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International Engagement at Cornell: Education, Research and Poverty

International Engagement at Cornell: Education, Research and Poverty. Chris Barrett and Alice Pell October 18, 2008 Cornell Trustee/Council Annual Meeting. The challenge.

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International Engagement at Cornell: Education, Research and Poverty

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  1. International Engagement at Cornell: Education, Research and Poverty Chris Barrett and Alice Pell October 18, 2008 Cornell Trustee/Council Annual Meeting

  2. The challenge Extreme poverty has fallen rapidly in east Asia and worldwide. But not in sub-Saharan Africa, where 17% still below 50 cents/day per person. Source: IFPRI, World Bank

  3. Poverty traps Reinforcing feedback: Poverty causes hunger and natural resource degradation. But hunger and degraded natural resources also cause poverty. Hence the vicious cycle of poverty traps: “Can’t get ahead for falling behind.”

  4. Cornell’s leadership Cornell is a global leader in research to facilitate the escape from poverty traps.- Most extreme and ultra poverty is rural.- Most extreme/ultra poor work in agriculture.- Problems are complex and multi-dimensional.Implication: need interdisciplinary teams of disciplinary experts, a significant field presence and strong local partners. Special need to integrate agricultural sciences, environmental sciences and social sciences.Cornell has a capacity to do this that no other university in the world possesses. Led by CIIFAD, CCSF and other units.

  5. Example 1 Example: Soil degradation poverty traps in Kenya Sub-Saharan Africa is losing ~$4bn/yr in soil nutrients … plus soil degradation feeds a Striga weed problem that costs another ~$7 bn/yr in yield losses, … and helps fuel mycotoxin contamination that poisons >25% of the food supply, leading to ill health as well as lost income.

  6. Example 1 • Cornell led research has helped to identify root causes of this problem and prospective solutions : • Marginal returns to fertilizer application low on degraded soils; and poorest farmers are on the most degraded soils • Need integrated (organic + inorganic) soil fertility management to address; role for biochar, crop-livestock integration, etc. Above red line: fertilizer profitable Value of maize from 1 kg of nitrogen Cost of 1kg nitrogen Below red line: fertilizer unprofitable Kenyan rural poverty line

  7. Bringing lessons home 2008-11 Institute for the Social Sciences theme project “Persistent poverty and upward mobility” • Team of 10 social scientists from 5 different colleges and 5 different disciplines. • Joint program of research, workshops and outreach that brings lessons from international poverty research back to the US and vice versa. • International engagement has real value for addressing local problems too!

  8. Thank you for your time, comments and support!

  9. Partnerships/Outreach CRS-Cornell-African University Program on Smallholder Market Engagement

  10. Connecting Farmers to Local Markets Training in business, leadership and organization, marketing and agricultural production to permit smallholders to participate in formal markets

  11. IARD 694 Class & Trip • 3-credit course to develop materials for smallholder farmers to increase market access (21 Cornell students) • 4 MPS students worked with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) farmers’ groups and NGOs to improve skills for market access Original plan included U. of Nairobi students

  12. Cornell IARD 694 Students & Faculty

  13. Modules on group management, business skills, natural resource management & innovations 70 training sessions in 2 locations in W. Kenya 4 extensive revisions of materials

  14. What’s Next? • Complete evaluating and refining materials for publication as book • To be distributed globally by CRS • Parallel projects with CRS, local universities and Cornell in Kenya, Malawi and, perhaps, Senegal • Guatemala initiative with Buffett funding • Many thanks to Al Kaneb ‘60 whose generous gift made this project possible

  15. Why International Programs? • Essential for students’ education • Cross-cultural education and research • Tree-shaped students with disciplinary depth & academic breadth • Practitioners and researchers • Faculty enthusiasm • Research/education to address some of the world’s most persistent and important issues

  16. Challenges • Crossing disciplinary boundaries is time-consuming • Need for language training (Engineers do not speak Microbiologese and vice versa) • Support for international students • All benefit from cross-cultural teams • Long-term commitment (NOT 3-5 years)

  17. Thank you

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