“NRI's mission is to provide distinctive, high quality and relevant research, consultancy, teaching and advice in support of sustainable development, economic growth and poverty reduction.”
“NRI's mission is to provide distinctive, high quality and relevant research, consultancy, teaching and advice in support of sustainable development, economic growth and poverty reduction.”
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Science and technology in Sub-Saharan Africa: more support for capacity-strengthening is needed, says the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich, in evidence to House of Commons Inquiry.
The millennium development goals for hunger and poverty will not be met unless Africa's capacity in science and technology for agricultural development is strengthened at all levels, according to Professor Andrew Westby, Director of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich.
He presented evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee in Parliament yesterday, Wednesday 8 February 2012, as part of its Inquiry on Science and International Development.
Professor Westby, pictured, who is also President of Agrinatura, the pan-European Voice for Agricultural Research for Development, said that successful capacity development initiatives should be long-term, locally-owned, and carefully-focused and nuanced interventions that address real needs of farmers and others involved in the processing and marketing of crops.
The Strengthening Capacity for Agricultural Research for Development (SCARDA) project, in which NRI is a key collaborator, has been highlighted by the inquiry for its innovation in building on existing research structures in Africa, being demand-led and achieving significant impact.
Professor Westby also argued that it is essential for others, such as parliamentarians, policy advisers, entrepreneurs, and farmer advisory services, to have their scientific knowledge and skills upgraded to meet the challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector in Africa.
Debbie Rees and John Orchard of the Natural Resources Institute, together with Graham Farrell, a technical writer and editor specializing in plant health and analysis, have compiled a book published by Wiley-Blackwell on Crop
Post Harvest Science and Technology: Perishables. With contributions from internationally respected experts around the world, including other NRI staff, this landmark publication is an essential reference for all those working in this field of expertise. Researchers and upper-level students in food science, food technology, post-harvest science and technology, crop protection, applied biology and plant and agricultural sciences will greatly benefit from having this book in their research establishments and universities.
International trade in high value perishables has grown enormously in the past few decades. In the developed world consumers now expect to be able to eat perishable produce from all corners of the globe, and in most cases throughout the year.Perishable plant products are, however, susceptible to physical damage and often have a potential storage life of only a few days.
Given their key importance in the world economy, Crop Post Harvest: Science and Technology: Perishables devotes itself to perishable produce, providing current and comprehensive knowledge on all the key factors affecting post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables. The book focuses explicitly on the effects and causes of deterioration, as well as the many techniques and practices implemented to maintain quality through correct handling and storage. As highlighted throughout, regular losses caused by post-harvest spoilage of perishable products can be as much as 50%. A complete understanding, as provided by this excellent volume, is therefore vital in helping to reduce these losses by a significant percentage.
The fully comprehensive and up-to-date Crop Post Harvest Science and Technology: Perishables is a must-have reference for all those working in this subject area. This book follows on from two earlier books edited by NRI staff; Crop Post Harvest Science and Technology: Principles and Practice (Pete Golob, Graham Farrell, and John Orchard) and Crop Post Harvest Science and Technology:Durables (Rick Hodges and Graham Farrell).
The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) welcomes the publication of the recently released Inquiry Report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agriculture and Food for Development entitled 'Growing out of Poverty'.
Andrew Westby, Director of NRI at the University of Greenwich stated "This is a very important and timely report from the APPG that highlights the need to focus on small-holder agriculture as a means of enabling the poor in Africa, especially women, escape from poverty, meet their nutritional requirements and provide the means to educate their children. Linking small-holders to markets, working to develop small and medium scale enterprises, reducing both crop production and post-harvest losses and supporting farmers to be resilient to climate change are important areas where NRI’s work can make a significant contribution”.Drawing upon evidence from some of the world's most eminent authorities on food security and agricultural development, the Report builds upon the Group's first Report in 2010 which asserted that profitable small-holder agriculture must be the central tool for assisting the social and economic development of low income countries if Governments and Donors are to build long-term resilience into the livelihoods of the very poorest citizens in the developing world.
Lord Cameron, the APPG Chair, hopes that the APPG inquiry will be instrumental in helping DFID and other donors to identify and explore the best ways to support African agriculture and to help 450 million small-holders worldwide to grow themselves out of poverty.
The report highlights the importance of working with developing countries on multiple levels from investing the required political capital to understanding the small-holder farmer’s long-term needs. There is a growing body of literature which highlights the importance of agriculture in the developing world, which the Report contributes to,
not only in helping deliver upon MDG1 and reducing the 1 billion people currently suffering from hunger, but also in building resilience into the livelihoods of the poorest and most marginal citizens.
NRI have extensive experience in this area and are currently undertaking the project Cassava: Adding Value for Africa (C:AVA), backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to link more than 70,000 small-holder households to national and international markets. The project aims to assist small-holder farmers to turn their cassava crop into high quality processed flour which can be sold at premium price in partial substitution for imported wheat. The institute has been working to support rural and agricultural development in developing countries for over 100 years, conducting world class agricultural research, consultancy and capacity building with partners and grassroots organisations in over 80 countries each year.
Further information:
The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) have created a brand new and innovative Masters degree entitled MA Rural Development Dynamics to focus on the social and economic aspects of rural development, a recognised strength of the Institute. The programme will include substantial coverage of issues affecting rural change as well as training in social research principles, approaches and "This course would help me improve my skills to serve rural communities better, for a positive change. I will have the opportunity to also share my experience on different aspects of rural development” - Interested Applicant 2011methods; applied research tools for use in diagnostic and baseline studies, action research, situation and gender analysis, process monitoring, and evaluation and impact assessment. The MA will be led by Agricultural Economist Claire Coote within the Food and Markets Department at NRI. The staff involved have extensive rural development experience, and undertake research, consultancy and training across many countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific for a range of public and private sector clients. NRI experts conducting teaching and supervising for this course will include Professor John Morton, renowned for his work with mobile pastoralists and climate change impacts; Adrienne Martin, a lead author on the International Assessment of Agricultural Science for Development and Julian Quan, author of a background paper for the UK Government’s Foresight Report on the future of Food and Farming.
Climate change, volatile markets, conflict, emergent diseases and major migratory pests are increasing the vulnerability of rural areas in developing countries, and are thus presenting major challenges to the livelihoods and wellbeing of rural communities. It is a key concern for NRI and the international development sector to understand the consequences of these challenges, and to undertake research in order to monitor and assess the outcomes of research and development programmes, and to advise policy makers on appropriate policies. The Rural Development Dynamics programme is an exciting opportunity to develop and be a part of these initiatives.
Some 65% of NRI’s work in Development Studies was assessed as internationally excellent or internationally recognised under the last HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise in 2008. This new Masters programme in Rural Development Dynamics aims to develop a cadre of professionals able to increase the impact orientation of development activities and contribute more effectively to the development process. Participants will develop transferrable skills to enable them to take a more active role in development organisations, or to obtain a good foundation for undertaking a research degree.
