In print

The one to watch: radio, new ICTs and interactivity

Edited by Bruce Girard
Published by FAO in collaboration with Freidrich Ebert Stiftung
Website: www.fao.org/icatalog/inter-e.htm
2003, 243pp, ISBN 92-5-104950-5 (Pb), $26

An equally appropriate title might have been "Radio rediscovered" since this is a collection of essays and reports on the flexibility and reach of radio, and its potential for synergy with the Internet. For anyone who has worked with and kept faith with radio as communication medium ideally suited to development, some of the revelations in The one to watch will smack of déja vu. However, the publication is no less valuable for that, bringing together a wide range of experiences with radio in community and rural development around the (mainly) tropical world. And what is new is the focus on how radio, so often ignored, disparaged or overlooked by development policy makers and implementers, is shown to be an ideal partner for those developing and delivering communication strategies for the new millennium. Case histories describe how the Internet brings to radio journalists, often having to work without ready access to newspapers, technical magazines or libraries, the opportunity to skip distance and subscriptions and to avail themselves of the background and up-to-the-minute information that enhances broadcasts, engages audiences and provides the context and interest that sustain interest and even improve recall of information.

Based on the proceedings of an international workshop on rural radio organised by FAO in February 2001, the publication takes its title from the closing remarks by Carleen Gardner, FAO's Assistant Director-General for Information, who said: "Sometimes looked down upon as the 'poor relation' of television, and certainly considered old fashioned compared to the Internet, radio today has become the one to watch. Still the most portable communication medium, the most widespread and the most economical, radio is now proving itself versatile enough to go hand-in-hand with the Web." The book should be required reading for anyone responsible for development communication programmes. Sadly, the publication suffers from the same fault as do many rural radio programmes, which is that evidence of ample useful information is not enough of itself; communication of information depends also on lively presentation. Here the sharing of some very worthwhile and useful information and experiences is prejudiced by examples of uninspired writing and presentation.

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A people's world: alternatives to economic globalization

By John Madeley
Published by Zed Books
Email: zed@zedbooks.demon.co.uk
Website: www.zedbooks.co.uk
2003, 236pp, ISBN 1 84277 223 6(Pb), £9.99

In compiling A People's World, John Madeley invited over 40 campaigners and 'progressive thinkers' to explain what they feel economic globalisation is, what is wrong with it, and what the alternatives are. Their responses, some just a few lines, others several pages, form the first half of the book. The alternatives in particular, make interesting reading. Some are visionary: Gustavo Estava, a Mexican social activist dreams of ordinary men and women creating a whole new world, based on localisation - a world where the current educational and health systems are 'escaped from' and traditional arts of learning and staying well are regenerated. Others are, arguably, more realistic: greater democracy in the workings of the WTO, World Bank and IMF. 'We cannot have different rules for every country', writes Ha-Joon Chang, 'but at least a few different sets of rules are needed for countries of different stages of development … and broadly defined, so that countries have sufficient freedom to design policies which suit them best.' The second half of the book is Madeley's own thesis on what must be done to tackle corporate domination and developing world debt. He also discusses alternative strategies already being pursued to reform agricultural production and trade, including the success of Brazil's Landless Movement to gain title over unused land.

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The custodians of biodiversity

Photographs by Pablo Balbontin Arenas
Published by FAO
Website: www.fao.org/icatalog/inter-e.htm
2003, 126pp, ISBN 92 5 004987 0(Hb), €35

This unusual book is essentially a photographic tribute to the farming communities that have, over centuries, domesticated and developed four of the world's major food crops, maize, potatoes, rice and wheat. Large black-and-white photographs capture the people, homes, fields and farming methods from four remote communities in Mexico, Peru, The Philippines and Ethiopia, places where the traditional crops, and the food they produce are central to the cultural history and the community identity. Short essays for each crop provide the cultural significance, and also describe recent developments that could threaten this genetic diversity, such as fears over contamination by GM maize in Mexico. Presumably the aim of the book is to encourage the powers that be to protect the genetic richness of these places from which so much of our food originates; if that cannot be done, the largely 'timeless' photographs may soon become a record of times past.

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State of the World 2004

Edited by Linda Starke
Published by The Worldwatch Institute
Website: www.worldwatch.org
2004, 245pp, ISBN 0 393 32539 2(Pb), $16.95

If the world's population were represented by just one hundred people, how many could be regarded as members of 'the consumer class', with the diets, transportation systems and lifestyles associated with the US and Europe? Surprisingly, the authors of this year's State of the World suggest that the figure is more than 25 out of the hundred; China has nearly as many as America, albeit living at a lower level of luxury. Not surprisingly, the massive demand for energy, water, food and other goods and services, is undermining global environmental health and in so doing, making it more difficult for the world's poor to meet even their basic needs. Creative options are needed to encourage governments, businesses and individuals to be more efficient in their use of natural resources, and more responsive to the social impacts of consumption. These provide the focus for the report, including chapters on boosting water productivity, making better energy choices, watching what we eat, and the use of purchasing practices that support both people and the planet. The chapters are interspersed with short discussions of various consumer favourites - cell phones, cotton T-shirts, plastic bags, computers - and the issues they raise in terms of waste and reform.

