The question of how to improve farming to feed and sustain people in developing countries is as important as ever, and there are no easy solutions. One route to finding…
Contested Agronomy: Imagining different futures for food and farmers
Missing politics and food sovereignty
Over the last two decades La Via Campesina has grown as a movement campaigning for a change in the global agri-food system. Some claim that it is the world’s largest…
STEPS Symposium 2013: Science and developing countries – whose expertise counts?
Dipak Gyawali at the symposium. Photo: Lance Bellers Guest blog by Rachael Taylor, PhD student, SPRU The second session of the STEPS Symposium on the global politics of scientific advice…
EVERYONE’S A WINNER (EXCEPT IF YOU’RE NOT…)
Photo: Jatropha curcas – the biofuel plant from tonrulkens’ photostream on Flickr Our director Melissa Leach is giving the first Annual Piers Blaikie Lecture on Environmental Politics at the University…
ERIK MILLSTONE ON FOOD SECURITY IN THE SUNDAY TIMES
Two days ago the Sunday Times carried a briefing on “Environment, Sustainability and the Food Supply Challenge”. The supplement includes an interview with Erik Millstone, STEPS Centre Food and Agriculture…
RURAL REFORM IN CHINA: SETTING FARMERS FREE?
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member On the day that the UK has nationalised some of its biggest banking institutions, China has announced bold new proposals to free up the…
UN FOOD SUMMIT: WHOSE VISION FOR THE FUTURE?
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member The UN World Food Summit opened in Rome today, aiming to address the soaring food costs which have sparked riots in Egypt, Cameroon, Cote…
Rethinking regulation in China: decisions facing farmers
By ADRIAN ELY, STEPS Centre member See more photos from this project on our Flickr site The oilseed flowering season is almost over in central China, and cotton planting has…
ON VIDEO: FARMER FIRST REVISITED
At the Farmer First Revisited workshop last week we made videos of some participants talking about thier involvement in farmer participation in agricultural research. Watch Robert Chambers, Paul Van Mele,…
FARMER FIRST REVISITED KICKS OFF
After much organisation, anticipation and plenty of expresso coffee, 80 delegates from around the world have finally arrived at the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, UK, for three days…