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Rest of the world
RNRRS legacy

Research reports for Colombia

What's new under the sun? Partnerships for poor fruit and vegetable farmers
Poor farmers are avoiding the waste and low returns associated with overproduction of fruits and vegetables thanks to simple solar-drying techniques. Processing in this way helps preserve the quality of produce and provides opportunities for farmers to add value for local, regional and international markets. Enterprises known as primary marketing organisations (PMOs) are taking the lead in creating a commercially viable value chain, helping farmers to introduce the new technologies and access markets. In Uganda, more than 700 fruit farmers at 85 sites - mainly women - are using 110 solar dryers. The equipment, and the associated business model, are also being used by poor smallholders in a range of other developing countries, including Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. (Ref: CPH31)
Farmers control bean root rot with a blend of science and indigenous knowledge
African farmers - and women farmers in particular -are using a wide range of integrated management options to protect against bean root rot. Researchers and partners in Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa are using manuals describing new tools, methods and techniques, and Village Information Centres are helping community members to access appropriate information and technologies. Participatory rural appraisals and surveys of indigenous technical knowledge were combined with sophisticated screening, selection and diagnostic techniques to come up the management components, which are specially designed for use in south-western Uganda, as well as in areas with similar conditions. (Ref: CPP09)
Partnership-based innovation helps break bad habits
An innovation systems concept pioneered in India provides a new conceptual framework for improving the responsiveness of research to the needs of diverse technology users; the integration of research into the wider set of development activities; and the cultivation of practices that facilitate integration. Partnership is increasingly important for improving the use of research in development. Yet long-standing issues (habits, routines and practices) often make partnerships difficult to establish and sustain, keeping innovation from taking place. This conceptual framework is currently shaping a diversity of programmes. Investment in capacity strengthening will enable numerous organisations to apply the approaches effectively. (Ref: CPH12)
Planning ahead with FIESTA
A new highly detailed computer model of climate, land and water interactions is now available that covers the whole of the tropics. The model, known as FIESTA, can help us to better understand the effects of land use changes and climate change on hydrological systems and poor users downstream. FIESTA can be used to help decision makers apply watershed protection in appropriate areas, build water-related infrastructure and target efforts to get water to people who need it. The model is unique because it looks at areas as small as one square kilometre. This helps planners account for the very different hydrological effects that land use or climate change can have from area to area at a very local level - boosting our ability to develop sustainable land and water strategies. (Ref: FRP30)

RNRRS legacy: Rest of the World

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