New Publication in Ecology and Society Journal
Social Capital and Conflict Management in Multiple Resource Regimes -A Case of the Southwestern Highlands of Uganda. Pascal C. Sanginga, Rick N. Kamugisha and Andrienne M. Martin.
Social capital is seen as an important asset which people rely on to manage natural resources. This article uses empirical data to examine the role, strengths and limits of social capital in managing conflicts in the use and management of natural resources. Results show that while social captial mechanisms do have a role to play in resolving conflicts they are not always effective in every situation and may need to be supported by local policies as well as more formal conflict management approaches. Better understanding of how the relationship between social capital and local policy can be strengthened is crucial to resolving natural resource management conflicts.
 Full article
Summary - Institute of Development Studies, UK
Contact: Pascal Sanginga
 Organic Agriculture in Uganda : New Publication
Pamela Pali, a Ph.D. student with University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria and CIAT Uganda has recently published an article (with B. Freyer, S. Kaaria and R. Delve) on people's capacity for income generation and organic market linkages in Uganda in the open access journal Organic Eprints.
Full article  Download poster (1 mb)
Contact: Pamela Pali
On-line: 2007 Newsletter - PABRA
PABRA Outlook: New Varieties, New Partnerships
PABRA Outlook 2007, the newsletter of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) is now available on-line. This 4 page bulletin has feature articles on outcomes and achievements in bean research and development in sub-Saharan Africa as well as news items, and information on previous and forthcoming courses and conferences.
Download PABRA Outlook 2007 (375 kb)
Download PABRA Outlook 2007 in French (352 kb)
Download PABRA Outlook 2007 in Portuguese (358 kb)
More information on PABRA
Contact: Robin Buruchara
New Translations
French and Portuguese Versions of Seed Aid for Seed Security: Practice Briefs
These ten Practice Briefs, that offer advice on how to sustain and strengthen seed systems during disaster response and recovery periods, are now also available in French and Portuguese. The briefs were prepared by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), with CARE–Norway.
Download the full set of Practice Briefs in French, Portuguese, and English.
Visit the Seed Systems Under Stress Programme website
Contact: Louise Sperling, CIAT and Tom Remington, CRS for more information
TSBF-CIAT Poster wins first prize at GFAR conference
 A poster on promotion of soybean in Africa has won first prize in the poster competition held at Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR) conference in Delhi, India in December 2006. The competition is open to agricultural research and development projects that have tangibly made an impact in achieving one or more millennium development goals. The poster presents a model to address past failures in the promotion of soybean in Africa which involves intervention at household level, community level, and industrial level soybean market development.
Contact: Jonas Chianu for more information
On-line: A Brochure for PABRA in English, French and Portuguese
Better beans for Africa ... thanks to the work of the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA)
 Established in 1996, the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) is a consortium of regional bean networks that brings together national agricultural research groups, scientists at CIAT and representatives from donor organisations. PABRA’s goal is to enhance the food security, income and health of resource-poor farmers in Africa through research on beans. This brochure outlines the achievements made in the past 10 years and assesses the challenges that lie ahead.
Download the PABRA brochure (483 kb)
Download the PABRA brochure in French (489 kb)
Download the PABRA brochure in Portuguese (480 kb)
More information on PABRA
Contact: Robin Buruchara for more information
Call for Full Papers
Innovation Africa Symposium 20th - 23rd November 2006, Kampala, Uganda
 An international Symposium on agricultural innovation systems in Africa was held on 20-23 November 2006 in Kampala, Uganda. It was jointly organised by CIAT, IFPRI-ISNAR (International Service for National Agricultural Research program of the International Food Policy Research Institute), ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), IIRR-Africa (International Institute for Rural Reconstruction), and PROLINNOVA (Promoting Local Innovation). The Innovation Africa Symposium brought together researchers and practitioners involved in innovation systems to share current thinking, experiences, advances, and lessons.
More information
Presentations and papers
Points of View: Agricultural Innovation. New Agriculturist.
Contact: Susan Kaaria
New Publications 
CIAT in Africa Highlights Series
Eight new Highlights (No. 28-35 inclusive) covering a range of research topics are now available for download on-line. The Highlights series, initiated in 2003, summarises research results and policy implications from the work of CIAT and its partners in Africa. Each issue of the series is a two-page summary of a recently completed piece of research, or reports significant progress in an ongoing activity.
Highlights CIAT in Africa series 2003-2006
Contact: Robin Buruchara for more information
New Translations
CIAT in Africa Highlights Series in French and Portuguese
 CIAT in Africa Highlights are now available in French and in Portuguese. The Highlights series, initiated in 2003, summarises research results and policy implications from the work of CIAT and its partners in Africa. Each issue of the series is a two-page summary of a recently completed piece of research, or reports significant progress in an ongoing activity.
