IDRC in Cuba - International Development Research Centre

IDRC

I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E V E LO P M E N T R E S E A R C H C E N T R E

IDRC in Cuba

IDRC: DAVID BARBOUR

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DRC began to support research in Cuba in 1974, focusing primarily on health and agriculture. The country’s dire shortages of food and medicine that began in the 1990s spurred researchers to explore nontraditional approaches to these issues, including urban agriculture and the use of medicinal plants. Drawing on research findings, for example, Cuba’s Ministry of Health recognized a basic list of medicinal plants for use in primary health care. With the traditional seed supply system in disarray, researchers improved crops by putting farmers at the heart of the plant-breeding process. Local farmers worked with researchers and government to develop new bean varieties that increased yields by 15 to 36% in test areas. Some 7,000 farmers in 51 communities benefited from these and other innovations, such as the use of non-chemical fertilizers. In 2007, the research team received Cuba’s highest scientific award for its achievements.

Research with farmers led to new high-yield bean varieties.

in recent research on Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. The country acquired new knowledge and laboratory techniques to design a vaccine that is best suited to the Cuban population.

Knowledge to fight disease Working with community members in two Havana neighbourhoods, researchers identified risk factors for contracting dengue fever and a potentially lethal complication called dengue hemorrhagic fever. They found, for example, that religious households were more at risk because they kept uncovered spiritual flower vases that attracted the mosquitoes that transmitted the fever. Researchers developed a way for community members to track mosquito infestations and share this information systematically with health bureaus and local community organizations. Cuban researchers also participated

Facilitating academic exchange, innovation IDRC support in 1994 enabled Cuban academics to improve their understanding of a market-oriented economy. When the University of Havana adapted the curriculum of the master’s program in economics taught at Carleton University, Canada, it stimulated the emergence of a new culture in economics. A group of Cuban researchers has since produced innovative analyses. The University of Havana went on to establish a PhD program with the University of Barcelona.

Total IDRC support 34 activities worth CA$6.4 million since 1974 IDRC support is helping: ■ Cubans launch socially responsible business ventures ■ Governments deliver essential services to more vulnerable people ■ Researchers and policymakers link health and environmental issues

The Centre also supports a program administered by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada that facilitates the exchange of professors and graduate students between universities in Canada and Latin America and the Caribbean. Several Cuban students are chosen annually to participate in the program.

Florida Keys

BAHAMAS Gulf of Mexico

Havana

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● Pinar del Río

Great Bahama Bank ●

Santa Clara

Cienfuegos ●

● Nueva Gerona

Camagüey ● PANOS: PHILIP WOLMUTH

CUBA

Researchers are looking into how publicprivate partnerships deliver health services in Cuba.

Some current activities IDRC continues to support Cuban researchers working on health issues — from understanding the success of the country’s early child development programs to investigating alternative models of health-care delivery. ■

Socially responsible business Funding: $39,244 Duration: 2011 Grantee: Dalhousie University, Canada, among others Cuba’s economy suffers from internal inefficiencies and from external shocks that include the global financial crisis and devastating hurricanes. As Cuba struggles to restructure its economy, it has experimented with forms of non-state enterprise that harmonize with the country’s socialist character. One area of convergence has been the socially responsible enterprise (SRE) movement. This IDRC-funded initiative supports a series of conferences that expose Cuban officials and academics to models of SRE. These meetings foster rich exchanges between Cuban, Latin American, and Canadian practitioners regarding the kind of reforms that can lead to responsible enterprise, local development, and inclusive growth.

Caribbean Sea

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Santiago de Cuba

80 km ●

The boundaries and names shown on the map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IDRC.

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Access to essential services Funding: $1,134,440 (Global) Other donor: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Duration: 2008–2013 Grantees: Rhodes University, South Africa, and Queen’s University, Canada For more than seven years, researchers have analyzed how public-private partnerships to deliver essential services such as water, electricity, and health have affected vulnerable people in Southern African countries. Researchers are expanding the scope of their work to include countries in Asia and Latin America. In Cuba, for example, they are studying the country’s health system, which operates with high levels of community participation, and the private sector’s role in managing Havana’s water supply. By documenting the results of publicprivate partnerships around the world, researchers are presenting policymakers with solutions that can help more people receive essential services.

For more information visit the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean website: www.idrc.ca/lacro Subscribe to the IDRC Bulletin: www.idrc.ca/idrcbulletin/

Linking health and the environment Cuban researchers are participating in two IDRC-supported health research networks in Latin America. One network — a community of 170 individual researchers in Latin America and the Caribbean — focuses on the relationship between health and the environment. With IDRC support, this “ecohealth” community of practice is now disseminating its findings, developing academic curricula in many Latin American universities, and holding training workshops for policymakers. Participating in this network helps Cuban researchers and policymakers promote the adoption of ecohealth approaches in their country. Cuba also belongs to a network of researchers studying the relationship between ecosystems and the control of Chagas disease and dengue fever in the region. The findings are informing the work of Cuban researchers and national dengue and Chagas control programs and policies. IDRC supports this initiative along with the Canadian International Development Agency and TDR, a special program for research and training in tropical diseases administered by the World Health Organization. 112

About Canada’s International Development Research Centre A key part of Canada’s aid program since 1970, IDRC supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most. International Development Research Centre PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9

www.idrc.ca