Research case studies

Vegetable soybean: a healthy, tasty, and profitable crop for tribal communities of northeast India

07 November 2012

The world vegetable centre is working with tribal communities in India to encourage production of vegetable soybean

The open revolution at the EADI IMWG workshop in Antwerp.

04 October 2012

On the 13th and 14th of September the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) held a workshop at the University of Antwerp in Belgium on open development.

Improving the quality and scope of research coverage in Africa

17 August 2012

DFID launch Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA) as the need for an African science news service increases.

The great pyramid: Ty tomatoes resist pests and diseases

14 August 2012

The World Vegetable Center have developed tropical tomatoes with resistance to several whitefly-transmitted begomoviruses through “gene pyramiding”.

At this bank for vegetables, withdrawals produce interest

14 August 2012

The genebank at AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center is the world’s most important public-domain source for tropical vegetable crop germplasm.

DFID's Policy Opens up a World of Global Research

26 July 2012

DFID today threw its weight behind the Open Access movement by publishing its own Open and Enhanced Access Policy for the research that it funds.

Combating climate change: A unique challenge for development research

25 November 2011

November 2011 sees another round of negotiations on climate change with the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) due to be held in Durban, South Africa.

Choice for women: Family planning, health and rights in a world of 7 billion

17 November 2011

Last month the United Nations Population Fund announced that global population has passed 7 billion. This landmark brings the issue of population growth and its impact into sharp focus

Getting children into school and breaking the cycle of disadvantage

03 November 2011

Getting children into school and breaking the cycle of disadvantage

The impact of research on policy and practice in Indonesia’s pulp and paper sector

25 October 2011

CIFOR-led research has contributed to policy reform, the acceleration of plantation development, and the saving of more than 100,000 hectares of tropical rainforest, with hundreds of millions of dollars in attendant benefits

Scaling Up Nutrition: Unlocking puzzles to transform thinking and action

01 September 2011

DFID's new position paper 'Scaling Up Nutrition' declares a crucial role for research. The paper declares: "We will be achieving our results in nutrition through scaling up programmes where there is evidence of fast and sustainable impact."

Living with ART

18 August 2011

A qualitative study of the lives of people living with HIV who have been taking antiretroviral therapy for more than one year in Wakiso District, Uganda.

Missed Opportunities

18 August 2011

Linking women who test HIV positive in antenatal and maternity services to long-term HIV care and treatment services in Kenya

Farmers in Tanzania paint chickens pink and purple to thwart hawks

26 April 2011

Farmers in Tanzania, sick of losing their chickens to hungry hawks, have taken drastic, if creative action, thanks to an innovative programme funded by DFID and a little bit of pink dye.

Educating a nation: Unpacking the constraints to education in Swaziland.

12 April 2011

Some 11% of primary, and 30% of secondary school children report missing a month or more of schooling each year in Swaziland, according to research conducted by the Addressing the Balance of Burden in HIV/AIDS (ABBA) RPC.

Linking farmers and science

18 March 2011

By linking scientists, non-government organisations and government extension officials and farmers, the PETRRA project in Bangladesh has achieved substantial improvements in rice production, income and empowerment of women.

Policy change: milking the benefits for smallscale vendors

18 March 2011

Policy change in Kenya's dairy industry, informed by evidence-based research, has improved handling and hygiene of milk, increased profit margins for smallscale vendors, given greater access to milk for consumers, and provided employment for many others.

Ending Striga's reign with IR maize

18 March 2011

The collaborative development of herbicide-resistant maize promises effective integrated management of the Striga weed in Sub-Saharan Africa, increasing crop yields by up to four times.

Ashoka rice: selecting for success with farmer participation

18 March 2011

Two specialised rice varieties developed in India have become the first widely adopted modern varieties on India's uplands. They offer better quality, earlier harvest, and improved drought resistance.

Removing eggplant borer damage (World Vegetable Center)

18 March 2011

Affordable, environmentally-friendly pest management developed in India and Bangladesh has reduced dependence by poor farmers on harmful pesticides, increasing profits and influencing policy to benefit businesses and spread the message.