Demand Driven Action Research
The programme seeks to re-orient research to be more demand-driven and action-oriented by responding to the needs of implementing member organisations of the HoA-REN and other actors working on the ground to turn the tide of environmental degradation.
This programme not only aims to bring academia closer to practitioners but also to policy makers to ensure that environmental policy-making and environmental programmes are adequately supported by (inter-disciplinary) action research. The DDAR programme also promotes the better use and circulation of existing relevant knowledge on innovations and it improves coordination between various actors in the environmental field. It enables students to collect required data during project implementation and/or to generate concrete results for new or ongoing environmental programmes and policy adjustment processes. It also contributes to capacity building in environmental governance and management via a learning-by-doing approach.
Proposals for DDAR must fit into the environmental management topics and the geographical areas chosen by the Centre. The financial resources are in principle available to all HoA-REN member organisations that can join forces with interested non-member organisations, institutions and companies.
The research requests and subsequent proposals must be submitted in a written form, either digitally or in hard copy, using standard formats developed by the Centre. Calls for submissions of research requests are sent to member organisations via e-mail and they will also be placed on the HoA-REC/N website.
Besides, the DDAR-programme’s thematic and geographic focuses, the Centre also encourage the following environmental support sectors or cross cutting themes for its DDAR programme:
- Promotion of the development and use of Renewable Energy;
- Promotion of Development of High Value Chains of Sustainable Products and Services;
- Promotion of clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)?; and
- Prevention of Environmental Pollution.
DDAR can fund various initiatives in the environmental support sectors such as
- building and testing of new technical devices;
- developing new strategies, e.g. economic diversification in areas with severe environmental problems;
- research into the social acceptance of certain new environmental technologies,
- … etc.
In the renewable energy sphere the DDAR-programme can be used
- to develop innovative bio-digesters or recycling options for plastic;
- to evaluate government tax and subsidy policies on different sustainable energy options and policies on the connection of small-scale renewable power (wind, solar or hydro) producers to the national electricity grid.
The current research projects supported by the DDAR Programme include:
- assessment of invasive plant species and possible strategies to stop them from spreading;
- assessment of the energy efficiency of fuel wood saving stoves;
- development of three prototypes of institutional biogas plants using food leftovers as inputs for the digesters for canteens and restaurants.
New research requests are expected to support:
- the dissemination of Photo-Voltaic solar household systems;
- solar cookers;
- wind mills,
- small hydropower (for electricity or mechanical energy);
- solar pumping (for irrigation and drinking water);
- bio-diesel;
- biogas production and gasification of biomass like the invading Prosopis species.
Value Chain Development (VCD) is an important component in the DDAR Sustainable Energy programme. VCD has also become an important component in Watershed Management programmes, for instance Forest Groups keep a forest area in tact in order to harvest and sell bush coffee, honey, herbs etc. preferably using high-value market niches.
A value chain is a kind of supply chain, where a producer/collector of a product and a final consumer establish close relations. A value chain is a supply chain focussed on creating extra value and long-term relationships within the chain.
The DDAR Programme is interested in supporting projects looking at the development of new high-value chains of sustainable agricultural or forest products and services, including eco-tourism. Some VCD projects have already received support from the DDAR programme, e.g. finding a market for herbs growing in the forest in the upper-catchment of the Baro-Akobo-Sobat basin.
These applied research projects focus at certain activities within the chain: e.g. vertical integration, certain processing steps; proper packaging; marketing, exporting, transport, information management, international certification and other elements of value chain management. The development of the Ring of Lakes Route in the Ethiopian Central Rift Valley is an example of a value chain for a sustainable service (eco- tourism).
