< After two editions at Tropentag (2010, 11) Steffen got into position of Student Reporter. He is currently working on his master thesis about the Soil Stability with Organic Cotton at Hohenheim University. His experience from one year stay in India, where he experienced the importants farming, was the reason for his thesis topic. Now he would like to help to the overall conference to transfer the scientific language to the understandable words. His reason to be a student reporter is also to work in an international team as he experienced from his stay in India. Besides the scientific life he does the photography and video editing. Beside that he is working in an NGO called Slowfood Network where he has also experienced journalism.

“Look at what people consume”, dares Frank Rijsberman of the CGIAR Consortium of Board Members. “Research agendas in the past had a strong focus on the supply side, it is high time to re-shift and start with the demand – basically looking at what people want”, he added. Earlier, there was an over-focus on staple based food such as grains. However, there should be an appropriate balance of food into CGIAR programs such as animal sourced food, legumes and lentils Plenary: The Way Forward Toilets in the research agenda Frank Rijsberman apparently is a water person having worked in IWMI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s project on Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. With these backgrounds, he stressed on the importance of water as an input to agriculture and emphasized to bring sanitation and hygiene in the agenda. He gave an example on the impact of treated water (from toilets) in peri-urban agriculture.

“Biofortification is more cost effective because a seed can be passed on to your neighbors”, says Howarth Bouis of Harvest Plus. He tries to compare the cost categories of Vitamin A capsule supplementation program vis a vis breeding crops to increase their nutritional value, also called biofortification. The former which cost about USD0.2–0.3 / per capsule is relatively cheap; however, the intervention has to be implemented each year to Vitamin A deficient target groups. “Whereas the latter is more sustainable, because you pass on to the community the breeding of bio-fortified seeds”. With the power of agricultural research, germ plasms of Vitamin A rich food sources such as cassava, maize and orange sweet potato has been developed and released for adoption. Howarth Bouis

Study as a proof of principles “Why did you go to Kenya with cassava?” asked a Ghanian early career scientist from the audience during discussion, regarding a study about introduction of high β-carotene containing yellow cassava in Kenya. In fact, the Vitamin A deficiency of the population in Ghana would be much higher than in Kenya, he adds. The presenter from Wageningen University in Holland, Alida Melses responses: “The study is a proof of principle – it doesn’t matter where you work as long as you demonstrate that it works. The area was chosen by practical reasons.” Alida Melse-Boonstra, Wageningen University, Netherlands, about improving nutrition through staple foods in Africa

A final workshop for student reporters was held at University of Bonn on 26th September. 12 student reporters presented their work and experiences at both Tropentag and Science Forum 2013. Two experienced journalists were invited to share their knowledge about how to develop career in journalism for young people. Christina Hucklenbroich, editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, introduced her experiences and how to start career as a science journalist. She recommended the Fachwerkstatt mentor program, which offers training and scholarship for young students who want to work in journalism (www.die-fachwerkstatt.de). In particular, she discussed how to balance work and family for female science journalist. Mr.Ralph Dickerhof, with experience of 10-year free TV-, HF- & PR-correspondent, introduced different work types in TV media, including their major tasks and challenges. He shared methods about how to do good interview and highlighted that the major characteristic of journalist is communicative talent.

If a smallholder farmers in Central Africa earns an extra dollar, what kind of food would the farmer buy? The answer is - starchy staple food, fruits, meat and vegetables. If compared to a guy from a richer country like the United States, this guy would rather spend his extra dime on beverages and tobacco or dine out in a junky fast food chain to enjoy a cheeseburger with a diet coke. “The Afrint Project” is a study by from Lund University; Agnes D. was explaining in the Breakout session that her project team tries to find out the challenges faced by staple crop intensification in relation to farm sizes and urbanisation.

Simon Chater, Director of Green Ink in an interview about the importance of communication at the Science Forum and beyond. Interview: Read more on 'Sustainability Science beyond the Ivory Tower'

About 200 million euros until 2020 will be invested by the German development cooperation to interventions in rural development, agriculture and food security, says Stefan Schmitz of the BMZ. There is again a renewed international interest in these sectors, however, the commitments are long overdue. Linking agriculture, health and nutrition is the key development policy as it reduces poverty compared to other investments. “We will have a stronger focus now on healthy and nutritious food that is readily accessible and available”, he added. Plenary: The Way Forward