Geography of Food Summer School ...
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then presented on the final day of the study period. The experiences and results of
the six teams are summarized in Table 2.
2018: Summer School in India, SDG 2 ‘Zero Hunger’
The second implementation of the course took place at the campus of the University
of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, focussing on SDG 2. On the one hand,
this SDG is especially relevant for India because it is among the countries with
the highest number of undernourished people and has a high prevalence of child
malnutrition. On the other hand, India has an agricultural sector of high importance
for the country’s economy and employment status.
In 2018, 31 students from 12 countries participated in the summer school
programme. To become acquainted with the Indian culture, agriculture and demographic factors, a preparatory workshop was organized for the Swiss participants (the
largest group of foreign students). This was conducted by an expert for intercultural
communication and business between Switzerland and India. In Phase 2, all students
carried out an individual mini case study related to food security, improved nutrition or sustainable agriculture in their home country. One example was concerned
with the impact of microfinances through self-help groups on food security and rural
empowerment in India. According to the study, especially participation of women
in self-help groups led to improved family income and nutritional status of family
members. A second mini case study focussed on the potential of pulses value chain
integration to improve the nutrition of farmers and the rural population of India. It
included socio-cultural, organizational as well as institutional elements necessary to
improve the value chains of pulses. In a third study, the status of seed systems for
specialty crops in the Central US was investigated. It was found that a greater commitment to a regional seed system would improve genetic and specialty crop diversity,
reduce input needs and diversify farmers’ income and seed access. These examples highlight the diversity of possible strategies in the agri-food sector necessary to
achieve the SDG targets.
Table 3 Group work topics and excursions during the 2018 summer school in India
Value chain Excursions
Focus of project/proposal
Coconut
Visit to coconut production market,
several coconut and copra industries,
including a coconut oil refinery, and a
tender coconut packing unit
Market development for neera (coconut
palm nectar) products
Introduction of collaborative storage and
drying units, copra processing factories
Millets
Visit to millet farms, millet farmer
associations, primary processing units,
retail outlets, restaurants and canteens
Development and implementation of a
millet processing unit
Incentivizing millet procurement,
preparation and delivery of millet-based
meals in canteens
Dairy
Visit to dairy farms, milk producing
cooperative, and milk collection and
cooling centres
Dairy product labelling (‘Happy cow,
happy farmer’)
Buffalo curd marketing (‘Buffalicious’)
115
then presented on the final day of the study period. The experiences and results of
the six teams are summarized in Table 2.
2018: Summer School in India, SDG 2 ‘Zero Hunger’
The second implementation of the course took place at the campus of the University
of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India, focussing on SDG 2. On the one hand,
this SDG is especially relevant for India because it is among the countries with
the highest number of undernourished people and has a high prevalence of child
malnutrition. On the other hand, India has an agricultural sector of high importance
for the country’s economy and employment status.
In 2018, 31 students from 12 countries participated in the summer school
programme. To become acquainted with the Indian culture, agriculture and demographic factors, a preparatory workshop was organized for the Swiss participants (the
largest group of foreign students). This was conducted by an expert for intercultural
communication and business between Switzerland and India. In Phase 2, all students
carried out an individual mini case study related to food security, improved nutrition or sustainable agriculture in their home country. One example was concerned
with the impact of microfinances through self-help groups on food security and rural
empowerment in India. According to the study, especially participation of women
in self-help groups led to improved family income and nutritional status of family
members. A second mini case study focussed on the potential of pulses value chain
integration to improve the nutrition of farmers and the rural population of India. It
included socio-cultural, organizational as well as institutional elements necessary to
improve the value chains of pulses. In a third study, the status of seed systems for
specialty crops in the Central US was investigated. It was found that a greater commitment to a regional seed system would improve genetic and specialty crop diversity,
reduce input needs and diversify farmers’ income and seed access. These examples highlight the diversity of possible strategies in the agri-food sector necessary to
achieve the SDG targets.
Table 3 Group work topics and excursions during the 2018 summer school in India
Value chain Excursions
Focus of project/proposal
Coconut
Visit to coconut production market,
several coconut and copra industries,
including a coconut oil refinery, and a
tender coconut packing unit
Market development for neera (coconut
palm nectar) products
Introduction of collaborative storage and
drying units, copra processing factories
Millets
Visit to millet farms, millet farmer
associations, primary processing units,
retail outlets, restaurants and canteens
Development and implementation of a
millet processing unit
Incentivizing millet procurement,
preparation and delivery of millet-based
meals in canteens
Dairy
Visit to dairy farms, milk producing
cooperative, and milk collection and
cooling centres
Dairy product labelling (‘Happy cow,
happy farmer’)
Buffalo curd marketing (‘Buffalicious’)