AsiaDHRRA Online

Good news was received in early December 2008. Chairman of trustee board of Bina Swadaya Foundation was given Sang Pemula Award from NewsEum, a non profit organization which was inspired by public figure Tirto Adhi Soerjo, one of Indonesian press figure.
Visit the Bina Swadaya website for more news on micro-enterprise and microlending in Indonesia….

The global videoconference entitled “Global Food Sufficiency: Towards Sustainable Food Production and Consumption” will simultaneously connect civil society and decision-makers from Asia (regional conference in Manila), Africa (regional conference in Dakar), Latin America (regional conference in Brasilia), and North America (regional conference in Washington DC) with a regional conference in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Each [...]

After the success of land reform in the North of our country, during the period from 1955 to 1957, the restoration and rebuilding National Economy started with a new manner of working together in rural areas. Having reallocated lands, Farmers self- organized thousands groups of “mutual help” and “work exchange” to cooperate and help each [...]

“Farmers, your destiny now: you are overestimated in the noble hope by the law makers, are restricted in the legislation of law, are tricked by big companies and are forced to plant certain variety of plants by the government”.
This is exposed by a teacher in a lecture in a state’s university in Jakarta. Is it [...]

In another case of  what the h__ll could go wrong, a herbicide and frankenseed resistant “superweed” is fast gaining  foothold in Monsanto farmlands.  Nature striking back?
The gospel of high-tech genetically modified (GM) crops is not sounding quite so sweet in the land of the converted. A new pest, the evil pigweed, is hitting headlines and [...]

For FarmFriday we have this comprehensive 12-page guide from Agroforestry.net. This introduces nitrogen fixing trees and their products and uses in tropical agroforestry. Extensive charts for species selection are included.
Download the Nitrogen Fixing Tree Start-up Guide here…
Visit www.agroforestry.net for more info and agroforestry publications

Germany has banned the cultivation of GM corn, claiming that MON 810 is dangerous for the environment.
Under the new regulations, the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn produced by the American biotech giant Monsanto, will be prohibited in Germany, as will the sale of its seed. Aigner told reporters Tuesday she had legitimate reasons [...]

Asier Arana, formerly a WRF staff and presently working for Itsasmendikoi (IMK) – an integral centre for the formation and promotion of rural and litoral enviroments, visited AsiaDHRRA yesterday in connection with his current research project and had fruitful interaction with PhilDHRRA and AsiaDHRRA staff.
Asier is set to undertake a 3 month research on the [...]

From the inventive guys over at PhilRice comes this harvesting machines.
Harvesting has the highest labor requirement, needing about 16 man-days/ha, in rice farming operations.
The Rice Engineering and Mechanization Center (REMCenter) of PhilRice designs harvesting machines that help farmers save on labor cost, increase productivity, and lessen the difficulty of farm operations. “We design machines [...]

Its summertime in most of southeast Asia these time around and water worries are becoming once again topics of discussions. Here’s an interesting read from IFAD about one their water projects.
Water retention and harvesting
Context
An estimated 40 per cent of the world population lives in arid and semi-arid areas. Rainfall is limited and concentrated in short [...]

DHRRA Malaysia is one of the Charity organization choosen to be part of – Run for a cause by Standard Charted. All you need to do is to participate in the Marathon and raise funds. Registration fees will be waived in recognition of your commitment and efforts. The catch is — you are encouraged to [...]

This is just so sad…
Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.
The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.
“The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a [...]

A Letter to Bina Swadaya Community
TONY LEDESMA(1929-2009), MAN OF DIALOGUE:
The Power of Networking
by Bambang Ismawan
In the 40th anniversary celebration of Bina Swadaya, a book entitled Menuju Indonesia Swadaya (Towards Self-Reliance of Indonesia) written by Eka Budianta was launched.  We found in it a figure named DR. ANTONIO L. LEDESMA (80 years old) – [...]

The Economic Enabling Program is an income generating effort for the members of the community initiated by the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas, Malaysia (DHRRA Malaysia) and RUMAH RAPHA. DHRRA Malaysia is a civil society moving towards organizing a strong, self-reliant community through poverty alleviation and people’s empowerment initiatives based on the spirit [...]