Received: from SOUTH-STATION-ANNEX.MIT.EDU by po7.MIT.EDU (5.61/4.7) id AA01037; Sat, 30 Sep 95 21:46:02 EDT Received: from atlanta.american.edu by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA24827; Sat, 30 Sep 95 21:45:33 EDT Received: from atlanta (atlanta.american.edu [147.9.1.6]) by atlanta.american.edu (8.6.12/8.6.11) with SMTP id UAA199312; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:53 -0400 Received: from AMERICAN.EDU by AMERICAN.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8b) with spool id 1933293 for DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:14 -0400 Received: (from daemon@localhost) by atlanta.american.edu (8.6.12/8.6.11) id UAA211445 for devel-l@listserv.american.edu; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:14 -0400 Received: from relay4.UU.NET (relay4.UU.NET [192.48.96.14]) by atlanta.american.edu (8.6.12/8.6.11) with SMTP id UAA228338 for ; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:12 -0400 Received: from lan.vita.org by relay4.UU.NET with SMTP id QQzjmp04905; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:20 -0400 Received: by lan.vita.org (5.64/A/UX-3.0.2) id AA11432; Sat, 30 Sep 95 20:53:33 EDT Message-Id: <9510010053.AA11432@lan.vita.org> Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 20:53:33 EDT Reply-To: DevelopNet News Sender: Technology Transfer in International Development From: DevelopNet News Subject: Your DevelopNet News for October. X-Cc: rronkin@vita.org To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% @@@@@ @@@@@@ @@ @@ @@@@@@ @@ @@@@@ @@@@@@ @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@ @@@@@@ @@ @@ @@@@@@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@@ @@ @@@ @@ @@@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@ @@@@@@ @@ @@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@@ @@ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% @@ @@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ On-Line News and Views on @@@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@@@ @@@@@@@ @@ Technology Transfer in @@ @@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@@@@@@ @@ International Development %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% @@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% October 1995 Volume 5, No. 10 IN THIS ISSUE ECONOMICS & ENVIRONMENT Transition to Green, Part 1 LITERATURE REVIEWS AZT for the Third World? Invisible Science Sustainable Agriculture: Indonesia and Albania ORGANIZATIONS Water and Sanitation VITA PROJECTS New Satellite Plans ANNOUNCEMENTS Software for Irrigation Papers on International Development * * * DevelopNet News is published monthly by Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA. For additional information, please see the end of this newsletter. * * * E c o n o m i c s & E n v i r o n m e n t TRANSITION TO GREEN, PART 1 The good news on the environmental front is the rapidly spreading real- ization of the need to resolve apparent conflicts of economic develop- ment and environmental protection. Economic development, broadly considered, has to do with improving the quality of life for people everywhere. It need not be measured by the expansion of markets for consumer goods or the cash flows of interna- tional trade. And the word is spreading that the development of private entrepreneurship is linked to the survival of human societies. Human survival also depends on the integrity of the natural environment: clean air and clean water, and productive soils, wetlands, oceans, and forests. There is much misunderstanding about the importance of conserv- ing kinds of plants and animals that face the threat of extinction. Sav- ing them is vital to human survival because each species contributes to the viability of the environment it lives in. Moreover, some endangered species act as barometers of the health of their environment, like the canaries that were once commonly carried into coal mines. Results of unmoderated economic growth Aside from ignorance, a serious threat to human survival is the belief that there is no foreseeable limit to economic (and human population) growth. Briefly, the educated people who still believe this feel that new technologies will emerge to rescue humans from exhausting their material and energy reserves. This mistaken belief was more common 50 years ago than now, and is often based on bad arithmetic or shallow understanding of the laws of physics. In the absence of widespread understanding of man's place in nature, so- called economic "progress" (unmoderated economic growth) has resulted in failure to protect the environment from devastation. In order to meet immediate needs, human activities continue to deplete the Earth's finite resources. Some results: a damaged ozone layer that no longer protects the fragile Earth's crust from damaging ultraviolet radiation, accumula- tion of greenhouse gases that damage health and human productivity, acid precipitation that destroys forests and monuments, the build-up of per- sistent toxins in soil and water that makes people sick, depleted sea- food stocks, and species extinction. In Asia, Europe, and North America, large-scale fisheries are depleting maritime resources. In Latin America, trade in coffee, cotton, and bananas is leading to deforestation. In the Pacific Northwest of the United States, forests are threatened by a surge of large-scale timber concessions. And in Africa, mobile populations, land encroachments, smugglers, and poachers threaten a variety of animal life that supports environmental systems. Globally, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to double by 2025, over 50 million hectares (an area equivalent to Spain) of tropical and tem- perate forests are destroyed each year, over 50,000 animal and plant species are dying out in tropical forests each year, and the drinking water of some 1,200 million people is polluted. "Green" awareness In this war of short-term returns versus sustainability, both