit separate spheres — the work of the two does not connect. These are the views of Professor Carol Weiss of Harvard University and Professor Evert Lindquist of the University of Victoria. Professor Weiss has written 11 books and over 100 articles on evaluation and public policy research and ran Harvard's postdoctoral program on evaluation. Professor Lindquist is director of the University of Victoria's School of Public Administration and has written extensively on the machinery of government and policy-making, policy communities and networks, and the role of think tanks.
From Forests to Fields in Côte d’Ivoire 2003-08-12
What happens when policies and programs to promote economic growth unexpectedly wreak havoc with the environment and people’s health? In Côte d’Ivoire, researchers are looking at ways to reduce the harmful health impacts of unbridled agricultural development and of a large hydroelectric dam. But rather than focusing on health services, they are trying to improve people’s health by better managing the local resource base.
Taking Control of Air Pollution in Mexico City 2003-08-12
Located in a pollutant-trapping valley, Mexico City — one of the world’s largest cities — has had limited success in battling suffocating air pollution. A new understanding of the health impacts of this pollution – and of people’s role in both the problem and the solution – could lead to better targeted, more effective air improvement programs.
A Golden Opportunity for Better Health 2003-08-12
Gold has been mined for centuries in the hills of southwestern Ecuador. Today, the mining is small-scale but the problems it brings are large — unsafe conditions, environmental contamination, and harm to human health. Researchers are studying the impact of mining activities in several communities along the Puyango River. They have found that the effects extend beyond the immediate area to farming families living downstream. Two communities are now taking steps to address the problem.
Cause and Solution: A New Perspective on Malaria and Agriculture 2003-08-12
Malaria is thought to have emerged as a virulant disease at the same time as the early practice of agriculture — about 7,000 years ago. Today, a project by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is taking a new look at the links between agriculture and malaria. The goal is to reduce the incidence of the disease.
Healthy Collaboration Cleans up Kathmandu 2003-08-12
An entrenched system of social organization, environmental degradation, and poverty have conspired to create a public health crisis in Kathmandu. Waterborne and helminthic diseases are rampant, as are respiratory and digestive illnesses. But the situation is improving dramatically for the city's poor, thanks to a unique collaboration between Nepalese and Canadian researchers and the work of a local nongovernmental organization.
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