Although it is not always acknowledged, power differences between partners fundamentally affect Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) partnerships. In referring to its African-European ARD partnerships, PAEPARD has often alluded to aspects of power without naming them as such. The project was established to create “equitable and balanced partnerships” between: a) researchers and research users, and b) African and European partners.
Inclusion is a key issue for Agricultural Research for Development (ARD). Development goals in and of themselves call for better livelihoods and opportunities for the less privileged actors working in agriculture. They also call for greater equity and balanced representation of the population at an institutional level. This brief focuses on how ARD processes can more sensitively address gender relations and youth issues. Women and young people have distinctive needs and interests which can be less visible within broader “Producer Organizations”, for example.
El presente informe está compuesto por tres partes. La primera parte corresponde a la presentación del marco conceptual y metodológico utilizado en el estudio. La segunda parte, compuesta por cinco capítulos, corresponde al análisis del estado del arte de los Encadenamientos Productivos y Ciclo Corto a nivel internacional.
En el primer capítulo de este documento se describe el contexto económico, la producción y los rendimientos históricos, la producción, el comercio mundial del café y los precios. El segundo capítulo analiza la producción de café en la República Dominicana, e incluye secciones sobre la fenología de la planta de café, enfermedades, las características de la producción en la República Dominicana, los sistemas de producción, el sector industrial, el contexto social y ambiental de la producción de café y las políticas regionales y nacionales.
Las cadenas de valor juegan un papel importante en la economía global. Sin duda alguna, el análisis de cadenas de valor se ha concentrado en cadenas globales y nacionales más que en cadenas regionales de valor. Sin embargo, en muchos casos estas últimas constituyen la base principal de acceso y articulación con los mercados internacionales. Las cadenas globales de valor tienen su base en los grandes núcleos regionales de crecimiento económico e integración: América del Norte, Asia y Europa.
The nature of the issues around which Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) partnerships are formed requires a different way of conceptualizing and thinking to that commonly found in many agricultural professionals. This brief clarifies the components of a system of interest to an ARD partnership.
Networks and organizations need to find ways to be more effective in pursuing their objectives and thus seek to “learn” to be able to respond, innovate and adapt to complex, changing social and environmental conditions, thus bringing about social change. An essential capacity for ARD (Agricultural Research for Development) partnerships is therefore the ability to reflect and learn. Learning is not simply about increasing knowledge and skills or changing attitudes; it is about making sense of complexity to act more effectively.