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MEETING PLACE LETTERS
People, Trees and Agriculture in Africa (Petrea)
The Petrea research programme focus on how trees and shrubs can be brought into wider use by rural people in Burkina Faso and Tanzania. Emphasis is on indigenous species and locally used multipurpose species in agriculture.
The development objective of the programme is to secure and improve
the livelihood of rural people in the selected countries in Africa (Burkina
Faso and Tanzania) by adding to their agricultural production in a sustainable
manner through in-creased use of trees and shrubs.
Strategy
The programme will contribute to the development objective by:
1. Contributing to an increased understanding of rural people's utilisation
of trees and shrubs in specific localities in the selected countries
2. Developing and testing locally adapted techniques and strategies
of how to bring trees and shrubs into wider use by rural people according
to their needs and priorities
3. Strengthening the Danish resource base by promoting an interdisciplinary
approach to research in people, trees, and agriculture, and
4. Laying the foundation of a possible future ENRECA project in at
least one of the selected countries
At the beginning of the programme, research will concentrate on selected localities in Burkina Faso and Tanzania. The research team will identify the specific localities in co-operation with the partner institutions according to different criteria such as the ecology of the localities, the interest of the residents in becoming involved in the programme, and the relevance of the area to the partner institutions and Danida. Later on, it may be decided to investigate whether methods developed and results achieved can be applied in other localities. However, this will not be part of the Petrea programme.
The programme has two phases. The first phase will be an identification
of rural people's needs and priorities in relation to use of trees in agriculture
and an analysis of constraints and options for improving rural peoples
benefits from trees. During the second phase, the main task will be to
develop strategies and locally adapted small-scale techniques for domestication,
management and use of these species. This will happen in close co-operation
with farmers and according to their priorities.
Partner institutions
• Danida Forest Seed Centre (DFSC)
• The Institute of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen (KU)
• The Department of Animal Science and Animal Health at the Royal Veterinary
and Agricultural University (RVAU - KVL)
• The Department of Environment, Technology and Social Studies at the
University of Roskilde (RUC)
• Centre National de Semences Forestières (CNSF)
• The Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation at the Sokoine University
of Agriculture (Morogoro, Tanzania)
• The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Duration and course of the programme
The main part of the programme will take four years, starting August 2001. During the first year (August 2001 - July 2002), a workshop will be held for the research team together with the SAC to plan the programme in details. Emphasis will be put on elaborating a research strategy for Phase 1, but there will also be initial discussions about Phase 2. The discussions at the workshop will include aspects such as field methods, guidelines for the interdisciplinary teamwork, time-schedule, initial preparations for an ENRECA programme, etc. During the first year, moreover, the research team will prepare and start up fieldwork of Phase 1.
During the second year (August 2002 - July 2003), the research team will continue and finalise the fieldwork of Phase 1 and draft articles, papers, and lists of priority species. A second workshop will be held for the researchers and SAC to discuss the results from Phase 1. Moreover, the research strategy of Phase 2 will be planned on basis of the results of Phase 1.
During the third year (August 2003 - July 2004), the researchers will submit their results for publication in international journals, the fieldwork of Phase 2 will start up, and a SAC meeting will be held.
During the fourth year (August 2004 - July 2005), the research team
will finalise the activities, and submit articles and papers from phase
2 for publication. Some of the activities, such as activities related to
domestication strategies, are likely to continue after the end of the fifth
year as trees grow slowly. A final seminar will be held in 2005 to present
and discuss the results of the programme.
Financing the programme
The Danida grant (4 million DKK) will cover a total of 53 months of
post-doctoral input, expenses in connection with fieldwork (20 months),
and 4 workshops/seminars/SAC meetings. Researchers from the partner institutions
will provide own research time to complement the 53 man-months covered
by the grant. In addition to the funding from Danida, DFSC will contribute
with 2.5 Mio DKK from its core funding over the 4-year period. These funds
will, among other things, be used to facilitate participation of researchers
from the partner institutions in Burkina Faso and Tanzania (approximately
1.5 Mio DKK), and to cover DFSC's additional input of man months (approximately
1 Mio DKK).
Possibilities of funding Ph.D. studies through the Danida Fellowship Centre and possibilities of financing Danish M.Sc. students through the Danish Network of Agricultural Research for Development will be investigated. Some of the proposed activities or follow-up activities could be carried out within the auspices of a possible future ENRECA programme.
Contact:
Iben Nathan, coordinator
Danida Forest Seed Centre
Krogerupvej 21
3050 Humlebaek, Denmark
Tel. (+45) 49 19 05 00
E-mail: [email protected]
Homepage: http://www.petrea.dk