Kerala Ladies © University of Greenwich

NRI has established partnerships with a wide range of civil society organizations (CSOs), including international and southern based non-government organizations; community-based organizations; farmer, pastoralist and fisherfolk organizations; labour unions; business associations; and parliamentarians. Through these partnerships within civil society NRI has been able to broker a deeper understanding within CSOs of the role science and technology can play in agricultural research for development, thus enhancing the impact of current investments for the benefit of the poor. NRI’s work has also sought to encourage national and international research systems to establish a more productive working relationship with CSOs and to help build new partnerships between communities, CSOs and public and private service providers.

Recent examples of NRI’s work with CSOs include:

• Collaboration with the NGO Farm-Africa on participatory planning and capacity building with CSOs for successful land reform in South Africa.
• Work with the Global Learning Network ICCO to build capacity and strengthen the voice of southern-based producer organisations.
• Analyse the effectiveness of pastoralist parliamentary groups in Ethiopia and Kenya in lobbying for policy change.
• Partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation to develop micro-finance products and implementation systems for rural poor building on community and CSO approaches