Over 150 attend launch event at Portcullis House, London Melissa Leach's launch speech (pdf 63.2kb) Video: Judi Wakhungu, chair of STEPS Advisory Board, on why STEPS is vital right now Press release Speaker biographies ESRC deputy chief executive Glyn Davies' speech (pdf 12.5kb) Blog: join the debate The launch in pictures (our Flickr photostream) We...

STEPS Centre Symposium at the DSA Conference The first STEPS Centre Symposium was held alongside the Development Studies Association annual conference 2007 to tie in with the theme of ‘Connecting Science, Society and Development. The first STEPS Centre Symposium was held alongside the Development Studies Association Annual Conference to tie in with this year’s theme...

Will managing food systems for resilience maker us more food secure? Polly Ericksen, Global Environmental Change and Food Systems (GECAFS) at the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University. Polly Ericksen's presentation (Slideshare) Blog post about the event

Bill Adams, Dept of Geography at the University of Cambridge, on the political ecology of biodiversity conservation. Bill Adam's presentation (on Slideshare) Read the blog Listen to the podcast Photos (on Flickr)

Looking back to look forward In 1987 a meeting of 50 social and natural scientists proved a defining moment in the development of farmer participation in agricultural research. In December 2007 the Future Agricultures Consortium in association STEPS and IDS hosted an international workshop, Farmer First Revisited, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the...

Helena Paul, Econexus, and Les Levidow, Open University, on global biofuel crops; integrating an agri-energy industry, and driving dispossession. Read Helena Paul and Les Levidow's presentation (on Slideshare) Read the blog Listen to the podcast Photos (on Flickr)

Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto project seminar Geoff Oldham, former SPRU director, former chairman of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for Development, and for five years a UK Delegate to the UN Commission on IDS/SPRU collaboration in the Early Days: ‘The Sussex Manifesto and its Aftermath’. Read Geoff Oldham's presentation...

Global Uncertainties The ESRC Festival of Social Science flagship event on 12 March at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies. STEPS director Melissa Leach spoke on 'Securing a safer, sustainable and equitable world' and wrote for the ESRC's The Edge magazine. Spring 2008, Issue 27 Building genuine pathways to a more...

Transboundary animal disease and market access: future options for the beef industry in southern Africa In April 2008, over 60 delegates gathered in Pretoria to discuss practical options to unlock the potential of the southern African livestock industry. Workshop, Pretoria, South Africa, 7-8 April 2008 Workshop report (pdf 260kb) Participants list (pdf 265kb) Workshop Highlights:...

Conference chaired by Kofi Annan There is a clear need for a new vision for agricultural development in Africa that can deal with the complexities of agriculture in diverse settings across Africa and meet the conditions necessary to achieve more equitable benefits for Africa’s farmers. Kofi Annan chaired a conference beginning on Wednesday organised by...