Download CIAT in Africa Highlights No. 13 to No. 27 (in French)
Download CIAT in Africa Highlights No. 13 to No. 27 (in Portuguese)
Download CIAT in Africa Highlights (in English)
Contact: Robin Buruchara
Latest Issue of the TSBF-CIAT Newsletter Now On-line
The Comminutor
Volume 10 No. 1 June 2006
 The Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (TSBF-CIAT) conducts research in soil fertility in the tropics. The latest issue of the TSBF newsletter highlights key research issues and achievements of the past year which includes sucess stories in west and central Africa, new projects and training courses conducted for African scientists.
Download this issue (642 kb)
More information and download previous issues
CIAT in the Media New Bean Lines Pre-released in Kenya
 Five new bean lines -three climbing bean lines (MAC 13, MAC 34, and MAC 64) and two bush bean lines (AFR 708 and KK 8) - were recommended for pre-release by the bean National Variety Release Technical Committee in a meeting held at the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) headquarters in Nairobi on 26 March 2006. The pre-released varieties have 3:1 yield advantage over the bush bean varieties and are resistant to major biotic and abiotic stresses. This is the first time climbing beans have been formally pre-released in Kenya.
Full story at http://www.africancrops.net/news/may06/bean-varieties.htm, a Website on Improvement of African Crops and Seed Systems
Contact: Paul Kimani
KIT-IIRR Publication: CIAT contributed
Chain Empowerment—Supporting African Farmers to Develop Markets
 This book has been recently published by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Faida MaLi, and International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), with contributions from CIAT. It is a book of hope for Africa’s smallholder farmers. It shows how they can earn more from their crops and livestock by taking control over the value chains they are part of—chains that link them with consumers in Africa’s towns and cities, as well as in other countries.
See Mamud.com to download the book
Sixth CRS-CIAT Agroenterprise Development Meeting, Nairobi, Kenya
From 5th to 9th June 2006, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and CIAT held the sixth agroenterprise learning alliance workshop in Eastern Africa, in Nairobi, Kenya. Thirty-five participants from CRS Country offices and their partners from Uganda, Northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Kenya, Burundi, and Tanzania were in attendance.
More information
Contact: Tom Remington, CRS 
New Publication
Enabling Rural Innovation in Africa Guide Series. A Market Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Agroenterprise Development.
 This manual is a product of the the experiences and lessons learned while implementing agroenterprise projects in eastern and southern Africa. The central figure in this guide is the "market facilitator" whose role is to work together with farmers to identify and develop market opportunities.
The manual aims to provide market facilitators with skills in participatory methods that will enable them to help farmers engage with markets. It provides a guide to identifying and evaluating market opportunities and for selecting the most attractive business options a given community may have. It is intended for use by any institution interested in building their staff capacity in market facilitation.
Download A Market Facilitator's Guide to Participatory Agroenterprise Development ERI Guide 2 (372 kb) -- click on Section Titles (highlighted in blue) in Table of Contents to download individual Sections
Contact: Shaun Ferris for more information
New Publications
CIAT-Catholic Relief Services-Care Norway: Seed Aid for Seed Security-Advice for Practitioners
 These ten Practice Briefs offer advice on how to sustain and strengthen seed systems during disaster response and recovery periods. Up-to-date technical information addresses issues such as introducing new varieties, protecting agrobiodiversity, and exploiting market opportunities during periods of acute and chronic stress. Specific aid-response tools are also offered, including methods for assessing seed system security, guidelines for learning-focused evaluations, and checklists to ensure quality in seed-aid proposal development. The briefs were prepared by the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), with CARE–Norway.
Download the full set of Practice Briefs here
Visit the Seed Systems Under Stress Programme website
Contact: Louise Sperling, CIAT and Tom Remington, CRS for more information
On-line: Working Papers Series
 The Working Papers (also called Occasional Publications) Series was initiated ten years ago with the aim of disseminating research information from the activities of CIAT and its partners in sub-Saharan Africa. It includes the work of the Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network (ECABREN) and the Southern Africa Bean Research Network (SABRN). This series includes bibliographies, research reports and network discussion papers.
More information
Contact: Robin Buruchara
New Publication
PABRA Millennium Workshop Proceedings Now on-line
 The proceedings of a Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) workshop are now available on-line. The individual sessions on a host of different subject areas can be downloaded separately. Subjects covered during the different sessions were: crop improvement, adoption and impact of new bean varieties, systems management and soil fertility, integrated pest and disease management, seed production systems, participatory research and gender.
Download the PABRA Millennium Workshop Proceedings here (9 Sessions)
Download the PABRA Millennium Workshop Book of Abstracts here (French and English, 440 kb)
Contact: Robin Buruchara
CIAT in Africa
 Africa is an increasingly important region for CIAT. Trans-country projects are now operating in a total of twenty-six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
For more information on programmes and projects in individual countries and regions visit Our Presence in Africa website.
