Items tagged:
IIED/Hivos knowledge programme
A joint knowledge programme of IIED, Hivos and Bolivia-based Mainumby Ñakurutú has focused on understanding the strategies and constraints of small-scale producers in an era of globalisation and big changes in rural areas, and to provide new insights that can help in designing better policies and business interventions to support them. Read more about the project, or browse below to see all our knowledge programme-related blogs, news and articles.
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The inconvenient truth about ‘capacity’ strengthening in global development
To work with effective and progressive civil society movements in low-income countries, do international NGOs need to do less capacity strengthening, and work as allies of these movements instead? Drawing on lessons from a new report, Natalie Lartey discusses how advocates can advance this agenda
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Citizen-led research serves up answers on what Bolivian food vendors want
Guest blogger Jorge Vladimir Garcia describes the outcomes and challenges of research, led by traditional food vendors themselves, on what might help keep market eateries in La Paz popular in the face of rising competition.
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What makes a sustainable diet? And who decides? Make Change Happen podcast episode 5
Globally, we are producing more food than ever. But for many of the world’s poorer citizens, secure access to safe food is becoming less certain. To counter this, an advocacy programme called Sustainable Diets for All is asking: how can we create food systems that are fairer, healthier and more sustainable? We explore the programme’s citizen-led approach and hear from local partners
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The champions helping communities make better food choices
In Jember, Indonesia, children and young people are bearing the brunt of unhealthy eating habits. Isnatul Mu'allifin explains how this new generation is using data – gathered with and by the community – to drive tangible, positive change in people’s diets
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Q&A: Encouraging the availability of healthy and diverse foods for students
Creating change often starts from the ground up. A teacher in East Java province, Indonesia, explains how she is working with parents and pupils to learn about healthy food choices
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The Ugandan diet: food voices and choices
Farmers, food providers and consumers from Gulu, Buikwe and Kabarole Districts give their personal views on the Ugandan diet and food supply.
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Dietary indicators need overhauling, food diary study finds
A recent study assessing dietary quality in Indonesia showed there is an urgent need to develop and validate assessment methods that will address the triple burden of malnutrition in an integrated way
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Beyond maize: exploring agricultural diversification in Zambia
Zambia's food system is widely seen as not working. A new report looks at how to increase crop diversity, support better nutrition and support resilience at local and national level
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Keeping Bolivia’s culture alive through food
On Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), guest blogger Angel Ramos explores initiatives that are helping to preserve Bolivia’s rich food heritage
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Cooking for our future
Healthy, sustainable and inclusive gastronomy – Carmen Torres reflects on this month’s food systems conference and a new ally in the shift towards sustainable food systems
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Food Change Labs tackle complex issues with the whole system in the room
Felia Boerwinkel describes how 'change labs' have successfully brought together diverse stakeholders to find ways to improve local food systems in Uganda, Zambia and Indonesia
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Achieving real transformation in our food system
Frank Mechielsen of Hivos reports back from the annual Committee for Food Security, the main international platform that explores food security concerns. He describes how joint action can deliver much needed change in the way we produce and consume our food
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Food, sisterhood and dreams
On World Food Day, Nicole Szucs reports back from a dialogue on increasing dietary diversity and local food systems in Bolivia, and highlights a new video showing how women play a vital role in the food cycle, from production to consumption
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Creating knowledge and supporting action: citizen-generated evidence from food diaries in Uganda
Citizens in Western Uganda are using food diaries to generate data on food consumption – helping them understand their own diets and advocate for a better food system
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Improving Tanzania’s power quality: can data help?