sides are losing in the long run. Policy makers in both rich and poor countries are beginning to realize that mankind's basic needs will not be met without the fruits of the Earth, and the fruits of the Earth will not be available without careful planning of conservation strategies. Enter the "green" movement: the demand for environmentally-sensitive products and production processes that link human needs and conserva- tion. Surely the movement goes back to the years before the publication of Rachel Carson's _Silent Spring_ in 1962. By the 1970's, many of the important international environmental movements had been launched. In Germany, the Green Party would soon win seats in the national parliament. Consumers are showing a preference for use of recycled paper, minimal packing, energy efficient processes, biodegradable materials, and less harmful dyes and coloring. The global market for such products amounts to $200,000 million today and is expected to grow to $600,000 million by the year 2000. It appears that consumer demand, especially when coupled with strict environmental regulations, drives innovations that help nations to compete in international markets and result in economic development and job creation. In Germany and other industrial countries, power plants, steel mills, and other typically large polluters are subject to constant reviews to ensure that appropriate environmental technologies are in place. Having grown familiar with such technologies, German companies are now con- structing innovative power plants in Denmark, The Netherlands, and Turkey. The number of German companies in the environmental technology industry has risen from 1,000 to 4,000 since 1980. Japan emphasizes cooperation between government and industry in devel- oping green technologies. The country spent nearly $60,000 million on green technologies in the last 20 years. Some of the most marketable technologies developed by Japan are related to cleaning flue gas and, thereby, reducing acid rain. The United States is following suit. The Whirlpool Corporation has developed a refrigerator with an annual energy consumption 75% less than a unit manufactured in 1978 and 25% to 50% less than most other refrig- erators produced today. The Enron Corporation plans to build the coun- try's largest solar energy plant, which can power a city of 100,000 at rates competitive with conventional fossil-fuel sources. Environmental Safety Products is marketing a bioremedial oil sweep device of wood, cotton fibers, and oil-eating microbes that can clean oil spills, leav- ing a non-hazardous, biodegradable and removable residue. In addition, programs and organizations are emerging that promote green products. Green Seal is a nonprofit organization that promotes the manu- facture and sale of environmentally-sound consumer products. It sets environmental standards and allows the use of its certification mark on products found to meet them. The "Green Design Initiative," sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), promotes environ- mentally conscious engineering, product and process design, manufactur- ing, and architecture. The initiative forms partnerships with industrial corporations, foundations, and government agencies to develop joint research and education programs to improve environmental quality while encouraging sustainable economic development. And the Solar Energy Research & Education Foundation established the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology. It promotes computer, information, and communication technologies for sustainable energy development. The green movement is not limited to industrialized countries. Develop- ing countries are interested in incorporating green technologies as well. These countries are victims of environmental degradation caused by their own inhabitants as well as by those of developed nations. The survival of future generations depends upon environment awareness. (Watch for the next articles in the Transition to Green series. They will examine specific technologies.) Information: Barbra Bucci, VITA . L i t e r a t u r e R e v i e w s AZT FOR THE THIRD WORLD? Jon Cohen, 1995. "Bringing AZT to Poor Countries," Science, vol. 269, no. 5224 (4 August), pages 624-626. AZT is one of the few drugs that shows promise for the treatment of AIDS. It hinders the progression of the disease and also is partly effective in preventing the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to unborn child. Just how and when it works are not clear. In experiments recently conducted in France and the United States, 409 women infected with HIV gave birth to live infants. Some of the women received AZT five times a day for 11 weeks before giving birth, and their babies then received AZT four times a day for six weeks. Of these women's babies, 8.3% became infected, but in the untreated group (placebo), 25.5% became infected. According to Jon Cohen (_Science_ staff), this finding is not very rele- vant to the needs of HIV infected women in the Third World, many of whom "don't visit medical clinics until they are in labor -- if then. What's more, these women don't know they are infected with HIV." Women in the French-U.S. trial fed their infants with formula, but breast feeding is more prevalent in developing countries; furthermore, it is encouraged by international health authorities. The cost of AZT is another factor; the retail price of two capsules in the United States is about $2, which is what some developing countries spend per capita on health care each year. Scientists at the World Health Organization are looking for ways to reduce costs. INVISIBLE SCIENCE W. Wayt Gibbs, 1995. "Lost Science in the Third World," Scientific American, vol. 273, no. 2 (August), pages 92-99. Research workers in developing countries face difficulties in producing publishable results in science and engineering. This phenomenon is well known and many reasons for it have been widely discussed. Among the