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Policy Briefs

Here is a list of the latest articles

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Integrating HIV, food security and nutrition policies

Recommendations for governments, civil society and international partners on addressing food and nutrition concerns in the context of HIV.

Source: UNAIDS

13 August 2008 | EN

John Bennet and Wei Zhou IRRI

Opportunities and challenges in South–South collaboration

South–South research collaboration can be a powerful strategy for boosting scientific capacity and achieving common goals. But it should not be embraced uncritically, says Athar Osama.

14 May 2008 | EN | 中文

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To be resilient to climate change, Africa must adapt

Better integration of science and policy in Africa is crucial for effective adaptation to climate change, concluded an international workshop.

Source: IIED/Tyndall Centre

30 July 2007 | EN

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NAPAs put climate change adaptation on the map

National Adaptation Programmes of Action put climate change adaptation on the development agenda, write Balgis Osman-Elasha and Thomas E. Downing.

Source: European Capacity Building Initiative, University of Oxford

30 July 2007 | EN

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Controlling TB requires public awareness

An assessment of national tuberculosis policies in select countries emphasises the need for more public engagement.

Source: Open Society Institute

27 June 2007 | EN

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Addressing health policy in Myanmar

The challenge of setting policy priorities for infectious diseases in Myanmar's current political climate.

Source: PLoS Medicine

27 June 2007 | EN

Betty-Nanyanzi-Uganda

Integrating TB and HIV control activities

Recommendations on how policymakers can decrease the joint burden of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Source: Open Society Institute

27 June 2007 | EN

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The case for joint action on biotechnology in Africa

What are the main issues that African nations face in forthcoming negotiations on biotechnology and biosafety?

Source: The International Institute for Sustainable Development

4 June 2007 | EN

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A healthy mix: strategies for GM and non-GM crop coexistence

How can farmers and food traders in the developing world ensure that GM, 'conventional' and organic crop systems coexist successfully? Eliana Fontes examines the issues.

1 April 2007 | EN

Muddy Waterfall

Brazil & climate change: a country profile

Deforestation in the Amazon and strong renewable energy programmes make Brazil a unique player in global climate change discussions.

14 February 2007 | EN

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Thinking locally: New approaches to foreign direct investment

Policies to take advantage of foreign direct investment usually focus on multinationals. As Anabel Marin shows though, their subsidiaries may be a more useful point of influence.

1 January 2007 | EN

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Technology acquisition and domestic learning

Developing country firms and public institutions need to work together to improve the value of services delivered from imported technologies.

1 January 2007 | EN

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Agricultural technology transfer to developing countries and the public sector

The public sector no longer dominates agricultural technology transfer to developing countries. New scientific and economic forces mean it’s time to reassess its role, says Martín Piñeiro.

1 January 2007 | EN

Cotton processing factory in South Africa

Fostering technological capabilities in sub-Saharan Africa

Manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa need policy support at all levels if their technological capabilities are to catch up with other developing countries. Carlo Pietrobelli looks at problems and solutions.

1 November 2006 | EN

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People, deserts and drylands in the developing world

Growing dryland populations are depleting their natural resources, while increasingly-settled agriculture ignores the traditional knowledge needed to tackle future uncertainties, says David Thomas.

1 October 2006 | EN

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Putting the right price on nature: environmental economics

Valuing the benefits ecosystems give us is a vital step in ensuring their sustainable use and conservation. Anantha Duraiappah shows how environmental economics offers the best way yet to tackle the job.

1 October 2006 | EN

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The UN Convention to Combat Desertification

Ten years since the UNCCD came into force, the problems remain. Despite some successes, varying definitions and restricted finance limit the convention's effectiveness, as Lindsay Stringer explains.

1 October 2006 | EN

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Conserving dryland biodiversity: Science and policy

Biodiversity in the world's drylands is fragile, easily disrupted and under threat. John Lemons sets out guidelines for tailoring policies to best protect these uniquely adapted species.

27 September 2006 | EN

Improving access to water in deserts and drylands

With water scarcity already affecting over a billion people, dryland populations should combine traditional and modern knowledge to manage water access sustainably, says Theib Oweis.

26 September 2006 | EN

The role of non-GM biotechnology in developing world agriculture

An overview of the various ways in which techniques that do not involve genetic modification can helping plant breeders to develop and propagate new crop varieties.

1 February 2006 | EN