Ben Garside and Davida Wood discuss whether customer-sourced data can help unpick the problems of electricity supply in Tanzania
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We need to safeguard biodiversity and promote diverse diets
Coinciding with this year’s International Day for Biodiversity, a new report from IIED and Hivos explores how we can reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity in agriculture and foster diverse diets
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Shining a light on energy consumers in rural Tanzania
Chih-Jung Lee examined what's driving energy use for villagers in Tanzania. In this blog, Lee shares her findings and offers insights to mini-grid developers for meeting diverse consumer demand
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Attracting Zambia's youth to agriculture: it's about time
Zambia's vibrant youth are crucial to developing a prosperous agricultural sector. This means shaking off outdated perceptions and providing young people with the right incentives
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Nourishing diversity in our food systems
Although our food systems seemingly deliver impressive abundance and variety, we are losing crucial agricultural biodiversity and our increasingly homogenised diets are leading to disease and obesity. Seth Cook sets out five steps for better, more diverse food systems
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How energy can generate growth in Tanzania's rural economy
A workshop in Tanzania explored how off-grid energy can power opportunities for economic growth in rural communities. Guest blogger Basil Malaki reports back
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Promoting diversity on the farm – and the plate
As a recent meeting in Lusaka showed, Food Change Labs offer an innovative path towards greater diversity on the farm and on the plate in Zambia
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Fall army worm maize attack: a case for diversity from farm to fork
As the Zambian government scales up efforts to control an army worm outbreak that is damaging maize crops across the country, William Chilufya wonders if the infestation will encourage a policy shift away from mono-cropping maize
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Electricity supplies in Tanzania: putting people first
With the energy sector expanding, how can the perspectives of local communities and end-users shape future power?
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Why food diversity must be on the menu
As World Food Day approaches, Seth Cook explores the dangers of losing local crop and animal varieties and what we can do about it
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Sustainable diets for all
Through citizen action, the Sustainable Diets for All programme promoted diets that were diverse, healthy, fair, and sustainable
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Mixing more voices into food policy
How an innovative 'Food Change Lab' in Uganda is bringing together a range of voices to shape a food system that works for all, including ordinary citizens
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Encouraging dialogue and dissent
A new IIED partnership is looking to foster "citizens agency" – but are we ready to listen to citizens who challenge what we say?
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IIED and Hivos set up 'Change Labs' on food and energy
IIED and development organisation Hivos have today launched a two-year strategic partnership to provide research-based policy advice to improve sustainable food systems and access to energy in developing and emerging countries.
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Small producer agency in the globalised market
What are the strategies and constraints of small-scale producers in an era of globalisation? This project has provided insights that can help in designing better policies and business interventions to support them.
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Book urges new development agenda for small-scale farming
A three-year study of the ways small-scale farmers operate in Africa, Asia and Latin America has prompted calls for a major rethink of development and business interventions.
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How small-scale farmers make markets work for them
Our new book shines light on how small-scale farmers are making their choices — about how to modernise appropriately, and about balancing costs, risks, benefits and uncertainties.
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World Food Day: how do you keep co-operatives competitive?
The Food and Agriculture Organization's 2012 World Food Day focuses on co-operatives.This time around co-operatives need to be what the small-scale farmers actually want. Sometimes that means something quite informal.
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Focus on small-scale farming: food or jobs?
The latest ‘provocation’ from IIED and Hivos, held in The Hague last week (24 May), began by asking what the development community can do to support rural youth. And for consultant Felicity Proctor, the answer is clear: “we need to move from agriculture and talking about food security and productivity to enterprise, business and a decent living for many of the rural populations.”
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Looking beyond land to support rural youth
This was one of the conclusions of participants at a provocative seminar ‘Rural youth today, farmers tomo
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Provocation 6: Rural youth today, farmers tomorrow?
This seminar is the sixth in a series being initiated by the IIED /HIVOS Knowledge Programme: Small Producer Agency in Globalised Markets.
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Productores de pequeña escala como actores en el mercado globalizado. Encuentro de la Red de Aprendizaje Latinoamericana, Lima, setiembre 2011
Los miembros latinoamericanos de la la Red Global de Aprendizaje del Programa de Conocimientos HIVOS/IIED/Mainumy Ñakurutú, ‘Productores de pequeña escala como actores en el mercado globalizado’ se reunieron en Lima del 12 al 16 de setiembre pasados. Junto con varias organizaciones prestigiosa organizaron y participaron en una serie de reuniones y eventos.
