Friday - Medium Panels
What opportunities and challenges exist in agricultural development? What have we learned from past failures?
Agricultural development remains one of the key pathways out of poverty for rural Africans. After nearly falling off the map of donor priorities in the mid and late 90’s, there has been a renewed focus for investing in rural agriculture in recent years. The global food crisis further underlines its necessity. But what have we learned from the past? This panel will look at key issues facing agriculture in Africa today and current approaches within the development sector to overcome them such as improved technologies and a focus on markets.
How has the push towards achieving the water and sanitation MDG affected implementation at NGO’s? Have we been going too fast?
“Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”.
As one of the Millennium Development Goals, this target has been seen as inspiring to many. But how has it affected progress on the ground? Could this goal actually hinder some projects? Panelists will look at aspects of implementation - sustainability, focus on facilities or behaviour change, scale-up, meeting targets and more - that can be influenced by this goal.
What are the on-the-ground results of buying Fair Trade products? What might be the long-term effects of an increasing Fair Trade market?
Sales of Fair Trade Certified products have been increasingly dramatically in recent years. This trend promises to ensure a fair and stable standard of living for producers, while also holding potential for cooperatives and corporations getting involved in the Fair Trade movement. The panel will explore the results of Fair Trade for all those involved, and where the movement might go in the future.
Friday - Small Panels
What factors need to be considered in ensuring that a technology “fits” in a community? What are the dangers of inappropriate technologies?
Appropriate technology has become a buzzword in the development community, often describing many different things at once. This panel explores what should be considered when looking at how a technology can fit into a community, as well as the factors that affect the adoption of technology, such as knowledge, market access, and decision-making rationale. The panel will also explore what can happen when technology is not appropriate.
When does microfinance work, and when does it not? Does microfinance lead to changes on a national scale?
Microfinance institutions seek to engage the poor as clients, supplying them with small loans and banking services in order to support their businesses. These loans can provide clients with the opportunity to increase their income and build successful businesses, but what practices and client support are necessary to ensure that most clients succeed? Can the effects of microfinance initiatives scale from individual clients to reduce poverty in an entire community, region, or nation? This panel will focus on the potential of microfinance in the battle against poverty, and the challenges in ensuring that microfinance works.
What are the interests of African farmers? How can these interests be better understood by development organizations?
Farmers in Africa: we think they’re just like us, but they’re not. How can agricultural development projects be better designed to align with their interests? This panel will explore the gap in viewpoints between African farmers and western development workers, the consequences of differing views on farmers’ best interests, and how development organizations can work towards closing the gap.
Can a successful initiative from one community be applied to another? When and how does scaling work?
A successful project has been implemented in a community. How can the same success be achieved with the project in multiple other communities, each with different strengths, weaknesses and needs? How much time is required to understand each community, and avoid using a “cookie cutter” approach, while also benefiting as many people as possible? This panel will explore the challenges and possibilities of project scaling.
How can working with a partner organization achieve positive change? What are the tradeoffs between capacity building and running projects from the ground up?
Engineers Without Borders has chosen to focus on achieving positive change by working through local partners, instead of running projects from the ground up. In doing so, we aim to help increase the capacity of local organizations to run their own projects. This panel will examine why, and when, is this an effective strategy, the tradeoffs involved in focusing on capacity development, and how impact can be achieved through a partner.
What is the effect of CSR policy on peoples’ lives and the environment? Does CSR actually change how companies work?
Corporate Social Responsibility policies have become common among multinational businesses, promising to consider the effects of the corporations’ activities on the environment and communities, many of which are felt by those in the developing world. Do CSR policies effectively change how companies consider these stakeholders? This panel explores the effect of CSR policies on corporations’ actions, and the ultimate effect this has on the environment and livelihoods.
What factors make an “ethical” product, and how can we tell the difference? Which designations really mean something? What resources exist for Canadians to learn more about the companies they buy from?
Ethical products can describe a vast range of designations, from eco-friendly and shade-grown to sweatshop free, conflict free, and Fair Trade. What systems or frameworks exist to evaluate the social costs of a product? What resources exist for Canadians to learn more about the companies they buy from or invest in? Come hear from a panel of experts, each of whom are involved with “ethical” products like Fair Trade clothing and socially responsible investments, as they discuss the implications and challenges of ethical consumption.
How does Canada’s trade policy in commodities affect rural Africa? What might a better trade policy look like? What is the effect on Canadian farmers?
How does Canadian trade policy affect farmers in Africa? This panel will explore the effect that trade policies relating to export subsidies, market access, and domestic support have on farmers in developing countries, how these farmers’ needs can be balanced with those of Canadian farmers, and the effects of international policy on shaping Canadian policy towards these ends.
What is a social movement? Is it coordinated? What role can EWB and other organizations play in building a movement?
Engineers Without Borders and other organizations aim to play a role in building the movement to eradicate extreme poverty. How can an organization find its niche and achieve impact while dealing with the challenges of collaboration? What lessons can we learn from other social movements? Hear from experienced activists and academics about the role of an NGO within a greater social movement.
What do the conference sponsors look for in an employee? Do they fit my interests and values?
Employee retention and recruitment is important to today’s companies in our knowledge-based economy. Employees are looking for companies that offer challenging careers and align with their values. This session allows our sponsors to share their employment opportunities and will allow delegates to share what they want in a career. A discussion on the similarities and differences between these perspectives will follow.