ZEF Bonn

the 'Indo-Europe Dialogue Programme' that takes place in spring each year. It also
participated in the first meeting of think- tanks between India and Europe in
Brussels in October 2001. ZEF was engaged in monitoring the elections in
Bangladesh in September/October 2001 as well.
Public Lectures
ZEF organised an interdisciplinary public lecture series centred on the topic “Governing
natural resources in developing and transition countries: Problems, current approaches
and country-specific solutions". The theme is of obvious relevance to all
three departments and touches various research programs at ZEF. About 25 distinguished
guest speakers from around the world gave lectures between July 2001
and June 2002. A list of all speakers and topics can be found in the chapter “ZEF -
in brief".
Building public awareness at project level
ZEF attaches great importance to close contacts with the target groups of its research
activities. Close contacts facilitate the dissemination of research results, the
implementation of innovations and the assessment of research-based changes.
For instance, in our project dealing with the development of fire-free alternatives to
slash-and-burn in the eastern Amazon region of Brazil, ZEF embarks on different
strategies to make or keep contacts with its target groups. The target groups include
farmers, co-operatives, extension workers, politicians and rural NGOs as well as
mechanical engineering companies and private contractors. Right from start of the
project, we opted to carry out all field experiments and the development of new
technologies exclusively on small farmers' land, the principal target group of the
project. Thus, the farmers are able to follow our activities on a day-to-day basis as
the strongest form of accompaniment of the project. In addition to our daily contacts
to farmers, regular field days are run. Monthly to bi-monthly, 15 to 20 farmers
of a participating community are invited to visit the experimental fields and to
discuss technical issues with the project members. In this way, each participating
farmer community has about one field day per year. Apart from these “small" field
days, once or twice a year, farmers from outside the study region are invited for a
field day together with extension workers, municipal politicians (including the
mayor), representatives of the agricultural secretary, local bankers and NGOs. These
field days have 50 or more participants. The most recent one took place on May 7,
2002. Besides the discussions, the project hands out folders describing the project
approach and booklets for farmers illustrating the fire-free alternatives to slash-andburn.
Additionally, a video film was produced which gives an overview of the whole
research concept for the development of fire-free land preparation techniques in
Amazonian fallow systems. The video is available as a tape or a CD-ROM in
Portuguese, English, and German. We use it mainly as teaching material, but also to
inform scientists, politicians, companies and journalists in an entertaining way.
Beyond the partnership with the farmers, the ZEF project keeps contact with the private
sector. In the context of fire-free land preparation, two different tractor-driven
bush-chopper types came into operation. To guarantee maintenance and repair of
Policy Dialogue and Public Awareness
Visit at a Nursery,
Eastern Amazon, Brazil
One of the ways the ZEF project
dealing with the development
of fire-free alternatives
to slash-and-burn in Brazil
keeps in touch with its target
groups is by organising field
days with visits to experimental
fields.
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