COMMUNICATIONS - CONFERENCES

coming

International conference on creativity and innovation at grassroots level
Ahmedabad (India)
15-18 December 1996.
The search for sustainable solutions to the problems created by input-intensive technologies, declining institutions for the management of commonly owned resources, and weakening links between formal and informal knowledge systems, is drawing global attention towards local innovations. Research at the Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) over the last six years has generated a very rich understanding of the process of creativity and innovation at grassroots level. But many questions remain unanswered. More needs to be known about innovators' world-view and circumstances as factors in their ability to trigger innovation. The inability of the formal education system to draw upon the excellent ecological knowledge that children possess seems to compound the problem of drop-out caused by other socioeconomic factors. The erosion of knowledge has never been so severe as in this generation. And yet several studies are showing the importance of studying indigenous schemes that classify soils, waves, clouds, wind, etc. in order to make sense of the variability in natural systems.
This conference is a response to various challenges. It is being organized by SRISTI and will be sponsored by IIMA, SRISTI, ISEE and IASCAP. The main dimensions will be:

• innovations;
• education;
• the compensation of creativity;
• market-based incentives for commercializing sustainable technologies.

Indigenous knowledge
Mexico
8-9 March 1996.
RIDSCA is organizing a seminar in March on indigenous knowledge documented by farmers. Reports on experience gained with farmers who are documenting their own knowledge are welcome and can be send to Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Puebla, Apartado Postal l-12, C.P. 72130, Col. La Libertad, Puebla, Pue., Mexico. Tel: +52-22-851442/851448/851447. Fax: +52-22-851444.

Indigenous knowledge
Pennsylvania (USA)
26-27 April 1996.
ICIK is planning to hold a conference on indigenous knowledge at the Pennsylvania State University campus. The theme will be: 'One world, many voices: in support of indigenous knowledge and peoples'.
The objective of this interdisciplinary conference, which is sponsored by the College of Education, is to examine contemporary and indigenous ways of knowing, and the challenges these pose in the academy and in curricular education. Sessions will be organized around the following themes:

• linking cultural and biological diversity: critical perspectives on indigenous knowledge and the challenges facing the 21st century;
• nature and the nuclear chain;
• indigenous knowledge and food production;
• medicine, healing and indigenous knowledge;
• indigenous knowledge and the challenges of curriculum development.

Interdisciplinary conference on the environment
Newport (USA)
15-20 June 1996.
The conference is motivated by the increasing need to combine ideas and research findings from different disciplines to enhance understanding of the interactions between the natural environment and human institutions. The central theme of the conference is 'Education and technology'. The conference will address the following questions:

• What do all disciplines have to offer with respect to problems of the environment and natural resources?
• What are the implications of the globalization of environmental concerns for all life on planet Earth?

Sustainable development and environmental management
Manchester (UK)
18-19 March 1996.
The International Sustainable Development Research Network, in association with ERP Environment, publishers of the international journal Sustainable Development, is holding its second annual conference on sustainable development and environmental management. Papers may address any relevant issue, but contributors may find guidance in the list below:

• definitions, concepts and implications of sustainable development;
• social sustainability;
• cultural integrity and indigenous populations;
• monitoring and sustainable development;
• poverty, population and health;
• institutional arrangements and the practice of sustainable development;
• planning and implementing sustainable development in the Third World;
• economic policy instruments and sustainable development;
• business strategies for sustainable development;
• local action for sustainable development;
• cooperation and alliances for a sustainable future;
• education and sustainable development;
• the implementation of Agenda 21;
• environmental management and sustainability;
• the role of women and minority groups.

Traditional sciences and technologies of India
Madras (India)
27-31 December 1995.
The Second Congress at Madras is aimed at consolidating and furthering the gains of the First Congress, which was held in Bombay at the end of 1993. More specifically, it will focus on the contemporary relevance of traditional sciences and technologies, and on developing ways by which their scope and potential can be fully realized in order to meet current social and national needs. The two main features of the Madras Congress will be:

• the large-scale involvement and participation of traditional artisans as well as members of professional communities;
• emphasis on issues of common significance to the entire sector concerned with traditional science and technology, and on the policy implications related to them.

• agriculture and livestock management;
• forestry, water management, fisheries and biodiversity;
• health care, food and nutrition;
• architecture and building materials;
• metallurgy and metal-working;
• textiles and natural dyes;
• pottery, leather, wood, bamboo and other industries;
• ship-building and navigational technologies;
• Indian mathematics.

• the role of the community;
• education and training;
• local markets;
• the role of women;
• economic policies for traditional science and technology.

Electronic conference on conflict management
January-March 1996.
The degradation of forest areas is often the result of conflicts over access to forest and tree resources. These conflicts, which can arise within and between communities, and between communities and outside entities, can place significant constraints on the sustainable management of natural resources and on the lives of the people who depend on them.
The Forests, Trees and People Programme (FTPP) Community forestry development is a priority in the work of the Forestry Department of the FAO. The FTPP aims to promote self-help development and the sustainable management and use of forests and trees at the local community level. The programme does this by developing participatory methods and approaches, strengthening human and institutional capacities, and sharing and disseminating information. Since 1991, conflict management--also known as dispute resolution--has been identified as one of FTPP's priority activities. Research has been conducted on the environmental, social and political dimensions of conflicts related to forestry and ecological problems. However, much more information needs to be collected and analyzed if we are to understand the local factors related to conflict management, and to develop tools and methods for helping prevent and resolve conflicts over tree and forest resources.
The aim of the electronic conference is to enable participants to exchange information on conflict management, and to share experiences related to it. The results will form the basis of a conceptual document on the topic. Another important output expected from the conference is an action agenda for future research and activities. Other expected outputs include an analytical framework, outlines for case studies and a bibliography.
If you are interested in participating in this e-conference, or merely observing it, please send an e-mail with some information about yourself, your organization or institution, and your field of work, particularly in relation to conflict management. You will then receive an information package on the e-conference, including instructions on how to subscribe. For individuals or institutions without access to e-mail, please contact us directly for information on how to participate:
Community Forestry Unit, Forestry Department, Food and Agriculture Organization, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. Tel: +39-6-52254341/6103. Fax: +39-6- 52255514. E-mail: con-mgt@fao.org

