The paper draws on findings from research in South Sulawesi and Jambi Provinces, Indonesia, looking at the role of collective action in helping two local community groups enhance their bargaining power vis a vis other market players (such as collectors, small- and large-scale industries) and promote an increased demand for non-timber forest products. The first group has traditionally collected rattan (Calamus sp) from surrounding forests and was struggling to sell their products at a better price amid market uncertainties and the lack of supportive government policies.

Fisheries are complex and interdependent ecological and social systems that require integrated management approaches. The actions of one person or group of users affect the availability of the resource for others. Managing such common pool resources requires conscious efforts by a broad range of stakeholders to organize and craft rules enabling equitable and sustainable use of the resources for everyone?s benefit. Collective action is often a prerequisite for the development of community-based institutions and the devolution of authority...

Hasta finales de la década de los sesenta, los pobladores de la isla San Salvador, en Filipinas, gozaban del acceso libre e ilimitado a los recursos naturales costeros. A principios de los años setenta, una ola de inmigración, combinada con la integración de la economía de la isla al mercado internacional de peces ornamentales, y el cambio hacia las operaciones de pesca destructivas, arruinaron las zonas pesqueras y dieron lugar a los conflictos.

Research on collective action confronts two major obstacles. First, inconsistency in the conceptualization and operationalization of collective action, the key factors expected to affect collective action, and the outcomes of collective action hampers the accumulation of knowledge. Inconsistent terminology obscures consistent patterns. Second, the scarcity of comparable data thwarts evaluation of the relative importance of the many variables identified in the literature as likely to influence collective action.

"To end hunger and prevent the recurrence of famine and starvation, we need to take the following steps: invest in public health, child nutrition, education, women’s and girls’ social status, and other components of human capital; reform public institutions and create innovative funding and partnership arrangements; change government policies at all levels to be both pro-poor and pro-growth; increase funding for scientific and technological research to boost agricultural production and efficiency; and develop specific policies and institutions to deal with environmental degradation caused

Memoria de las actividades del IPDRS en el 2010.

El Cluster Alimentario pretende contribuir a la identificación de los daños y problemas sufridos con la catástrofe del 27 de febrero en los sectores frutícola, vitivinícola, alimentos procesados, aves y cerdos y carnes rojas para redireccionar el enfoque de los recursos públicos que permitan continuar y avanzar en la competitividad de estos sectores.

Memoria de las actividades del IPDRS en el 2009

La legislación agraria en Colombia es una amalgama de intereses de fuerzas políticas y sociales, en la cual se evidencia la pugna entre los sectores terratenientes tradicionales que buscan el mantenimiento del estatus quo. El empresariado que pretende la eliminación de las barreras que bloquean el desarrollo capitalista en el campo, y las comunidades indígenas, afrodescendientes y campesinas luchan…

Providing extension and advisory services is expensive. There are salaries to be paid, transporta­tion and operational funds to be provided, buildings to be rented or built, demonstration plots to maintain, and continued education to be offered to the extension staff. And then there is the need to continually invest in an overall functioning agricultural innovation system with strong research and teaching institutions, enabling policies, as well as to make capital investments in rural infrastructure that will not only benefit the farming population.

Experts agree that the rising demand for fish for human consumption cannot be met without a major expansion and sustainable intensification of aquaculture. Our WorldFish authors describe the areas in which research plays a particularly important role in this context.

In many parts of Africa, formal education and training in agriculture is almost nonexistent. Swiss Biovision Foundation supports farmers via its Farmer Communication Programme. While it takes advantage of its close links with research institutions, the ideas and experiences of farmers also flow directly into its course contents.