2012
Increasing Understanding and Establishing Better Links between African and European Doctoral Education Candidates
Duration: 2 years
Summary description:
The project will enhance awareness of European higher education throughout Africa, through the creation of a unique network and website bringing together African and European research students.
More information here (pdf file, 136 kb).
African European Residential School, University of Botswana
Post COP 17: Climate Change and Livelihoods in Africa
July 9-13th 2012
About the residential school
The residential school will target doctoral students in Africa and Europe whose research focus is on Climate Change and its impact on food security, renewable energy, health, water resources management, rural livelihoods, gender.
The objective of the school is to address emerging ways of thinking about climate change in Africa and will provide the opportunity for young scholars from multiple disciplines who are working in the area to network with each other for future collaboration. There will also be professional development workshops on grant writing, project management, academic publishing and intellectual property.
Please download the announcement here (pdf file, 3.8 MB) and draft programme (pdf file, 192 kb).
The 2012 World Water Week - Stockholm, August 26-31
World Water Week is hosted and organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and takes place each year in Stockholm. The World Water Week has been the annual focal point for the globe's water issues since 1991.
World Water Week niche and theme
Each year the World Water Week addresses a particular theme to enable a deeper examination of a specific water-related topic. While not all events during the week relate to the overall theme, the workshops driven by the Scientific Programme Committee and many seminars and side events do focus on various aspects of the theme. The themes change each year, but each fits within a broader "niche" that covers several years. The grouping of themes within a niche is designed to develop a long-term perspective on a broad yet significant water and development issue. It also ensures that each year builds upon the previous years' outcomes and findings.
The current niche for 2009-2012 is "Responding to Global Changes", which looks at the potential and necessary responses in water policy, management and development to address pervasive and increasingly impacting global changes. The themes within the current niche are:
2009: Accessing Water for the Common Good
2010: The Water Quality Challenge
2011: Water in an Urbanising World
2012: Water and Food Security
You can find more information about the event at http://www.worldwaterweek.org/about where you can find the Thematic Scope for 2012 on Water and Food Security, and the workshops covering different aspects of the theme.
Conference - Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, September 10-12, Poland
International Conference on Biotechnology and Plant Breeding. Perspectives towards food security and sustainability.
September 10-12. 2012. Poland
You can find more information here (pdf file, 700 kb).
Grasping Sustainability
A debate on Resilience Theory versus Political Ecology
Friday, 27 April 2012, 14.15-17.00 Hambergssalen, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16, Uppsala University
Sustainability is a contested concept, of acute relevance to current discussions on how to ensure human and broader biological survival with limited earthly resources.
Resilience theory and Political ecology are two influential analytical approaches. Both address the connection between environmental and societal conditions, but in quite different ways. Resilience theory aims to analyze the capacity of social-ecological systems to withstand shocks from phenomena such as environmental degradation and climate change, and to rebuild and renew themselves afterwards. Political ecology sees inherent conflicts in the quest for sustainability, since socio-ecological systems at all levels are highly unequal. Conflicting interests and power relations must therefore, according to this approach, be a key focus of the analysis.
DevNet invites to a thought-provoking debate on these different approaches, and their implications for policy and practice!
Debaters:
Garry Peterson, Professor in Environmental Sciences, Stockholm Resilience Centre (http://www.stockholmresilience.org/peterson/)
Alf Hornborg, Professor and Head of Division, Human Ecology Division, Lund University (http://www.hek.lu.se/kontakt/hornborg-alf)
Moderator: Eva Friman, PhD in Intellectual History and Ecological Economist,Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development, Uppsala University
Program
14:15 Welcome and introduction
14:30 Resilience theory: Presentation by Garry Peterson
14:50 Political ecology: Presentation by Alf Hornborg
15:10 Break with coffee and sandwich (free of charge)
15:30 Panel debate between Garry Peterson and Alf Hornborg
17:00 Closure
Most welcome! Lars Rudebeck and Heidi Moksnes, DevNet
More information here (conference poster).
2011
A new video has been released: Farming First Nutrition Video
Preparing the African youth for innovation in agriculture. An international conference and exhibition on agricultural biotechnology in Africa. This conference and exhibition, with delegates from over 59 countries, offers participants the opportunity to interact with their colleagues working with tropical and temperate climates. 13-15 May 2011, Addis Ababa
Africa College International Conference on Food security health and impact. Sharing lessons in translating research results into impact for food security, nutrition and human health. 22-24 June 2011, Devonshire Hall, University of Leeds.
The first Call for proposals for the intra-ACP academic mobility scheme has been launched.
Even management consultant urgently needed: EOI - Organization of AFAAS Symposium and General Assembly. Deadline: 25 February 2011
Part-time short-term consultancy: Climate change adaptation funding and training opportunities for universities in eastern and southern Africa. Deadline: 28 February 2011
Vacancy for Phd Researcher in land governance. Deadline: 7 March 2011
The Agricultural Transformation Agency in Ethiopia is recruiting for various positions