CALL FOR RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

[Prakash Kashwan]

CALL FOR RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

Rainfed Livestock Network (RLN) is a national coalition of organizations and individuals attempting to build a macro-economic case for better targeted public
investments and policies in support of non-dairy, low-input and diverse
livestock production systems in arid and semi-arid India. This objective of the
network derives from a number of localized understandings and experiences that
point to the crucial role played by these neglected livestock production
systems in sustaining low-income households.
Yet, such animal husbandry remains peripheral to mainstream livestock
policies and government investments.

RLN is exploring the case that a reorientation in public policies and investments with a focus on these marginal livestock production systems can contribute substantially to the growth of the livestock
sector, poverty reduction more generally and to ecological restoration.

RLN invites applications to undertake applied research in support of building the case for such a reorientation in livestock policy. Within this broad framework,
studies may focus on issues such as mapping the spatial distribution of such
systems across the country, profiling the contribution of these livestock
systems to the GDP and people dependent on them, analysis of production systems
and the natural resource base of such systems and demographic and spatial trends
over time.

Interested researchers should send resumes with 3 references, 2 sample publications and a brief expression of interest to Coordinator, Rainfed
Livestock Network (email: [e-mail]). RLN
will be looking for research support on an ongoing basis.

The Rainfed Livestock Network is funded by the Ford Foundation, New Delhi and is anchored by Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, Gujarat.

CALL FOR RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS

Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRA-network) is a network of organizations and individuals attempting to build a macro-economic case for improved targeting of
public investments and policies in support of rain-fed agriculture. The network
has emerged based on the collective understanding that agricultural policies
designed for relatively secure and well-endowed parts of the country have been
indiscriminately extended into rainfed areas.
Such an extension has contributed to a range of crises, including the depletion
of groundwater and natural resources, escalating input costs, and a secular
decline in farmers’ incomes.

This network is pursuing a broad engagement with practitioners, researchers and government on issues confronting rain-fed areas. The network hopes to use evidence from different parts of the country, in combination with
macro-economic and other research to build the case for a shift in agricultural
policy. The network believes that such a re-orientation in public policy will contribute
to both regional economic growth and ecological restoration of rain-fed
areas.

RRA-Netowrk invites applications from researchers to undertake a range of studies to further our understanding of the existing structure and regional disparities in public investments (around subsidies,
support prices, the structuring of the PDS, the availability of credit and so
on), develop simulations to model macro-economic returns under a range of policy/investment
regimes in rainfed India and analysis of various policy options.

Interested researchers should send resumes with 3 references, 2 sample publications and a brief expression of interest to Coordinator, Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (email: [e-mail]). RRA will be looking for research support on
an ongoing basis..

The Revitalizing Rainfed Agriculture Network is funded by the Hivos-Ford Foundation Dryland Agriculture Fund and is anchored at WASSAN, Hyderabad.