SLU has a long-standing commitment to partnerships with low income countries. In this report, the work from 24 projects directed toward sustainable agriculture with the aim to reduce poverty and malnutrition, are presented. The main part of the projects were carried out in Africa and some in central and southeast Asia.
In October 2010 the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated specific funding to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) for work to support global food security. The allocation was made with the long-term aim to reduce hunger and malnutrition by supporting the improvement of agricultural productivity through research and higher education. SLU's mission was to engage with institutions particularly in Africa, conduct high quality collaborative research and enhance the capacity development of partner institutions. Priority research areas included plant breeding, farming systems, animal health and disease control. In this report, results generated from projects within the program are presented.
The Swedish Unversity of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has core compe- tence within the agricultural sciences, including forestry and veterinary sciences. The areas of expertise cover urgent global issues such as food production, energy supply, climate change, biodiversity conservation and control of infectious diseases in animal and man.
To strengthen SLU's involvement in issues related to improving productivity in agriculture, food security and sustainable livelihood in low-income countries, the university has established the programme Agricultural Sciences for Global Development, (SLU Global). The programme's mission is to coordinate and visualize SLU's competence in research, education and expert council within the frame of the Swedish Policy for Global Development.