The NCCR North-South is represented by Regional Coordinators in each of the partnership regions. In a series of video clips which will be uploaded here over the next few months, the people behind the programme’s extensive research network speak of changes which have been brought about as a result of these research partnerships.
Biofuel in Africa: opportunities and threats of Jatropha and related crops (BIA) BIA is a project funded by the Agriculture Research for Development Dimension of the European Research Area (ERA-ARD) and affiliated to the NCCR North-South. In this interview on TSR (Swiss TV - French channel, aired on 22 October 2009), BIA coordinator Dr. Albrecht Ehrensperger (Centre for Development and Environ- ment, CDE, University of Bern) speaks about the challenges related to biofuel production in developing countries and explains how BIA intends to assess the impacts of such production on livelihoods and the environment.
Interview with Hans Hurni on BBC World To mark World Food Day on 16 October 2009, BBC World is airing a number of television reports on the topic. The reports include interviews with Prof. Hans Hurni, director of the NCCR North-South and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), and Markus Giger, senior research scientist at the CDE.
The reports aired on 16-19 and 24-26 October on BBC World can be viewed here. The full interview with Hans Hurni is available on YouTube. In the following clip, Prof. Hurni responds to the question: “Could we feed the world today, given the political will?”
Research on sanitation issues is conducted in the Southeast Asian partnership region. Here, Regional Coordinator Thammarat Koottatep talks of the challenges of bringing simple and affordable technologies to communities.
In East Africa, a strong scientific research network was established to contribute to the sustainable development of the region, says the Regional Coordinator, Boniface Kiteme
Kyrgyz researchers like Regional Coordinator of Central Asia, Mira Arynova emphasise the importance of communicating information on research results and pasture management to herders, administrative units and NGOs.
The work of the NCCR North-South contributed to bringing about the signing of a Swiss-Ethiopian agreement on capacity building and research partnerships.
Here, Regional Coordinator Berhanu Debele speaks about the agreement, signed in late 2008.
The NCCR North-South Regional Coordinator from South Asia, Bishnu Raj Upreti, explains the high demand for evidence on land-related issues for policy-makers in Nepal.
Discussions initiated by the NCCR North-South on finding appropriate sanitation solutions in an urban neighborhood in Mexico led to a greater involvement of the affected population in local policymaking, says Maria Angelina Perez Gutierrez, Regional Coordinator of Central America.
Guéladio Cissé, Regional Coordinator of West Africa, and his team have successfully promoted the inter- and transdisciplinary approach of the NCCR North-South at universities. He is currently involved in the development of curricula changes of various universities in the region.
The NCCR North-South is hosted by the University of Bern
and funded jointly by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Photo: John Foncel, TSR