GERNA
The Gender and Environment Research Network in Asia (GERNA) is a regional network aimed at
promoting the formation of an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural forum of researchers and organizations in
the field of gender and environment. It is hoped that Asian researchers will build up rapport with each
other by sharing research findings, reporting on their approaches and methodologies, disseminating
information about researchers and organizations in the field, and by communicating directly with other
researchers and organizations.
The formation of the network is based on recognition of the following.
CIDICCO
CIDICCO is a private organization aimed at compiling, disseminating and investigating the use of
legumes as cover crops/green manure by small farmers working with principles of sustainable agriculture.
In the past, legume species such as Mucuna spp., Dolichos lablab, Canavalia
ensiformis, and Phaseolus coccineus have had an enormous and beneficial impact on
the different agro-ecosystems in which they are used. The benefits of using these legumes are, among
other things, nitrogen fixation, increased levels of organic matter in the soil, weed/erosion control, forage
production, and seed production in the case of pulses. Finally, it is a low-cost practice that most farmers
in developing countries can afford.
CIDICCO has an information network of more than 500 contacts in 68 countries on all continents. The
members are farmers, field workers, students, university professors, information centres, private
organizations, government functionaries, and grass-roots organizations working with principles of
sustainable agriculture. Various publications, such as the newsletter 'Cover Crops News', are produced to
enable members to share their field experiences and observations.
For more information, please contact:
Milton Flores, Director, Centro Internacional de Información sobre Cultivos de Cobertura,
Apartado Postal 4443, Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., Honduras C.A.. Tel/Fax: +504-327471.
INASP
The International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) is a cooperative network
of donors and representatives of recipient institutions. It has three immediate objectives:
SANE
Sustainable Agriculture Networking and Extension (SANE) is a UNDP-sponsored programme under the
Environment and Natural Resources Group of UNDP's Program Development Support Division. It was
established as a response to growing concern about the process of systematic impoverishment that
agriculture is undergoing as a result of land degradation, rising population, shrinking land-holdings, and
declining per-capita food production.
The objectives of SANE are the following:
BUDHI
The BUDHI ng Pilipinas Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. Its
major aim is to promote sustainable development and to achieve self-reliance among Filipinos. The
foundation stresses the importance of having project participants make their own decisions regarding
project aims and activities, and guides them in this process. BUDHI contributes to the process of
sustainable development by improving existing institutions and systems so that indigenous interests and
cultural values are tapped. BUDHI integrates indigenous and scientific knowledge in its projects through a
dynamic and continuous process of interaction between the various groups involved. BUDHI, working as
an NGO at the grass-roots level, has come to appreciate the importance of IK research for integrating
knowledge systems and successfully implementing projects.
In January 1993 an integrated rehabilitation programme in the province of Zambales was initiated for the
victims of the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The Aetas, a nomadic community that has resisted integration
into modern Philippine society, is one of the communities in the programme. Because the situation at the
rehabilitation sites is so different from their former way of life, the Aetas have had particular problems
adapting. The BUDHI project components correspond with the main problem areas identified by the Aetas
themselves: agriculture, natural resource management, human health systems and communication. In all
four areas the foundation has tried to make use of knowledge already available in the community, and to
combine it with knowledge from outside. Through organizational networking, the foundation is mobilizing
resources for upgrading knowledge and skills.
Recently the foundation came into contact with the international network for indigenous knowledge and
development. In February, Mrs. Mirasol (executive director of BUDHI) and Ms. Stephanie Joubert
(anthropology student at Leiden University, The Netherlands), paid a visit to CIRAN in The Hague.
BUDHI is convinced that IK research and the exchange of research findings are crucial for defining new
paradigms for sustainable development. Since NGOs play an important role in the design and
implementation of projects at the grass-roots level, BUDHI is interested in promoting cooperation between
them and the academic community. This can be done by linking NGO networks with the IK network. In
BUDHI's view, interaction and cooperation between local groups, NGOs and the academic community is
indispensable for achieving sustainable development.
BUDHI is interested in research on the IK systems of the Aetas, the process of change, and the effects of
the project on their development. Consideration is being given to cooperation with LEAD; possibilities
may be created for students from Leiden to do fieldwork among the Aetas. Such research could contribute
to the current efforts at all levels to increase understanding of IK and its potential for development.
Contact: Maria Leonor C. Mirasol, BUDHI ng Pilipinas Foundation Inc., 5/F Singapore
Airlines Bldg., 138 H.V. dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati, Metro Manila, The Philippines.
ACHAN
To improve the health of the poor, the Asian Health Community Action Network (ACHAN) advocates
and promotes Community Based Action for Health (CBAH). CBAH is a holistic approach that views
health as an outcome of social and economic factors. Building on people's knowledge and participation, it
seeks to enhance the capacities and self-reliance of poor and marginalized communities. Key instruments
for establishing CBAH are participatory training and participatory action research. ACHAN works with
grass-roots networks in several Asian countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the
Philippines and Sri Lanka. Its newsletter, Link, appears in English.
For more information, please contact:
ACHAN, 702-B, Shivalaya, 16 Commander-In-Chief Road, P.O. Box 1404, Egmore, Madras 600 105,
India. Tel/Fax: +91-44-270424.
KENGO
The Kenya Energy and Environment Organizations is a network of non-governmental
organisations working on renewable energy and community development in Kenya. It is carrying out
several projects and publishes several booklets in their 'indigenous trees training series'. KENGO also
publishes a tri-annual journal called 'Resources' which focusses on understanding and promoting the
sustainable use of Africa's natural resources for development.
More information can be obtained from:
KENGO, P.O. Box 48197, Nairobi, Kenya.