New Translations
On-Line in French and Portuguese: Case Studies on Emergency Seed Aid Summary Report
A summary of the Emergency Seed Aid Case Studies Report is now available in French and in Portuguese.  The report examines the effectiveness of emergency seed aid in East, Central and Southern Africa. Focusing on various forms of relief (inter alia direct seed distribution, seed vouchers & fairs, community-based multiplication schemes), the case studies analyse how (or if) vulnerable farmers are being helped by the kinds of assistance they receive, and how to move forward on improving practice. Thanks to SADC for funding the translation work.
Download a summary of the case studies report (in French)
Download a summary of the case studies report (in Portuguese)
Visit the Seed Systems Under Stress Programme website
Contact: Louise Sperling
International Summer School on Organic Agriculture
 Makerere University, Uganda hosted an International Summer School on Organic Agriculture for a group of Ugandan and Austrian Agricultural Science students in July this year. This joint learning initiative, the first of its kind in Uganda, was organised by Makerere University and CIAT, Uganda in co-operation with the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria. The school received financial support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the District Government of Burgenland, Austria and technical support from many local organisations in Uganda. Twenty five students attended the training event, fifteen from Makerere University and ten from BOKU.
This Summer School was a direct response to the expressed demands for training of university students in the region in Organic Agriculture, as  well as for capacity development of universities to deliver such training. The School combined theoretical lectures with practical field work. For example, the participants worked with farmers groups in Hoima who are changing to organic production to develop an Internal Control System (ICS). This first Summer School was designed as a pilot initiative for more frequent regional training. Owing to its success, plans for a second summer school in 2006 are already underway.
Contact: Robert Delve (CIAT), Moses Tenywa (Makerere University) or Michael Hauser (BOKU) for more information on this new learning initiative.
More information on Soil Fertility/Management research at CIAT
Photos courtesy of Christian Kirchweger
On-Line in Seven Languagues : Seed Manuals for Small-Scale Seed Producers
This series of three handbooks on bean seed production is now available for download on-line in seven of the languages spoken in Africa.
Handbook One describes the agricultural aspects of producing high quality bean seeds, including determining quality; selecting varieties, seeds, and sites; preparing land; caring for the crop; and post-harvest handling. Available in English, Chichewa, Kiswahili and Portuguese.
Handbook Two advises on organising and operating a small-scale seed-production business, describing such aspects as establishing a business plan, record-keeping and knowing the market. Available in English, French, Kiswahili, Luganda, Portuguese, and Runyankore.
Handbook Three, a companion to Handbook Two, is a guide for facilitators who are assisting farmers and community organisations to set up seed-production businesses. Available in English and French.
More information on the Small-Scale Seed Producers Handbooks Series
Hard copies of the three manuals in any of the seven languages as listed above can be mailed to you upon request. Contact: CIAT Africa for more information.
For hard copies of Handbook One in Amharic, contact Teshale Assefa at EARO.
A Brochure for ERI in Africa
Enabling Rural Innovation in Africa: A Programme that Empowers Communities to Improve Livelihoods
 A new brochure on CIAT's Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) programme in Africa is now available on-line. This brochure explains how the ERI programme is helping communities in eastern and southern Africa to improve household food security and income through more competitive agriculture. ERI aims to strengthen social organisation and entrepreneurial skills in rural communities, encouraging farmers to produce what they can market rather than market what they produce. This innovative approach emerged from CIAT's work in farmer participatory research, rural agro-enterprise development and NRM and is currently being tested in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.
Download the ERI brochure
More information on ERI in Africa
Contact: Susan Kaaria for more information
Research Summaries
CIAT in Africa Highlights Series: New Highlights on-line
Fourteen new Highlights (No. 14-27 inclusive) covering a broad range of research topics are now available for download on-line. The Highlights series, initiated in 2003, summarises research results and policy implications from the work of CIAT and its partners in Africa. Each issue of the series is a two-page summary of a recently completed piece of research, or reports significant progress in an ongoing activity. The series is designed to inform policy makers, leaders of research or extension organisations, and key individuals working in R&D for development. Highlights are also mailed as hard copies, contact CIAT Africa office
See the complete list of the Highlights CIAT in Africa series 2003-2005 and download the Highlights in pdf
Contact: Robin Buruchara for more information
On-Line: 2005 CIAT in Africa Brochure
CIAT in Africa: Applying Modern Science to Improve Traditional Livelihoods
 A revised brochure that gives an overview of CIAT's research programme in Africa, of what has been achieved and what is planned is now available for download on-line. This brochure explains how our scientists are helping to meet some of the continent's most urgent developmental challenges, not only by providing new technologies and other innovations but also by helping poor people to help themselves.
Download the CIAT in Africa brochure
Visit the CIAT in Africa brochure website
Hard copies of the brochure can also be mailed to you upon request, contact CIAT Africa office
Contact: Robin Buruchara for more information
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