Tropentag 2019 - Student blog - Student Reporter 2013

Would you like to be fed with half a kilo of cassava per day?

Rahel Wyss — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 16:15:36 +0000

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

Beyond the Ivory Tower

Philipp Gassner — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:34:14 +0000

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'

How soon do you want to die? It´s up to you!

Viviane Meyer — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 07:46:58 +0000

In the session about NCDs (non-communicable diseases), diet-based problems were illustrated and discussed and the link to agricultural practices was analysed. Evidence was gathered and possibilities for future agricultural research were presented under the guidance of Mr. K. Srinath Reddy. Some outcomes of this session were that people get severe illnesses such as cancer and diabetes due to the food each person eats- so you are what you eat- namely fat and ill or slim and healthy.

What the Scientific world itself eats

Eva Hilt — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 15:27:43 +0000

Within the unconventional setting of wild animals of the African Savannah and images of the foods of people all around the globe, the researchers and participants of the Science Forum were enjoying the conference dinner on Monday evening.

Questionable results from breakout session

Eva Hilt — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:49:36 +0000

The problem of how to align agricultural and food policies with nutritional and health targets had been examined from very distinct angles during the first 3 hours Policy and Institutional Approaches in nutrition-sensitive agriculture slot on Monday. It became clear, that the presented approaches themselves so far are not aligned, so that there seems to be huge potential for high quality research which helps to get an idea on how ‘multipolicy’ approaches can make an effective contribution to nutritional improvement. The following article is a collection of questions, as a source of inspiration if you wonder what to do after the conference or in your graduation thesis…

Stage Diving at the Closing Session

Philipp Gassner — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 13:14:28 +0000

'I’ve learned more than I have contributed', Linxiu Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences nicely summarized before handing over to Ken Cassman, the ISPC Chair. Cassman didn’t intend to stage dive when he asked the about 150 participants of the Science Forum Closing Session to raise their hands. But the show of hands indicated the people present from both disciplines, agriculture and nutrition, whom the conference –quite successfully- aimed to bring to getter. And out of their ‘silos’. Read more

Two Sexes Are Quite Inadequate

Philipp Gassner — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 08:50:57 +0000

‘It would be a thousand pities if women wrote like men, or lived like men, or looked like men, for if two sexes are quite inadequate, considering the vastness and variety of the world, how should we manage with one only?’ Virginia Woolf is quite right, as was reflected in Breakout Session 7, exploring links between nutrition, health and the female domains of subsistence farming. In the latter, inequality persists in unequal opportunities, low representation of women in leadership and in continuing violence against women in all its forms. Two out of three illiterate adults are women. Every 90 seconds, a woman dies in pregnancy. And even though the figure of women accounting for 80% of agricultural production, while owning less than 2% of land, is now contested, women clearly contribute to agriculture and nutrition quite differently than men. Obviously, 'The playing field needs to be leveled'. Read more

Humans, we have a problem

Eva Hilt — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 21:16:30 +0000

What Germans are supposed to know about the Science Forum: insights from the press conference with Joachim von Braun, head of the Centre for development research and Holger Baum, head of 'MediaCompany'.

DAAD Summer School: Don’t say a word

Philipp Gassner — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 12:28:05 +0000

23 Alumni from 15 countries made their way to the deepest Swabia from 8th to 16th September to learn all about “Rural development beyond agriculture” at the University of Applied Forest Sciences, Rottenburg. Having returned safely, they share their experience on Tropentag - in a photo interview without saying a word. View the picture sequence.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

Philipp Gassner — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 13:50:35 +0000

After the screening of a classical transition film, folks from nearby Transition Town Tübingen burn one up and give a good taste of applied transition. Read more