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Afghanistan (2nd edition)

By Chris Johnson
Published by Oxfam
Email: publish@oxfam.org.uk
Website: www.oxfam.org.uk
2004, 92pp, ISBN 0 85598 503 8(Pb), £6.95

The removal from power of the Taliban may have brought an end to a repressive regime, but the challenges facing Afghanistan would appear to be as diverse and deeply rooted as its peoples and traditions. Establishing a recognised and respected national army and police force, that could be truly independent from the numerous tribal factions, is a pressing priority. Building an economy that is not based on either war or drugs may take longer. In the last two years drug traders have targeted thousands of farming families with a highly organised opium-poppy promotion campaign, including seeds, technical advice and cash in advance. Neither government opposition nor donor incentives have been able to discourage farmers from turning their land over to the poppies, which can earn them 30 times more than wheat. This country profile - a necessary second edition after so many recent changes - is authoritative and readable, but less personal than others in the same series, with fewer accounts of individuals to leaven the subject. But for those wanting a concise review of Afghanistan's recent history, and an up to date snapshot of its current predicament, including the pressing needs of health and education, look no further.

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Seeds that give: participatory plant breeding

By Ronnie Vernooy
Published by IDRC
Website: www.idrc.ca/booktique
More information: www.idrc.ca/seeds
2003, 103pp, ISBN 1 55250 014 4(Pb), $15.00

As globalisation erodes cultural difference, so the development of high yielding hybrid crop varieties has, along with other factors, contributed to the erosion of plant genetic diversity. But, argues Vernooy, crop diversity, built up over thousands of years by farmers selecting plants that meet their needs and match their environment, is vitally important, giving us the raw genetic material to cope with challenges such as climate change. Much of that remaining diversity now only exists in marginal lands, areas where the new varieties have failed to make an impact. The custodians of this biodiversity are mostly poorer farmers, farmers who desperately need to get more from their crops. But how can the needs of plant improvement and conservation of diversity be aligned? The answer presented here is through Participatory Plant Breeding, by which farmers and researchers work together, both groups providing plant varieties for testing, with farmers' own criteria guiding the selection process. IDRC has been supporting the methodology for a decade, and Seeds that give stems from a review of what that support has achieved. Six case studies from around the world are used to examine the achievements and difficulties experienced by breeding programmes, and recommendations are drawn for the book's presumed target audience: agricultural policy makers and agricultural development organisations.

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Recognising Rift Valley fever
Animal Health Manual 17

By F. Glyn Davies and Vincent Martin
Published by FAO
Website: www.fao.org/icatalog/inter-e.htm
2003, 45pp, ISBN 92 5 104927 0(Pb), $16.00

Rift Valley fever is one of the most serious zoonotic diseases in Africa, causing very high numbers of abortions and early deaths in affected populations of ruminants and camels, and a highly fatal haemorrhagic condition in humans. Spread primarily by floodwater mosquitoes, outbreaks are strongly linked to climatic patterns, and are most effectively controlled by targeted vaccination programmes based on weather data. Sentinel herds are also advised as a means of regular disease surveillance, since once an outbreak has reached the point of detection, it is generally too late for effective control. This manual from the FAO offers a summary of the basic facts about the disease, including geographical distribution, and means of spread. Further chapters contain photographs for recognising the clinical signs, the most important differential diagnoses, and methods for prevention and control.

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Biotechnology and sustainable development: voices of the south and north

Edited by I Serageldin and GJ Persley
Published by CABI Publishing
Email: cabi@cabi.org
Website: www.cabi-publishing.org
2003, 336pp, ISBN 0 85199 675 2(Hb), £55

In recent years, numerous books have highlighted the risks posed by biotechnology, not least to the environment and to poor farmers. This collection of concise and well presented papers, drawn from a conference held in Alexandria in 2002, largely reflects the alternative viewpoint, highlighting the potential that biotechnology offers to health, farm productivity and natural resource conservation in the developing world. Examples include the development of vaccines against trypanosomiasis, adding value to Brazilian biodiversity, crop improvement in dry areas, and biocontrol of potato bacterial wilt in Kenya. As well as papers focussing on specific technologies, others cover broader issues such as regulation and biosafety risk, public perceptions of biotechnology in the developing world, and intellectual property rights. Most of the contributors are strong advocates of the new 'life sciences', but some warning notes are also sounded. A paper looking at whether biotechnologies are relevant to smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa warns that concentrating on the new methods could distract attention from existing technologies that have been proven to work, but have never been effectively disseminated.

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