[voew-listserver] WG: WINS Seminar on December 04, 2014 at 3pm (ct.), IRI THESys

From: "Andreas Thiel" <a.thiel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ak-umwelt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <voew-listserver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 11:46:46 +0100
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WINS Seminar on December 04, 2014 at 3pm (ct.), IRI THESys

Dear colleagues
We welcome you to the session of the WINS Seminar series (Seminar of the
Berlin Workshop in Institutional Analysis of Social-Ecological Systems) on
December 04, 2014.

Wolfgang Bokelmann (Humboldt University):
The Contribution of Horticultural Value Chains to Improve the Nutrition and
Livelihood Situation of the Rural and Urban Poor in Kenya

CV

Research focus: 
Division Economics of Horticultural Production, focusing on all aspects of
Food Value Chains, especially governance, sustainability and innovations.
Prior experience
Head of the Division Economics of Horticultural Production at HUB; many
years of experience with academic research, consultancy and teaching,
covering e.g. the areas of Farm Management, Marketing and Environmental
Management and is involved in the Doctoral Certificate Program in
Agricultural Economics. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of
the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.


Abstract

The Contribution of Horticultural Value Chains to Improve the Nutrition and
Livelihood Situation of the Rural and Urban Poor in Kenya.

Regardless of the substantial efforts that have already been made, the
reduction of poverty and hunger, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, has
hardly made significant progress. As a result of poverty, the problem of
hidden hunger has also become a focal point. The shortage of mineral
substances and vitamins can have detrimental effects on those affected and
leads to delayed development in children. 
The development of the horticultural production sector shows an opportunity
making substantial contributions to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
Jobs and income opportunities originate from labour-intensive production
systems as well as from logistic and processing activities. Vegetables
provide vital minerals and vitamins in the food. The variety, particularly
of indigenous vegetables, contributes to greater diversity of agricultural
production systems. 
Despite the growing demand, there are  due to a number of different factors
- no improvements of the vegetable supply: 
       Unpredictable precipitation, insufficient plant nutrition, soil
degradation and plant diseases cause that the real potential of expansion
has hardly been touched on. 
       In addition, the post-harvest losses of crops reach up to 50%. 
       Finally, the lack of infrastructure and supportive regulations as
well as weak organisation of local and regional marketing processes lead to
significant transaction costs with the result of lower incomes for small
farmers and higher prices for consumers. 
At the same time, food systems are changing significantly. Due to the growth
of international trade and the spread of retail chains the requirements for
the products are becoming increasingly stringent. More often customers
expect certification of products. In addition, there are already some
indications of climate change impacts. Expanding drought periods raise
uncertainty of production. A higher volatility of prices is frequently
associated with that, causing considerable problems for smallholder farmers
in particular.
Against the background of the described problems and challenges the
following central question was derived for the collaborative research
project HORTINLEA. How can existing vegetable value chains improve the
supply of high quality food and at the same time contribute to the rise in
living standards of smallholder farmers?


It will take place on: 

Thursday, December 04, 2014 3pm (ct.)
Quartier Stadtmitte
Friedrichstr. 191
10117 Berlin
4th floor, room 4088
Map and room location
http://www.iri-thesys.org/contact
http://www.iri-thesys.org/directions_quartier191/at_download/file 


The mission of The Berlin Workshop in Institutional Analysis of
Social-Ecological Systems (WINS) is to advance communication between
academic communities (economists, political scientists, geographers,
sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and others) that study the
role of institutions and governance structures in social-ecological systems
and their transformation. It is an open platform for both advanced and young
scholars to work symbiotically. WINS is based at Humboldt University's
Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment
Systems (IRI THESys). The overarching scholarly aim is to facilitate the
accumulation of knowledge and the development of new, interdisciplinary and
problem-oriented analytical theories and methods, bridging the multiplicity
of approaches that have been established over time. Integrative discourses,
interdisciplinary research and an advanced studies program will serve as
conduits towards this goal. The ultimate purpose is to strengthen policy
making through enhanced dialogue with practitioners and stakeholders. For
more information please see here: https://www.wins.hu-berlin.de/

Berlins environmental research community is among the most prolific in
Europe and the world and we want to take advantage of that. Thus, throughout
the 14 sessions of the series we will introduce the work of prominent
scholars from Research Institutes that center around Berlin. Additionally,
we have visits by scholars from other European Universities. 

WINS Seminar sessions will take place every Thursday, 3pm, during the
winter semester (except for the public holidays). 
We are looking forward to inspiring presentations and productive exchanges.

Organiser of the WINS Seminar series



Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihre
Ines Jeworski

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät
Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Gartenbauwissenschaften
Fachgebiet Ressourcenökonomie 
Hannoversche Str. 27
10099 Berlin
Bundesrepublik Deutschland       
Tel. 0049 (30) 2093-46365
Fax: 0049 (30) 2093- 6497
E-mail: i.jeworski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.resource-economics.hu-berlin.de


Ines Jeworski
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Faculty of Life Sciences 
Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences 
Division of Resource Economics
Hannoversche Str. 27
D-10099 Berlin
Tel. 0049 (30) 2093-46365
Fax: 0049 (30) 2093- 6497
E-mail: i.jeworski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.resource-economics.hu-berlin.de
[voew-listserver] WG: WINS Seminar on December 04, 2014 at 3pm (ct.), IRI THESys

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