rea- sons for low productivity are lack of equipment, technical journals, infrastructure to support technical work, trained staff, and training in the preparation of papers for publication. In this provocative article, Gibbs (_Scientific American_ staff) shows that when developing-country authors do publish their work in journals of international stature, it is more likely to be ignored than the publications from developed coun- tries, even when published in the same journals. How much of the "invis- ibility" of developing-country research is the result of neglect and how much is prejudice has not been adequately studied, but according to anecdotal evidence both factors seem to be operating. A main player in the game of international recognition is the commercial publication _Science Citation Index_, which lists articles from 3,300 scientific journals of the more than 70,000 that are published world- wide. Listing in SCI and a few other global databases ensures the inter- national visibility of a published scientific paper. That paper is, in turn, more likely to be cited in other papers in the same field. Most of the world's scientific journals fail to meet SCI's standards for inclu- sion, and no one wants to provide the money to enlarge SCI for this pur- pose. Meanwhile, the percentage of Third-World journals cited has fallen from 2.5% to 1.5% in the last decade. The percentage expected from the Third-World investment in science is 5.3%. A number of editors of inter- national journals are taking action to increase the quantity and quality of papers submitted from developing countries. The article contains excellent maps and statistical tables. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: INDONESIA AND ALBANIA J. Bouwhuis and R. Kuiper, 1995. "Views on Sustainable Agriculture." Land and Water International, no. 82,, pages 4-7. The notions of sustainable development and sustainable agriculture are much discussed by development planners, but mean different things to different people. And recent revolutionary thinking and reform in devel- opment and ecology have ensured that the concepts will remain open to new insights as time goes on. Bouwhuis and Kuiper (Ministry of Agricul- ture, The Netherlands) present short lists of "lessons learned" based on current cooperative development projects between The Netherlands and two very different countries. In Indonesia, the project was directed toward irrigation, drainage, and flood protection. Problems developed in some sectors when other sectors developed out of phase with them; these were solved. Land reforms seemed the hardest to achieve, since the security of farmers' land titles was involved. It was necessary to give lower- level echelons of implementing agencies more influence in policymaking. The participation of farmers was sought and, generally, obtained. The authors say public participation should have been an element of planning from the beginning design stages. In Albania, the focus is on helping farmers to control their own affairs, develop organizations and extension programs, and develop capa- cities for planning and policymaking. The first irrigation rehabilita- tion project is complete and several farmers' organizatons are being formed. These steps are difficult because there has been no legal or organizational framework to support the organizations. The first small- scale marketing project (processing and export of green peppers) has been successful and project assistance is being withdrawn. Agricultural education is suffering because many teachers have left, and those who remain are "having difficulties adjusting to the changed conditions in agriculture." O r g a n i z a t i o n s WATER AND SANITATION The IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in The Hague is an independent, nonprofit organization that aims to meet the needs of peo- ple related to water and environmental sanitation programs. Its programs involve distribution of information and management of projects in many developing countries. The activities seek to enhance the capabilities of local organizations (governmental and nongovernmental) including the management of information. The Centre's staff of about 40 persons per- forms research, training, briefing, evaluation and advisory services, publication, provision of documentation services, and advocacy. The activities are located in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. In 1994, IRC operated with a total budget of Dfl. 3.86 million (about $2.22 million). Information: Dick de Jong, IRC, P.O. Box 93190, AD The Hague, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 (70) 33 141 33, fax +31 (70) 38-140-34, e-mail . VITA Projects NEW SATELLITE PLANS As announced in our last issue, VITA's expected third satellite had to be destroyed on 15 August 1995 (local time), just after it was launched. The failure was a great disappointment to everyone who understands the importance of communications to development. It will be at least 18 months before another satellite can be built and launched. Despite this setback, VITA remains dedicated to carrying out its goal. It has already held extensive discussions with CTA Corporation, the satellite's builder, to continue the association. VITA also has explored arrangements with other interested parties both for short-term satellite capacity and long-term program development. Announcement of a plan can be confidently expected in the near future. In the meantime, VITA continues its terrestrial communications program, much of it satellite assisted. Packet radio systems in which a computer is able to communicate with another computer by radio have been installed in the Philippines, Sudan, Madagascar and Chad. The system in Madagascar includes an information center in Moramanga, a city about five-hours drive from the capital that has poor telecommunications. It is supported by the hotel and restaurant owners and other business peo- ple. It is a library, training