INTEGRATED COMPANY REPORT 2014 - GIZ. Solutions that work.

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Agricultural research | The work of Birthe Paul in Kenya and
Jacobo Arango in Colombia revolves around forage plants.
They are two of more than 50 scientists around the world
currently involved in research into tropical forage plants, as
a team for the International Center for Tropical Agriculture
(CIAT). Both were placed in their current posts by the Cen-
tre for International Migration and Development (CIM), a
joint operation of GIZ and the German Federal Employ-
ment Agency.
Something else the two scientists have in common is
that they are focusing on a specific forage grass: Brachiaria.
It is fast-growing, has high nutritional value and suppresses
nitrification, the microbial process responsible for emissions
of nitrous oxide, which is a greenhouse gas. In Colombia,
Jacobo Arango discovered that the positive traits could be
further enhanced by cross-breeding with related forage grasses.
Birthe Paul is working with precisely these grasses in Kenya,
where they grow well in large parts of the tropical region.
Research findings show that small farmers can raise
yields by a factor of between two and five by improving the
way they feed their livestock. The research work performed
in laboratories gives farmers around the world higher
incomes and better living conditions, while reducing the
environmental footprint of agriculture. In the long term,
agricultural research is thus a valuable tool in the fight
against hunger and poverty.
GIZ is supporting this research for development on behalf
of the German Government through the Advisory Service
on Agricultural Research for Development (BEAF). It is
supporting research projects at 17 international agricultural
research centres worldwide. CIM is underpinning the
knowledge transfer by placing experts like Jacobo Arango
and Birthe Paul. Arango, who originally comes from
Colombia, studied in Germany and first came to CIAT as
a returning expert. Birthe Paul holds a research scholarship
and was placed by CIM as an integrated expert. Her local
salary is topped up by CIM for the duration of her assign-
ment and, like Arango, she is directly integrated into local
structures. Both scientists network with colleagues working
in research, development cooperation and agriculture.
The experts ensure that international research findings
are used in practice. What’s more, they build the bridges
between research scientists and farmers. Projects and part-
ners of German development cooperation often serve as
important ‘bridgeheads’ to farmers, national agricultural
extension services and private service providers. In this way
research findings are translated into genuine development
progress in partner countries. //
From the laboratory to the field
// Kenya and Colombia
Contact: //
University education | Afghanistan is thought to have min-
eral reserves worth EUR 2.5 billion. What it does not have
is the infrastructure and qualified experts who have bene-
fited from modern, practice-oriented training. In a measure
financed by the German Federal Foreign Office together
with the German Academic Exchange Service, GIZ is sup-
porting Afghan universities in modernising degree courses
in mining. Courses in management, law and economics are
also being extended to include mining-specific topics, such
as mining legislation and the planning of opencast mines.
Curricula and study regulations are being modernised and
practice-based teaching methods introduced. Laboratories
are also being fitted out, learning materials developed and
lecturers and experts networked and offered advanced
training throughout the region and at international level.
The partner responsible for providing advanced training for
scholarship holders is the German mining university TU
Bergakademie Freiberg. The measures complement the activ-
ities of the BMZ-financed measure to promote good gover-
nance in the extractive sector, which aims to strengthen the
supervisory role of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. //
Moving closer to practice
// Afghanistan
Contact:
Many GIZ country offices have used the Corporate Sustain-
ability Handprint to set themselves binding sustainability
targets. In Viet Nam, a far-reaching action plan has been
adopted that includes measures to help staff achieve a
better work-life balance and introduce the use of recycled
paper. Examples of good practice like these are collected
using an online portal, where they are then available to all
staff members. This encourages countries to share their
experiences and learn from one another.
By the end of 2015, the Corporate Sustainability
Handprint will be in use in about 50 countries, i.e. about
half of the countries in which we have a country office.
By the end of 2016 it will have been introduced in all GIZ
offices around the globe. //
Sustainability in practice | The Corporate Sustainability
Handprint is a management instrument that we use to iden-
tify not only our ecological footprint, but also our ‘hand-
print’, i.e. the positive contribution we make to the four
dimensions of stability we use at GIZ: economic capability,
social responsibility, ecological balance and political par-
ticipation. It is a participatory, hands-on tool that helps us
hone the sustainability profiles of our country and project
offices around the world.
But how exactly does the Corporate Sustainability
Handprint work? GIZ offices compile key data, including
carbon dioxide emissions resulting from official travel,
water consumption and the percentage of management
posts held by women. A team of local staff members
assesses the results every two years and on this basis the
country office sets itself targets for sustainable action.
Some countries prioritise the environment and install solar
panels on the office roof or encourage staff to set up car-
sharing schemes, while others increase the volume of
locally procured goods and services, develop stress man-
agement training courses and plan action days on how to
stay healthy at work. Thus, on a country-specific basis,
we are steadily improving our sustainability performance.
// WORLDWIDE
Our Corporate
Sustainability
Handprint
Contact: //
Health,
safety and
security
Employability
Work-life
balance
CO2
emissions
Sustainable
event
management
Participation
by
employees
Participation
by
stakeholders
Social
engagement
Efficiency
Integrity
and anti-
corruption
Quality
Procurement
Equality of
opportunity and
diversity
Use of
natural
resources
GIZ Integrated Company Report 2014 26 27 Acquiring and applying knowledge