for research proposals
NIRP call for pre-proposals 1997
The Netherlands-Israel Development Research Programme (NIRP) was established in 1992 by the governments of the
Netherlands and Israel. The main objective of this joint programme is to contribute to the process of generating new
knowledge and new ways of applying existing knowledge in areas that have clear relevance for developing countries, and
where Israel can offer specific expertise and experience. The two governments are convinced that this process is a general
prerequisite for understanding social, economic, cultural and technical change in these countries and in North-South relations,
and for promoting development objectives. Other objectives of the Programme are to foster international networking among
researchers and research institutions, and to strengthen research capacity in developing countries by training scientists through
participation in the projects.
Research funded by NIRP:
* has clear and actual relevance for developing countries mainly in Africa, although other continents are not excluded;
* is policy-oriented;
* is focused on socioeconomic and cultural change;
* is innovative;
* is carried out jointly by multi- or interdisciplinary teams of researchers from Israel, developing countries, and preferably also
the Netherlands, working under the auspices of universities or other independent academic institutions. Participation of female
researchers is encouraged;
* is aimed at strengthening research capacity and capabilities in developing countries: projects are preferred in which junior
researchers from developing countries carry out the research while being supervised by senior research staff from Israel, the
developing country concerned and the Netherlands. The training of female researchers is encouraged.
Research projects funded through the Programme can have a maximum duration of four years. The annual budget ceiling may
not exceed US $ 50,000. In extreme cases a budget for the entire period of a project may reach the maximum amount of US
$ 150,000. Only research costs can be covered.
The Programme is directed by a joint steering committee made up of eight independent members: four from Israel and four
from the Netherlands. The overall administration of the Programme is in the hands of the Netherlands organization for
international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic). Nuffic is assisted on the Israeli side by the Society for Transfer of
Technology (HAIGUD).
For the 1997 round of allocations, pre-proposals are being invited that fall within the following themes:
* the role of women in rural regional development and natural resources management;
* migration and absorption of immigrants and refugees;
* rural development in the light of the Israeli experience;
* socioeconomic and cultural aspects of food security (including agricultural and livestock production and post-harvest
management and care);
* political, economic and cultural aspects of nationalism, ethnic relations and intra-state conflicts;
* youth: mobilisation and education.
The joint steering committee invites researchers to submit pre-proposals for research projects before 31 December 1996.
Further information and instructions for submitting pre-proposals can be obtained from:
Israel: Secretariat of the Netherlands-Israel Development Research Programme, CINADCO/Haigud, P.O. Box 7011, Tel
Aviv, 61070 Israel. Tel: +972-3-6971490/5. Fax: +972-3-6971677.
The Netherlands: Secretariat of the Netherlands-Israel Development Research Programme, Nuffic-CIRAN, Kortenaerkade
11, P.O. Box 29777, 2502 LT The Hague, The Netherlands. Tel: +31-70-4260337/8. Fax: +31-70-4260329. E-mail:
hmbroek@nuffic.nl
for papers
Agricultural production and nutrition
The international conference on Agricultural Production and Nutrition will be held in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) from 19 to
21 March 1997. The conference, organized by Tufts University's School of Nutrition Science and Policy in cooperation with
the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, is intended for researchers, agricultural producers, consumer
groups, the food processing and marketing industry, and agencies concerned with agricultural policy. The focus of the
conference will be on how the nutritional value and safety of food is affected by the methods used to raise it. The organizers
are especially interested in alternative production systems that can provide more wholesome and healthful foods.
The organizers are looking for papers on the following subjects:
* effects of specific crop production techniques, such as choice of crop variety or amount and type of fertilizer, on the
nutritional value of foods and the occurrence of undesirable substances;
* effects of different livestock production practices on the healthfulness of meat, milk and eggs;
* health and nutritional implications of reduced-chemical, organic and alternative agricultural systems;
* effects of crop production methods on storage qualities, and post-harvest changes in nutritional value;
* nutritional implications of obtaining foods from local versus distant sources;
* relationship between the quality of the soil and the quality of the foods produced from it;
* consumers' perceptions of the quality of food produced by different methods;
* nutritional and food-quality implications of other market demands on farm products, such as processing characteristics and
appearance or suitability for long-distance transportation;
* is there a trade-off between high production and high quality, and if so, how might it be avoided?
