A consortium led by UC Davis with CGIAR partners and the private sector plans to sequence the genomes of neglected African crops, with the ultimate goal of developing “new varieties [...] that are more nutritious, produce higher yields and are more tolerant of environmental stresses, such as drought”. Genomic information generated through the project will be freely available to scientists around the world. Of the US$ 40 million needed by the project, US$7.5 million have already been raised. A list of 96 species has been developed, which will be narrowed to 24 food crops and tree species whose genomes will be sequenced. Candidate species include amaranth, marula, cocoyam, Ethiopian mustard, ground nut tree, African potato, acacia, baobob, matoke bananas, African medlars, African eggplant and Cape tomato. We were intrigued by the latter name but unable to associate it with a taxon. Could this be the pictured Physalis peruviana, a native of South America, which is now globally distributed with much export-oriented production taking place in South Africa under the trade name of Cape Gooseberry?

The Economic and Social Research Council

The UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are partnering in a new programme on economic growth in developing countries. The DFID/ESRC Growth Programme will fund scientific research on issues relating to inclusive economic growth in Low Income Countries (LICs), with high potential for impact on policy and practice.

There are three themes under the call, of which the first  is most relevant to the community of researchers of neglected and under-utilised species: Theme 1: Agriculture and Growth. This theme will focus on developing understanding of the relationship between agricultural development and broader economic growth, and on the impact of policies on agricultural productivity. It is widely observed that agriculture is a key sector of many low income countries, and there is broad consensus that policies that stimulate agricultural output and productivity will deliver wider economic benefits, for example via lower food prices, increased food security, improved nutrition and health outcomes, and higher domestic demand for manufactured goods and services.

The Deadline for applications is 26 May 2011. The programme is allocating £8.91M for research projects under this call for proposals.  Minimum proposal value is  £100,000, and it is expected that up to 30 research projects with an average size of £370k will be funded. Proposals need to be submitted  via the UK Research Council’s Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system. For further details about applications, see this articles.

The Paul K. Feyerabend Foundation (PKF) promotes the empowerment and well being of disadvantaged human communities. By strengthening intra and inter-community solidarity the Foundation strives to improve local capacities, promote the respect of human rights and sustain cultural and biological diversity. The Foundation was created in Switzerland in March 2006. It has an international Board of Directors including six members. Since December 2009, the Foundation has supported eleven initiatives and honored seven laureates of the PKF Award.

The deadline for submissions of PKF grant proposals and/or PKF Award nominations for 2010 is 28 February 2010. All projects supported by the Foundation deal with two main issues: community and solidarity. For more information, please consult “Views – Ideas.”

All submissions must be made by a Nominator and not directly. Thus,  if interested please contact the Platform for Agrobiodiversity Secretariat for further details to develop and submit proposals. The Nominators do not write the grant proposals, instead they just receive them, evaluate them and pass them on. For the PKF Award, however, it is a different story.  In these cases, the Nominators fill the form(s) themselves, and not informing the nominees,  and simply direct the form(s) to the Board.

The projects may concern less favoured communities and engage them in a process of solidarity to improve their living conditions, their environment and their rights. They may also attack the social conditions which bring about or perpetuate the lack of solidarity within or between communities. Or again, these projects may concern “non-material” communities centered with solidarity around defending a common good or issue, if this action is relevant to the Foundation’s objectives.

Information about grants for agriculture and environment projects is fragmented. An internet search often yields incomplete results, even after you spend hours or even days at the computer. Printed and online directories of grant makers are available, but many have to be purchased, and often at a substantial cost. This is where Terra Viva Grants comes in: 

Terra Viva Grants is not a grant giving organization; instead, it develops and manages information about grants for agriculture, energy, environment, and natural resources in the world’s developing countries. On the website, it provides profiles of over 300 grantmakers for the “green” sectors of the developing world and provides information about application deadlines, new and changed grants programs, and other funding news.

For information about green grants for developing countries, visit http://www.terravivagrants.org. To subscribe to a periodic news mailout, contact Terra Viva Grants at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will be awarded every other year to an individual, a non-governmental organization (NGO), or a business for developing an outstanding innovation that:

1. has proven its worth on a small-scale;
2. is judged to be feasible and applicable on a broader scale or in other communities; and
3. has high promise of improving rural development, improving nutrition, improving access to clean water, or having a significant impact on water management.

Unlike other “one-time” prizes, awards or honours, the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will commit to the Prize Laureate an investment of up to CHF 500,000 for a specified period of time to assist in the development of the innovation to bring it to scale. That’s what makes the Nestlé Prize unique – a financial commitment that may continue for several years to ensure success.

In addition to helping us meet our long-standing commitment to create value in the communities that we operate, the establishment of the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value is consistent with Nestlé’s commitment to the advancement of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the UN Global Compact Principles.

The first Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will be awarded in April 2010. To nominate an individual, an NGO, or a small enterprise for an outstanding innovation in water, nutrition or rural development, please read the Official Rules and use the Nomination Form available on the website: http://www.nestle.com/CSV_Old/CreatingSharedValueAtNestle/NestlePrize/Pages/NestlePrize.aspx. A document with Frequently Asked Questions (pdf, 41 kb) about the Nestlé CSV Prize is also available.

Entries will be judged by the Nestle Prize Screening Committee, which will come up with a list of five finalists, based on the selection criteria. The Advisory Board on Creating Shared Value makes a final decision on the Laureate on the recommendation of the Screening Committee.