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Center for international Development and Environmental Research |
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The main focus of Section 2's activities - summed up under the title "Nutrition Security" - is put on people's recent nutritional situation, as well as on the basic economic conditions for the safeguarding and guarantee of nutritional and food security in different countries and regions. In this respect, the section has given itself the task of accompanying its scientific research with additional measures, e.g. with the advice and further education which can actively contribute to food security.
The central issue of Section 2's research is the analysis of the causes and effects of food insecurity and of deficiency and malnutrition in developing and transforming countries – but also of poverty groups in western society. Research is based on two methodical approaches which are meant to mirror the complexity of food security and nutrition in an extensive context. On one hand the section deals with the basic conditions of food security as influenced by macro-economy and business management in selected countries and regions, on the other hand it examines nutritional habits and consumer behaviour - which start at the micro-economic level - as a cause of food insecurity. For this it is planned to put the regional focus on Africa.
Another major task of the section is the development of target-oriented concepts for advice and education aimed at an improvement of agricultural and food production of selected regions as well as at an improvement of regional nutritional situations. Apart from advising individuals and institutions on a scientific and political level, Section 2 is especially dedicated to the creation of new training systems. In this respect one regional focus of activities in science and teaching is put on the Ukraine.
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Structure |
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Head of Section |
Projects |
Prof. Dr. Ingrid-Ute Leonhäuser(Food Advice and Consumer Behavior) |
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Nutrition Security |
Projekte |
Prof. Dr. P.-Michael Schmitz(Agricultural policy and market research chair in Agrar and development politics) |
Agricultural Policy and Administration in Ukraine towards European Integration (AGRIPOL) |
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Nutrition Security, Livelihoods and HIV/AIDS of Black South African Farm Workers - Qualitative Social Research from the Household and Gender Perspective
Project Team: I.-U. Leonhäuser, S. Lemke (Project leader in South Africa), N. Heumann (ZEU), S. Matenge, H.H. Vorster, A. Kruger (NWU, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa)
Poverty, nutrition insecurity and AIDS are among the most pressing social issues in South Africa and the sub-continent. About half of the South African population is food insecure, 20 per cent of the adult population are HIV-infected, which threatens economic and social development. A qualitative social research approach will be applied to explore the micro-level perspective of black farm worker households that belong to the poorest population stratum. Structured, semi-structured and narrative interviews, observations and interviews with key informants and experts will provide triangulation. Central research questions are: What is the composition of households and the nature of gender relations and other household dynamics and how does this influence nutrition security? What is the nature of livelihoods and the importance of social networks? What are individual actions, perceptions and strategies with regard to nutrition security and daily coping? This research will be innovative in providing essential qualitative in-depth data on underlying causes of nutrition insecurity and the link with poverty and AIDS. The results will uncover household dynamics and gender differences in the context of poverty, which is the condition for better targeting of development programmes. Their success and sustainability is of utmost importance as South Africa plays a key role for the economic, social and political development of the whole region.
The research project is financed since August 2004 by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is carried out in close cooperation with the South African North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, Africa Unit of Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), Director of Research: Prof. H. H. Vorster. This research is linked to the infrastructure of the 'Farm Labour and General Health Programme' (FLAGH) (Project leader: Dr. A. Kruger). Funding was extended by DFG for another year until July 2007.
Modernisation of education and research in South Ethiopia - Co-operation between the Justus Liebig University Giessen and the Debub University, Awassa, Ethiopia
Project Team: I.-U. Leonhäuser, S. Dreschl-Bogale, S. Petermann (federführend im ZEU), Dr. F. Azerefegne, Dr. Y. Abebe, Debub University / Ethiopia
The university partnership developed from a long time relationship between agricultural, economic and nutritional scientists of the Justus Liebig University and the ACA. Two members of the ZEU/section “nutrition security” had long time research and working experiences at the ACA in Awassa.
Initiated by section “nutrition security” from the ZEU, a co-operation agreement between the two universities was signed in march 2005. A project for the implementation of a Master’s degree programme in Applied Human Nutrition at the ACA, Debub University is funded by the DAAD in the frame of the programme “Fachbezogene Partnerschaften mit Hoch schulen in Entwicklungsländern” for the years 2006 to 2009.
The overall aim of the project is the upgrading of education and research in South Ethiopia as well as qualified further education for both partners. The specific aim of the project is the common development and implementation of a Master’s degree programme in Applied Human Nutrition.
The problem of food insecurity and malnutrition in Ethiopia needs to be tackled by highly qualified local nutrition experts. Up to today, there is not a single institution in Ethiopia that offers nutrition programmes at academic level. The Awassa College of Agriculture is among the very few universities in Ethiopia, that offers Nutritional Science as part of their programme in the Department of Rural Development and Family Sciences (RDFS) and thus can at least partially fulfil the high demand of qualified nutrition experts, but up to date only at Diploma (corresponds with the German Berufsfachschulabschluss) and Bachelor (B.Sc.) level. The Bachelor at RDFS includes a variety of different courses including social, medical and nutritional sciences, which offers the base of a further Master’s programme of Nutrition Science.
In preparation for the planned MSc programme initially a “need assessment” was conjointly developed during a stay of the Ethiopian partners at the JLU/ZEU at the beginning of the year 2006. The need assessment will be conducted with employing organizations, with potential candidates working in nutrition or related areas and graduates in nutrition or related fields from foreign universities. In addition a draft of the curriculum was worked out together. In order to revise the curriculum two workshops and an international symposium will follow in Awassa. In 2007 the MSc programme will be approved and started.
An exchange of students and staff from both universities will follow.
The MSc programme will be a model for Ethiopia but also for other African countries. The implementation of the programme will increase the attractiveness and internationally competitive position of the Debub University. An East- African –German network will be built in the future.
On its way towards Europe Ukraine finds itself in a difficult economic and political transformation process. Necessary reforms to achieve this aim mean – amongst others – that institutions have to be restructured and that responsibility and competence have to be strengthened. The AGRIPOL project concentrates on the area of agricultural policy, an important sector of the Ukrainian national economy. Aim of the project is the further education of higher ranking administrative personnel and of specialists of the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture and of the regional agricultural administrations in view of future tasks in the development and realisation of a market-oriented agricultural policy within an international environment (EU enlargement, WTO membership). For this purpose, a special training programme was developed, which is carried out with trainers from Ukraine, Germany and Great Britain. Parallel to this, programme docents are taught in order to carry on the training with national trainers after the project has been terminated (2004-2007).
In the course of the project a three-week-long training programme was developed, which deals with the topics the EU's agricultural policy, international trade and WTO, agribusiness and supply chain management, international and European (agricultural) law, as well as personnel management. Timed to coincide with the start of the programme, a professional training centre with training facilities was completed at the Agricultural State University Bila Tserkva (BTSAU). Promotion for the training programme is supplied by a website, local press releases and by presentations at the Ministry of Agriculture.
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© 2006 Dr. M. Höher