To download a membership application, click here.

An important decision was made concerning IGA membership fees during the June 2006 Board meeting in Romania. As part of the International Goat Association’s commitment to improving goat research and development around the world for the benefit of humankind, the Board has decided to reduce membership fees for people living in countries that are ranked below .500 on the United Nations – Human Development Index. To learn more about the UN-HDI click here.

"Human development is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nations. Development is thus about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value.” ~ United Nations

In accordance with this idea, the Board’s decision will provide better access to information for researchers, producers and extensionists living in these countries, as well as expanding IGA’s global network.

The UN-HDI is a composite index measuring average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development:

* Long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy at birth),
* Knowledge (measured by literacy and gross enrollment rates),
* Decent standard of living (measured by GDP and purchasing power parity).

Starting on January 1, 2007 IGA membership rates were split into two categories; upper and lower. People applying for IGA membership from a country with a HDI rating below .500 will be in placed into the lower category. People applying for membership from a country with a rating of .500 or above will be in placed into the upper category.

Membership fees for the lower category will be reduced to:

* $20 for a basic membership* with online access to Small Ruminant Research.
* $60 for a membership* with hardcopy subscription, plus online access to SRR.

Membership fees for the upper category will be raised to:

* $45 for a basic membership* with online access to Small Ruminant Research.
* $145 for a membership* with hardcopy subscription, plus online access to SRR.

*All IGA memberships include online access to SRR and are from January to December.

For a list of countries according to their UN-HDI rating download the pdf file below.

To offset a portion of this fee reduction, membership rates for the upper category have been raised by $5 from their current levels. However, this small increase will not fully meet the amount of money that IGA expects to subsidize per lower category member. If you know of any organizations that would be willing to help us by subsidizing part or all of these fees, please let us know.

For more information on the UN-HDI, visit: http://hdr.undp.org/hd/

Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

For a 2008 membership application, download the application file below.

Need info? E-mail: goats@heifer.org