The proceedings “Integrated rural development in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia”, have recently been launched by Dr Bronwyn Myers as a part of a Charles Darwin University (CDU) symposium featuring senior leaders from Eastern Indonesia.
The symposium, Resource management and development in East Nusa Tenggara in the era of regional autonomy, was held on 26 September and is part of the current CDU project within the School of Science and Primary Industries funded by AusAID’s Public Sector Linkage Program.
Senior research fellow with the School of Science and Primary Industries, Dr Myers said that the proceedings report on an international workshop held in Kupang in April 2006.
“The workshop was organised by CDU with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), together with a number of other Australian and Indonesian organisations,” she said.
“The purpose of the workshop was to identify opportunities and constraints to improving livelihoods in East Nusa Tenggara using an integrated rural development approach, and to discuss directions for future activities.
“It was agreed that successful integrated rural development must extend beyond farm productivity improvements to include environmental sustainability, the institutional environment, human capacity building, social and cultural factors and the broader economic environment.”
The workshop brought together experts from Indonesia, Timor Leste and Australia to review long-term development needs and prospects for integrated rural development. Workshop participants agreed on priorities for integrated rural development including areas with potential for collaboration between Indonesian and Australian organisations.
“It is hoped that these workshop proceedings will be helpful in the development of future research and capacity-building activities for East Nusa Tenggara and provide a valuable resource for government agencies, non-government organisations, rural communities and donor agencies operating in East Nusa Tenggara,” Dr Myers said.
Simultaneous with the launch of the ACIAR proceedings an Indonesian language version, published by Nusa Cendana University in Kupang, was launched also.
The full proceeding can be accessed through ACIAR: www.aciar.gov.au/node/3367
For more information about the workshop and proceedings contact bronwyn.myers@cdu.edu.au.