Using the Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) framework for analysis and joint action: outline and workplan for action research

The framework for fostering Rural Economic and Enterprise Development (REED) which is based on the analysis of successes and experiences of programmes and projects by an international group of practitioners from different professional backgrounds and countries is an example of a more holistic and spatial approach to local, rural and urban development. The framework, which tries to address the shortcomings of the traditional rural-urban dichotomy, is comprised of ten cornerstones for successful intervention, covering the policy and institutional dimension, access to infrastructure, services and markets, entrepreneurial competence and stakeholder links (see Figure 1). The REED framework can be applied at different levels, i.e., national and regional, because it is areabased. For example, many decisions concerning the political, economic and institutional environment for Rural Economic and Enterprise Development are made at national level. Decision-makers on public policies for rural areas are charged with designing strategies for rural development. Increasingly, this is done in a programmatic way, such as in inter-ministerial committees for designing PRSPs, sector investment programmes (SIPs) and sector-wide approaches (SWAPs). The REED framework adds value to the planning process because it feeds the perceptions, needs and experiences of relevant stakeholders in a systematic way. Where the focus is on developing a certain region (at sub-national level), regional development authorities can use the REED framework to create a dynamic environment for economic activity and to stimulate innovation. In this way, the specific characteristics of the region and the relevant framework conditions can be taken into consideration when elaborating and formulating key strategies, processes and possible ways to implement them, related to the individual cornerstones (see Figure 1). Within the cycle of typical government and donor-supported public investment, policies/ interventions, there are several options for applying the REED framework

Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Markets: Changing agricultural marketing systems and innovative responses by producer organizations

Though some producer organizations have enabled developing country farmers to exploit new opportunities and/or cope with emerging challenges through developing and/or taking advantage of innovative mechanisms and institutions, there are many farmers who lack sustainable access to inputs and services as well as to remunerative output markets. This paper is intended to generate a better understanding of the conditions which make producer organizations capable vehicles by which farmers, especially small-scale farmers in developing countries, can reach markets in a dynamic and demanding trading environment, and respond to the needs of their clients and members. It aims at identifying lessons on the forms of organizations as well as the innovative mechanisms and institutions that producer organizations can adopt and/or help promote in response to challenges in the changing agricultural marketing systems, in particular, to strengthen the bargaining position of farmers.agricultural marketing systems; producer organizations; innovative rural finance

Empowering smallholder farmers in markets: Experiences with farmer-led research for advocacy

Providing insight into the use of advocacy strategies and collaborative research by national farmer organisations, this title examines how these can be applied to strengthen the voice of smallholder farmers and formulate proposals for change. Clearly set out with a wealth of tables, examples and resources, the book describes the dynamics in 11 countries included in the ESFIM programme between 2008 and 2013. The diverse themes range from collective marketing to gathering evidence on the impact of seed programmes, and from electronic trading systems to the hurdles that prevent smallholders from selling to government procurement programme

Onions in tropical regions (NRI Bulletin No. 35)

The bulletin reviews the particular problems of producing and storing onions in tropical and subtropical regions, presents the results of a survey by questionnaire, draws a series of conclusions and makes recommendations for future work

Rural development from a territorial perspective: lessons and potential in sub-Saharan Africa

The paper analyzes the lessons and potential poverty impacts involved in the application of approaches for building socially inclusive, decentralized and spatially accented approaches to rural (and rural-urban) economic development in South Africa and other experiences making a preliminary assessment of the transferability of LED / RTD approaches to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa such as Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana. In each case the role of the drivers of change, the rural-urban linkages and the livelihood strategies of rural households are emphasized and the kind of social networks and alliances are also considered

Human population as a key driver of biochemical burden in an inter-city system:Implications for One Health concept

This paper tests the hypothesis that human population and city function are key drivers of biochemical burden in an inter-city system, which can be used to inform One Health actions as it enables a holistic understanding of city's metabolism encompassing all of the activities of a city in a single model: from lifestyle choices, through to health status and exposure to harmful chemicals as well as effectiveness of implemented management strategies. Chemical mining of wastewater for biophysico-chemical indicators (BCIs) was undertaken to understand speciation of BCIs in the context of geographical as well as community-wide socioeconomic factors. Spatiotemporal variabilities in chemical and biological target groups in the studied inter-city system were observed. A linear relationship (R2 &gt; 0.99) and a strong positive correlation between most BCIs and population size (r &gt; 0.998, p &lt; 0.001) were observed which provides a strong evidence for the population size as a driver of BCI burden. BCI groups that are strongly correlated with population size and are intrinsic to humans’ function include mostly high usage pharmaceuticals that are linked with long term non-communicable conditions (NSAIDs, analgesics, cardiovascular, mental health and antiepileptics) and lifestyle chemicals. These BCIs can be used as population size markers. BCIs groups that are produced as a result of a specific city's function (e.g. industry presence and occupational exposure or agriculture) and as such are not correlated with population size include: pesticides, PCPs and industrial chemicals. These BCIs can be used to assess city's function, such as occupational exposure, environmental or food exposure, and as a proxy of community-wide health. This study confirmed a strong positive correlation between antibiotics (ABs), population size and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). This confirms the population size and AB usage as the main driver of AB and ARG levels and provides an opportunity for interventions aimed at the reduction of AB usage to reduce AMR. Holistic evaluation of biophysicochemical fingerprints (BCI burden) of the environment and data triangulation with socioeconomic fingerprints (indices) of tested communities are required to fully embrace One Health concept.</p

Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Markets: Changing agricultural marketing systems and innovative responses by producer organizations

Though some producer organizations have enabled developing country farmers to exploit new opportunities and/or cope with emerging challenges through developing and/or taking advantage of innovative mechanisms and institutions, there are many farmers who lack sustainable access to inputs and services as well as to remunerative output markets. This paper is intended to generate a better understanding of the conditions which make producer organizations capable vehicles by which farmers, especially small-scale farmers in developing countries, can reach markets in a dynamic and demanding trading environment, and respond to the needs of their clients and members. It aims at identifying lessons on the forms of organizations as well as the innovative mechanisms and institutions that producer organizations can adopt and/or help promote in response to challenges in the changing agricultural marketing systems, in particular, to strengthen the bargaining position of farmers

Empowering Smallholder Farmers in Markets: Changing agricultural marketing systems and innovative responses by producer organizations

Though some producer organizations have enabled developing country farmers to exploit new opportunities and/or cope with emerging challenges through developing and/or taking advantage of innovative mechanisms and institutions, there are many farmers who lack sustainable access to inputs and services as well as to remunerative output markets. This paper is intended to generate a better understanding of the conditions which make producer organizations capable vehicles by which farmers, especially small-scale farmers in developing countries, can reach markets in a dynamic and demanding trading environment, and respond to the needs of their clients and members. It aims at identifying lessons on the forms of organizations as well as the innovative mechanisms and institutions that producer organizations can adopt and/or help promote in response to challenges in the changing agricultural marketing systems, in particular, to strengthen the bargaining position of farmers

Designing high-quality implementation research: development, application, feasibility and preliminary evaluation of the implementation science research development (ImpRes) tool and guide

Background:  Designing implementation research can be a complex and daunting task, especially for applied health researchers who have not received specialist training in implementation science. We developed the Implementation Science Research Development (ImpRes) tool and supplementary guide to address this challenge and provide researchers with a systematic approach to designing implementation research. Methods:  A multi-method and multi-stage approach was employed. An international, multidisciplinary expert panel engaged in an iterative brainstorming and consensus-building process to generate core domains of the ImpRes tool, representing core implementation science principles and concepts that researchers should consider when designing implementation research. Simultaneously, an iterative process of reviewing the literature and expert input informed the development and content of the tool. Once consensus had been reached, specialist expert input was sought on involving and engaging patients/service users; and economic evaluation. ImpRes was then applied to 15 implementation and improvement science projects across the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) South London, a research organisation in London, UK. Researchers who applied the ImpRes tool completed an 11-item questionnaire evaluating its structure, content and usefulness. Results:  Consensus was reached on ten implementation science domains to be considered when designing implementation research. These include implementation theories, frameworks and models, determinants of implementation, implementation strategies, implementation outcomes and unintended consequences. Researchers who used the ImpRes tool found it useful for identifying project areas where implementation science is lacking (median 5/5, IQR 4–5) and for improving the quality of implementation research (median 4/5, IQR 4–5) and agreed that it contained the key components that should be considered when designing implementation research (median 4/5, IQR 4–4). Qualitative feedback from researchers who applied the ImpRes tool indicated that a supplementary guide was needed to facilitate use of the tool. Conclusions:  We have developed a feasible and acceptable tool, and supplementary guide, to facilitate consideration and incorporation of core principles and concepts of implementation science in applied health implementation research. Future research is needed to establish whether application of the tool and guide has an effect on the quality of implementation research

A database of marine phytoplankton abundance, biomass and species composition in Australian waters

There have been many individual phytoplankton datasets collected across Australia since the mid 1900s, but most are unavailable to the research community. We have searched archives, contacted researchers, and scanned the primary and grey literature to collate 3,621,847 records of marine phytoplankton species from Australian waters from 1844 to the present. Many of these are small datasets collected for local questions, but combined they provide over 170 years of data on phytoplankton communities in Australian waters. Units and taxonomy have been standardised, obviously erroneous data removed, and all metadata included. We have lodged this dataset with the Australian Ocean Data Network (http://portal.aodn.org.au/) allowing public access. The Australian Phytoplankton Database will be invaluable for global change studies, as it allows analysis of ecological indicators of climate change and eutrophication (e.g., changes in distribution; diatom:dinoflagellate ratios). In addition, the standardised conversion of abundance records to biomass provides modellers with quantifiable data to initialise and validate ecosystem models of lower marine trophic levels