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Small-scale producers in the globalised market
The Latin American Learning Network members of the Knowledge Programme ‘Small producer agency in the globalised market’ convened in Lima from 12 to 16 September. They organised and participated in a series of meetings and events in conjunction with various prestigious organisations. The highlight of the programme was the International Forum ‘Small-scale producers: Actors in Globalised Markets and Food Security?’ on 14 September, organised by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.
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Corporate responsibility: what's in a name?
At the latest provocation from IIED and Hivos, held in Brussels last week (22 June), a group of around 60 policymakers, academics and development practitioners gathered to discuss, among other things, the role of CSR in achieving development goals such as poverty reduction and the empowerment of small-scale farmers.
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Just how inclusive is ‘inclusive business’?
Discussion at the latest of the IIED-Hivos ‘provocations’ in Brussels last week (22 June) suggests that the first step in assessing how ‘pro-poor’ business contributes to development and smallholder empowerment, is to understand what we mean by the word ‘inclusive’.
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Fair trade: still centred on smallholders?
To what extent do approaches such as fair trade, corporate social responsibility and inclusive business models allow the private sector to meet commercial objectives while also reducing poverty and empowering small-scale farmers? This was the question posed at the latest in a series of IIED and Hivos ‘provocations’ held at the European Parliament in Brussels last week (22 June).
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Provocation 5: Pro-poor business, development and smallholder empowerment
The fifth in a series of seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Brussels, Belgium on 22 June 2011. View video and reports from the event
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Investing in smallholders and workers is good for business
Across the developing world, food systems and supply chains are changing — exports are rising, particularly in fresh foods, supermarkets are playing an increasingly important role and there is a growing number of standards for safety, ethics and environment.
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Provocation 4: Making markets work for smallholders or wage labour?
The fourth in a series of six seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Manchester, United Kingdom on 25 May 2011.
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A growing call for organisation
In The Hague, Stockholm and Paris we have heard the call for more support to producer organisations through which small-scale farmers can have a voice in the market. This call was re-iterated at the latest IIED/HIVOS provocation ‘Making markets work for smallholders or wage labour?’ — held in Manchester, United Kingdom, last week, in collaboration with The University of Manchester.
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Fast track out of poverty: farm labour or smallholder?
When IIED and Hivos launched their ‘provocation’ seminars late
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Markets for the poor: the gap between theory and practice
Within development circles, there’s a common, if recent, mantra that the key to reducing poverty in the global South lies in investing in agriculture. Increasingly that investment focuses on building bridges between small-scale farmers and private markets in approaches known as ‘markets for the poor’.
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NGOs: friend or foe to markets for the poor?
The latest ‘provocation’ seminar from IIED and Hivos, held in Paris last week (30 March), began by asking who are the contents and discontents of development approaches to make markets work for the
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Provocation 3: Making markets work for the poor - contents and discontents
The third in a series of six seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Paris, France on 30 March 2011.
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Provocation 2: Rights-based versus market-based development
The second in a series of six seminars on markets and small-scale farmers took place in Stockholm, Sweden on 3 March 2011. Watch video of the event.
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Provocation 1: Producer agency and the agenda to make markets work for the poor
The first of a series of ‘provocative seminars’ on smallholders and the ‘pro-poor markets’ agenda took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 28th September 2010. Local and international participants gathered to discuss a series of questions put forward by ‘provocateurs’ from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
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Making markets work for small-scale farmers? A series of ‘provocation’ seminars
IIED, Hivos and collaborating institutions organised a travelling series of ‘provocation’ seminars to challenge conventional wisdom on how to include smallholders in markets and bring fresh perspectives to the discussion on what works and why
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Has agriculture been a winner in the economic downturn?
While the downturn has hit many economic sectors hard, have farmers prospered?
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Global network to help African farmers navigate globalised markets
The network will gather producers, business people, nongovernmental organisations and others from across the global South to produce knowledge that can inform better policies and practices.