Water, ecology and technology
Moscow (Russia)
17-21 September 1996.
This second international conference under the title 'Water, ecology and technology' will be jointly organized by various bodies in the Russian Federation: the Russian Federal Committee for Water Management, the Russian Federal Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection, the Municipal Enterprise 'Mosvodokanal', the State Enterprise 'Vodokanal St. Petersburg', and the Stock Company 'SIBICO International'.
The topics to be discussed are: water resources and water use; water supply, water disposal and waste-water treatment; water preparation; water monitoring; the market mechanism in water management; investment projects in the water sector; international cooperation, water management and law; and conservation and water management.
A specialized technical exhibition, ECWATECH'96, will take place simultaneously with the conference. Features at the exhibition will be: technological equipment; ecological and water-saving technologies; devices for measuring and regulating water; and information and administration systems.
Contact: International Congress and Technical Exhibition 'Water, ecology and technology', P.O. Box 173, Moscow 107078, Russia. Tel: +7-095-2076360. Fax: +7-095- 2076475. E-mail:postmaster@sibico.msk.ru

International congress on ethnobiology
Nairobi (Kenya)
2-6 September 1996.
The International Congress of Ethnobiology (ICE) is held under the auspices of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE). The theme of its 1996 congress is 'Ethnobiology and the conservation of cultural and biological diversity'. The congress will provide a forum for the review of research results which contribute to the development of various fields of ethnobiology. It is also an opportunity for scientists, environmentalists and representatives of communities to discuss the present status and future perspectives of the conservation of biological and cultural diversity.
The main topics at the congress will include:

• ethnobiological inventories;
• resource management;
• recognition and utilization of indigenous knowledge;
• the role of cultural practices in the preservation of biological and cultural diversity.

• quantitative methods in ethnobiology;
• public health and ethnobiology;
• linguistics and ethnobiology;
• the biodiversity conservation network, including ethno- ornithology;
• people and plants (African region);
• ethics and the global coalition;
• human ecology;
• specific aspects of ethnography.

Third international ecocity conference
Yoff, Dakar (Senegal)
8-12 January 1996.
The objective of this conference on the ecological city is the integration of traditional and modern views on sustainable cities. It will feature case studies of successful ecological cities and village-building projects from 22 countries. Representatives from modern and ancient cities and contemporary and traditional villages situated in different parts of the world will exchange ideas and experiences. An ecological rebuilding programme will be discussed.
More information can be obtained from:
EcoCity Conference, Anabel Taylor Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Tel: +1-607-255 8276. Fax: +1-607-255 9985. E-mail: ecovillage@cornell.edu

past

Indigenous knowledge and conflict resolution
Ibadan (Nigeria)
11-12 July 1995.
The African Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (ARCIK), in collaboration with CIKARD, held a workshop on indigenous knowledge and conflict resolution. It was part of a programme sponsored by the United States Information Agency (USIA). The workshop was intended for community leaders, teachers, religious leaders, lawyers, journalists and anyone else with an interest in conflict resolution. The objectives of the workshop included:

• to integrate indigenous African practices of conflict management and conflict resolution with Western (American) practices for the purpose of developing approaches and training materials that are specifically adapted and applicable in the African context;
• to enable participants to establish contacts with each other and thus to foster networks of practitioners and educators within Africa, and between African participants and their American counterparts. Such networks can be a tool for providing and obtaining technical and moral support, and will contribute to improving the capacity for preventing, managing and resolving conflict.

International workshop on farmer-led approaches to agricultural extension.
Silang (the Philippines)
17-22 July 1995.
Modern technology delivery systems are designed to take technologies from a centralized source, such as a research institute or university, and to disseminate them to users. Agricultural research and extension systems, for instance, develop improved farming technologies and transfer them to farmers. Such approaches have two drawbacks. They typically fail to reach the poorest people, who are disproportionately concentrated in diverse and risk-prone areas. Secondly, they fail to take advantage of indigenous knowledge.
In response to such drawbacks, the search for new, farmer-led approaches to extension began more than a decade ago in countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. A wealth of experience has been accumulated since then, but there has been a gap in terms of sharing lessons and learning from the experiences of others. Too little has been done to compare and contrast the experiences of NGO-supported and government-initiated farmer-led extension activities.
To close this gap, IIRR, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), and World Neighbors organized this international workshop on farmer-led approaches to agricultural extension. Some 75 participants from all over the globe attended. In terms of professional background they ranged from farmers and staff members of grassroots organizations, to national-level extension managers. They discussed their experiences in plenary sessions and working groups on five themes:

• strategies and methods used in farmer-led approaches;
• roles and responsibilities taken on by different actors in farmer-led extension;
• internal and external factors contributing positively and negatively to the adoption and implementation of farmer-led approaches;
• the qualitative and quantitative performance indicators that have been used up to now in order to assess farmer-led extension;
• factors facilitating or inhibiting scaling-up of the approaches.