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Enhancing food security, environmental stability and rural development in fragile states: analyzing context to support development projects

Background

Fragile states are characterized by poverty, violence and instability. This makes food security, rural development and sustainable management of natural resources particularly difficult. Fragile states are the focus of international development cooperation, including the SDC. Many of the 1.5 billion poorest people in the world are living in fragile states which accumulating the incentive to migrate to other countries. Particular challenges are faced for work in fragile countries, the local context being the starting point for development projects (OECD Principle 1). Smaller, well-founded preliminary studies in the field are based on providing contextual knowledge and harnessing it in order to make a contribution to higher impact of forthcoming development projects in fragile states.

Objective

To conduct a series of smaller, well-founded preliminary field studies to make an important contribution to development projects in fragile states in the areas of food security, natural resource management and rural development with the goal of more impact and more fairness especially for the poorest. A direct connection with concrete development projects ensures the relevance of the research.

Expected Benefits

  • In partner country: Increased focus on the needs of the local population and setting a baseline that enhances the impact of forthcoming development projects. In addition, these preparatory studies build local research capacity, give a voice to the local population, identify appropriate partner institutions and integrate aspects of peacebuilding.
  • In Switzerland: A better understanding of migration contexts can be developed, further adding on the vast expertise that Switzerland has in migration research and policy.

Contact Infromation

Dominic Blättler, , phone:

School of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, HAFL - Bern University of Applied Sciences

Improving the impact of development projects in fragile states
Improving the impact of development projects in fragile states

Partner countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia

Research Partners: Research institutions in partner countries, SDC/EDA, NGOs, swisspeace, ICRC

Cost: CHF 2 Mio

Duration: 4 years