resource, and a tourist center in which visitors to the park system are able to learn about the lemurs whose only habitat is Madagascar. VITA anticipates the installation of a two-channel trunking repeater system at selected microwave sites throughout Honduras for the Ministry of Health. This will permit both voice and data transmission. Finally, VITA is working with an association of small rural telephone companies in the United States to design telephone systems in the developing countries and perhaps invest money and technology and manage the companies. VITA's development goals and the thrust of its communications activities were not dependent on the launch. Both will be continued at an increas- ing level and, when the satellite becomes available, it will be inte- grated into the effort. VITA will continue to address the global need for communications. Information: Henry Norman, VITA . A n n o u n c e m e n t s SOFTWARE FOR IRRIGATION Computer software related to irrigation systems is readily available to professionals, but for other persons it is rather difficult to get a good overview of good programs out of a large number of available ones. In addition, most programs require specific training for their effective application. The International Course in Computer Applications in Irri- gation aims to supply the needed knowledge and understandings. The course is organized by the International Institute for Land Reclama- tion and Improvement, Wageningen, The Netherlands; and the Institute of Irrigation Studies, Southampton, U.K. It will concentrate on the use of computer programs for the management of irrigation systems, including introductory hardware and software issues, program packages, and spreadsheet applications. The first part of the course, from 11 to 23 March 1996, will take place in Southampton; the second part will be held 25 March to 5 April in Wageningen. Information: International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improve- ment, P.O. Box 45, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 (8370) 90144, fax +31 (8370) 17187. Please note that after 10 October 1995, the numbers will be: tel. +31 (317) 490144, fax +31 (317) 417187. PAPERS ON INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Department of Agricultural Economics at Michigan State University is devoted to teaching, research, and extension activities. The MSU Inter- national Development Paper series is designed to further the comparative analysis of international development activities in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Near East. Targeted to development researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, these reports and working papers draw on applied research and policy analysis conducted by University econo- mists working with local analysts in several world regions. Topics include marketing and policy changes for improved food security, agri- cultural research planning and research impact assessment, strategies for agricultural productivity improvement and sustainable agriculture, and small-scale rural enterprise development. The list of new papers is constantly growing. Information: send your name, mailing address, and e-mail address to Judith Dow, Reference Room/IDP, Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1039. Tel. +1 (517) 355-6650, fax +1 (517) 432-1800, e-mail <20676mod@msu.edu>. * * * HOW TO JOIN VITA'S ELECTRONIC FORUM VITA's free, public, online discussion forum, DEVEL-L, provides for the exchange of ideas and information on a wide range of issues and topics related to technology transfer in international development; for exam- ple, technologies, communications in development, sustainable agricul- ture, women in development, the environment, small enterprise develop- ment, meetings, and book reviews. Subscribers to DEVEL-L automatically receive this newsletter and can download documents free from a special archive by using ftp requests or e-mail messages. To join the forum, send this message: SUB DEVEL-L (your real name, without parentheses) to this address: or . You can receive the same benefits by joining the newsgroup bit.listserv.devel-l. You can subscribe to DevelopNet News without joining the discussion forum by sending the following message to the same address: SUB DNN-L (your real name, without parentheses) Please do not send these messages to VITA. * * * DevelopNet News is an electronic newsletter published monthly by Volun- teers in Technical Assistance (VITA), a private, nonprofit, interna- tional development organization located in Arlington, Virginia. The newsletter needs your stories: you are invited to send them to the edi- tor in electronic form. Your redistribution of DevelopNet News is encouraged. Kindly send us a message on the approximate size of your mailing list; it will be helpful in our planning. Back issues can be downloaded gratis from VITA's on-line information services. President: Henry R. Norman Acting Editor: Vicki Tsiliopoulos Editorial Assistant: Rafe Ronkin, VITA Volunteer VITA specializes in information dissemination and communications tech- nology. It offers services related to sustainable agriculture, food processing, renewable energy applications, water sanitation and supply, small enterprise development, and information management. It has pro- jects in 6 African countries. VITA's publications, on a variety of practical subjects, are designed to assist persons and organizations in developing countries. You can request a descriptive publications list by postal mail, phone, or fax. You also may download the list by anonymous ftp or gopher. VITA's on-line information services: 24-hr BBS: +1 (703) 527-1086 [9600, N,8,1], gopher://gopher.vita.org, anonymous ftp://ftp.vita.org. Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), 1600 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia 22209. Tel. +1 (703) 276-1800, fax +1 (703) 243-1865, telex 440192 VITAUI, cable VITAINC, e-mail: Internet , FidoNet 1:109/165.