IDRC in the News — May 2012
14/05/2012
- This year’s issue of Asia Research News features five IDRC projects:
- increasing millet production in Asia (pg 4)
- milkfish breeding in the Philippines (pg 5)
- saving lives, money, and ecosystems with environmental economics (pg 14)
- boosting economic growth in Asia’s poorest countries (pg 15)
- protecting water access from urban sprawl and climate change in South Asia (pg 23)
- Brazil’s pension bill is very high for a country where the majority of the population is under the age of 65. Its current pension system threatens to break the country’s budget and damage its economy. The Economist spoke to Bernardo Queiroz of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais who estimates that, without reforms, payroll taxes for pensions would have to reach 86% of gross salaries by 2050 to keep the system going. Read an article to learn how IDRC supports research for balancing the needs of the young and old.
- Katherine Hay, Senior Regional Program Specialist in IDRC’s Evaluation Unit, contributed a chapter to Evaluation for equitable development results, recently launched by UNICEF. Hay discusses how insights from feminist theory and approaches can help strengthen equity-focused evaluations.
- Canada’s University of Guelph and India’s Tamil Nadu Agricultural University are working together to enhance the shelf life and quality of fruits and vegetables. The goal: reduce the amount of wasted produce using nanotechnology and a safe chemical compound called hexanal to improve the livelihoods of developing-country farmers and increase food security. The Hindu and The Times of India report on the findings.
- In Lanka Business Online, Rohan Samarajiva, Director General of the regional think tank LirneAsia discusses how social media such as Twitter and the Internet can help reduce risks from tsunamis in Sri Lanka.