| The Natural Resources
Institute (NRI) is a specialist institute of the University
of Greenwich, registered by the British Standards Institute to ISO
9001, providing training, research, consultancy and advisory services
to underpin sustainable development. The majority of NRI's activities
focus on the harnessing of natural and human capital for the benefit
of developing countries. NRI subscribes to the International Development
Targets and works with donor organisations to help achieve them.
The institute is housed on the Medway Campus and currently has about
100 professional staff covering a wide range of disciplines.
Organisation
NRI is organised into a Directorate
and six groups that are concerned principally with research, consultancy
and policy advice. Academic programmes are managed by the University's
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Directorate
The Directorate includes a Commercial Director, a
Director for Programmes and a Director for Research. The unit also
houses central services such as contracts, finance and information
technology.
Departments
| Livelihoods and Institutions |
The group focuses on livelihoods and
institutions as the entry points for addressing wider problems
of poverty. With skills in social and natural sciences and
a common interest in the development of practical interventions
and policy recommendations to support sustainable livelihoods,
the group's concerns are to: increase the contribution of
natural resources to livelihoods; improve community-based
natural resource management; integrate cross-cutting issues
of gender; HIV/AIDS, local knowledge systems, stakeholder
participation, poverty reduction strategies and good governance;
undertake institutional development and capacity building
and; assess performance and impact. |
| Enterprise, Trade and Finance |
The Enterprise, Trade and Finance Group
works on several inter-related themes including enterprise
development; globalisation, market development, commodity
trade and finance; ethical trade and responsible business.
Efforts are directed towards influencing the international
policy environment and its implications; market access and
competitiveness; capacity building for private sector players;
export diversification; access to financial services for enterprise
development; trade finance; risk management. |
| Sustainable Agriculture |
The Sustainable Agriculture Group is
concerned with improving the productivity of agriculture by
reducing losses caused by pests, diseases and weeds in a sustainable
manner. The Group has a strong focus on farming systems research.
Disciplinary expertise includes entomology, plant pathology,
weed sciences, pesticide application, chemical ecology, insect
pathology, agronomy and social development. |
| Plant, Animal and Human Health |
The Plant, Animal and Human Health Group
conducts strategic and applied research on vector-borne diseases
to improve the quality of peoples' lives in resource poor
regions of the world. Areas of expertise include vector entomology
and ecology; plant virology; molecular biology; aerobiology;
plant chemistry; analytical chemistry; post-harvest technology;
systems modelling; economics; social development. |
| Land and Water |
The Land and Water Group focuses on
specific policy and management interventions that lead to
increased output and more equitable distribution of benefits,
whilst maintaining environmental sustainability. Activities
cover the provision of consultancy services and advice on
land use planning; the development and implementation of land
policies for equitable land access and secure land tenure
for the poor; the management of development projects and farmer
support services; policy and operational reform for improved
management of fish and forest resources. |
| Food Management and Marketing |
The Food Management and Marketing Group
undertakes research, consultancy and training in: management
of the food chain; food quality and safety, traceability and
best practice; marketing initiatives for both durable and
perishable crops; food security strategies. |
NRI has close linkages with other university
schools and departments, including Medway Sciences. The Institute
offers a wide range of formal training courses held in the UK and
also organises, staffs, implements and evaluates courses in overseas
locations. NRI can tailor training for the specific needs of individuals,
national organisations and international agencies. Staff
NRI currently has about 80 full-time
professional staff. The Institute also has an expanding network
of Associates who are each linked to one of the six groups. This
enables the institute to draw in persons with additional specialist
expertise or with detailed knowledge of countries in which core
staff are less actively involved.
Infrastructure
At Chatham we have modern laboratories
with controlled-environment insectaries and greenhouses which are
approved by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
These are fully integrated with the University's wider facilities,
including a world-class library in tropical agriculture as well
as computing and statistical support. All research procedures are
covered by ISO 9001 (1994) registration which covers laboratory
management and requires effective administration of COSHH and Health
and Safety procedures in laboratories and field work both in the
UK and overseas.
Geographic Focus
Most of NRI’s work is carried
out in partnership with public and private sector institutions in
developing countries and transition economies. Many of the Institute’s
activities are conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia but
it is also active in Latin America and the Caribbean, East and Southeast
Asia and Eastern Europe. A small, but growing, proportion of our
work is commissioned by Research Councils, Government Ministries
and Development Agencies in the United Kingdom.
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