New programme on Global Food Systems

WOTRO's new research programme, Global Food Systems, focuses on the worldwide connection and inter-dependency of food supply. The programme aspires to enhance food security in developing countries (DCs) by conducting research aimed at strengthening global food systems to the benefit of these countries. It seeks both to strengthen research capacity in DCs and to increase collaboration with the global research and knowledge community. WOTRO welcomes partners and co-financers for cooperation at programme level.

The programme's integrated approach is intended as an innovative and daring contribution to the Millennium Development Goals, and looks in particular at addressing Poverty and Hunger from a society driven perspective. The interdisciplinary research can concentrate on specific themes, groups, institutions or geographical relations providing it uses a global system or chain perspective on food issues.

The central challenge of this research programme is to develop the knowledge, capacity and innovations necessary in order to ensure sufficient, safe and nutritious food consumption and production in developing countries.
Special attention is given to the following interlinked key topics:

• The effects of land, soil and agriculture on food production, with a focus on food supply and in Africa on addressing the specific local conditions and highly diversified soil compositions.
• The complexity of food chains from consumption to production (rather than vice versa), including institutional arrangements and how people cope in difficult systems.
• Impact of global dynamics on food production and food technologies, including technological food safety and quality and the socio-cultural factors that influence food consumption and production.

WOTRO invites partners and stakeholders to collaborate in developing and/or co-financing research on Global Food Systems. Through Open Calls the programme encourages high quality and interdisciplinary research in partnerships between researchers from the Netherlands/Europe and South as well as with relevant stakeholders and private partners.