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| Semester | Frühjahrsemester 2017 |
| Angebotsmuster | einmalig |
| Dozierende |
Philipp Aerni (philipp.aerni@unibas.ch)
Isabelle Schluep Campo (isabelle.schluepcampo@unibas.ch, BeurteilerIn) |
| Inhalt | The greatest challenge of mankind in the 21st century is to ensure a decent living for all people on this planet while simultaneously prevent the unsustainable use of our scarce natural resources. In view of population growth and increasing affluence, this challenge can only be met through institutional and technological change that allow us to grow more and better food with less resources. In this course we show what can be learned from history when it comes to address food security and environmental challenges in an effective way. In addition we discuss the role of international agricultural trade and to what extent it may aggravate or improve access to food and sustainable agricultural practices. In this context, we also review current food security policies applied by governments in more and less developed countries and whether they increase or decrease food insecurity. Those most vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition are often marginal farmers in developing countries with little access to formal markets. In this context, connecting rural areas to urban markets and investments is crucial in the fight against rural poverty, deforestation and soil degradation. In developed countries but increasingly also in developing countries, obesity has become a serious public health problem. At the same time, food waste on the consumption and production side is an economic as well as an environmental problem on the national as well as the international scale. The course discusses also effective instruments to tackle these problems effectively. In order to tackle these challenges effectively, the focus needs to be on mobilizing public and private resources. Innovative and entrepreneurial actors in the food chain play a crucial role in helping to empower farmers and improve environmental management in agriculture. This will be illustrated by means of concrete case studies in more and less developed countries. The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, calls for the eradication of hunger and malnutrition by 2030 through inclusive and sustainable growth. Unlike in case of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the SDGs intend to focus more on mobilizing entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainable development. However, many important donors of the UN have a defensive view of sustainability and are focused more on slowing structural change in agriculture rather than promoting it. In this context, the global politics of sustainable agriculture can be a sustainability challenge in itself. The seminar is designed to encourage students to think critically regarding current approaches and ideologies that claim to address food security and environmental challenges. |
| Lernziele | Students - are familiar with the public perception on the causes and consequences of food insecurity and how this perception shapes policies and politics of food security in different regions of the World; - recognize the law and economics of international agricultural trade and its impact on food security and the environment. In this context students are familiar with the international institutions that administer and enforce the rule-based system of agricultural trade; - understand the role institutions and technologies in ensuring food security and protecting the environment in the face of population growth and increasing affluence; - understand how context and history shape the domestic and international responses to food security and environmental challenges. |
| Literatur | Aerni, P. (2015) The Sustainable Provision of Environmental Services: from Regulation to Innovation. Springer Series on CSR, Ethics and Governance. Springer, Heidelberg. Aerni, Philipp (2011) Food Sovereignty and its Discontents. ATDF Journal 8(1/2): 23-49. Schluep Campo I., Aerni, P. and R. K. Oniang’o (2016) Chapter 6. Europe and Africa: Addressing the food security challenges. In: The Bioscience Revolution in Europe and Africa, Using Bioscience to Create Sustainable Bioeconomies in the North and the South: Why Europe and Africa Shouldn’t Miss the Bioscience Revolution. Ivar Virgin and Jane Morris, Editors. An SEI and Routledge Publication. 2016. Schluep Campo, I. and R. Jörin (2008) Impacts of Swiss Agricultural Trade Policy on Consumer Behaviour and Dietary Patterns. Study on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health. June. Walter, J. and Schofield, R. (1991) Famine, disease and social order in early modern society: Cambridge University Press. |
| Bemerkungen | Students will be actively involved in the course by forming small groups with the purpose of studying the literature of the topic to be addressed in a selected class (prior to the event) and prepare 3-4 questions on the topic that will be presented in front of the class at the end of the lecture (60-70 minutes). The questions are addressed to lecturer/guest lecturer but are also designed to stimulate a plenum discussion (20-30 Minutes). Subsequently, the students will write a summary of about 1000 words on the content and discussion of the class they selected. |
| Unterrichtssprache | Englisch |
| Einsatz digitaler Medien | kein spezifischer Einsatz |
| Intervall | Wochentag | Zeit | Raum |
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Keine Einzeltermine verfügbar, bitte informieren Sie sich direkt bei den Dozierenden.
| Module |
Modul Culture and Society (Master Studiengang: African Studies (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2013)) Modul Environment and Human Well-Being (Master Studiengang: African Studies (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2013)) Modul Fachkompetenz Globaler Wandel (Master Studienfach: Geographie) Modul Fields: Environment and Development (Master Studiengang: African Studies) Modul Fields: Governance and Politics (Master Studiengang: African Studies) Modul Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master Studienfach: Soziologie) Modul Vertiefung Globalisierung, Kultur und internationale Entwicklung (Master Studienfach: Geographie (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2015)) Modul Wirtschaft, Kultur und Wissen (Master Studienfach: Soziologie (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2013)) Modul Wirtschaft, Politik und Entwicklung (Master Studienfach: Soziologie (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2013)) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Masterstudium: European Global Studies) |
| Leistungsüberprüfung | Lehrveranst.-begleitend |
| Hinweise zur Leistungsüberprüfung | Students need to make a contribution in class (see Bemerkung) and pass the exam at the end of the course in order to obtain the three credit points. |
| An-/Abmeldung zur Leistungsüberprüfung | Anmelden: Belegen; Abmelden: nicht erforderlich |
| Wiederholungsprüfung | keine Wiederholungsprüfung |
| Skala | Pass / Fail |
| Wiederholtes Belegen | nicht wiederholbar |
| Zuständige Fakultät | Philosophisch-Historische Fakultät, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Anbietende Organisationseinheit | Fachbereich Soziologie |