* the role of government agencies in promoting agricultural systems that produce healthful and nutritious foods.
For more information, please contact:
William Lockeretz, School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA. E-mail:
wlockeretz@infonet.tufts.edu
Women and health
The Society for Ethnomedicine (AGEM) is planning a publication entitled 'Women and health: Ethnomedical perspec-tives',
which is due to appear in mid-1997. The complex field of 'women and health' will be explored through a broad range of
topics, and the diffi-cul-ties that women face in different countries and cultures will be examined. Concepts of health, illness
and healing will be shown to vary between cultures, and new solutions and perspecti-ves that are offered by various
disciplines will be presented.
The Society for Ethnomedicine invites authors to send their papers--in English or German--before 31 December 1996 to:
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ethnomedizin (AGEM), Society for Ethnomedicine, Von-der-Tann Str. 3-5, 82346 Andechs, Germa-ny.
Fax: +49-8152-37370. E-mail: 100042.1504@compuserve.com WWW: http://www.med.uni-muenchen.de/medpsy/ethno
for information
LEISA in the Middle East and North Africa
The book 'Farming for the future: An introduction to low-external-input and sustainable agriculture' by C. Reijntjes, B.
Haverkort and A. Waters-Bayer (1992) examines the strategies and techniques of what has come to be called 'LEISA'
(Low-External-Input and Sustainable Agriculture). The central concern of the publication, is how development workers can
help small-scale farmers to make the best use of low-cost local resources to solve their agricultural problems. Emphasis is
therefore on participatory methods of technology development that result in site-specific solutions which can raise the overall
productivity of farmers in a sustainable way.
Since its publication in 1992, 'Farming for the future' has been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese and Chinese. A
project team has now been formed to produce an Arabic version of the book. Although the main text will not be altered, it will
be adapted for semi-arid conditions, concentrating on both dry-land and rain-fed farming in the Middle East and North Africa.
The project team would welcome information about LEISA in semi-arid and arid regions--in particular in the Middle East and
North Africa--in relation to the following topics, which are dealt with in the book:
* agriculture and sustainability;
* technology development by farmers;
* ecological principles of LEISA;
* development of LEISA systems;
* participatory technology development in practice;
* promising LEISA techniques and practices in the Middle East and North Africa.
In addition, the project team hopes to expand its list of addresses of organizations concerned with sustainable agriculture. It
seeks contact in particular with Arab groups and institutions, dryland institutes and water-management organizations.
For more information, please contact:
Farming for the Future, P.O. Box 51647, 91516 Jerusalem, Israel. Tel/Fax: +972-2-741770. E-mail:
sustfarm@netvision.net.il
or:
ILEIA, P.O. Box 64, 3830 AB Leusden, The Netherlands. Fax: +31-33-940791.
Community wildlife management
IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) has initiated a three-year research programme entitled
'Evaluation Eden'. Its aim is to investigate and evaluate the environmental, social and economic dimensions and impacts of
community wildlife management (CWM) initiatives in developed and developing countries, and to examine the conditions
which contribute to successful CWM.
IIED is seeking to identify institutions and individuals who are:
* working in the field of community wildlife management;
* involved in research which is relevant to the work we are undertaking;
* involved in, or able to provide information about, community wildlife management projects and initiatives in specific
countries or regions;
* interested in collaborating with IIED in this programme.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Barry Dalal-Clayton, Director Environmental Planning Group, IIED, 3 Endsleigh Street, London WCIH 0DD, UK. Tel:
+44-171-3882117. Fax: +44-171-3882826. E-mail: iiedwildlife@gn.apc.org
Primary schools
Dr Dwyer (see page 24-25) would be interested to receive information from anyone who has devised resource booklets or
readers for the transmission of local food and agricultural knowledge in the primary schoolroom.
Contact: Dr Margaret Dwyer, AWD, 8th Floor, 8-24 Kippax St, Surry Hills 2010, Australia. Fax: +61-2-2122468.
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