SLU's global blog

This blog post is written by Kerstin Scragg, teacher at Celsiusskolan in Uppsala. 

I have had the great pleasure to join SLU Youth Institute in Des Moines, Iowa, to participate at Global Youth Institute and the World Food Prize conference which focuses on future food security. We have enjoyed inspiring talks and lectures, participated in different workshops and our two Swedish high school students have presented essays at a round table conversation together with other students and experts in respective field.  I work as a teacher at a high school in Uppsala and this trip really started a year ago when I signed my class up to write the Global Youth Institute’s Global Challenge essay. The overall topic of these essays is the UN’s sustainable development goal 2, End Hunger. The students chose a country with food insecurity related problems, in addition, they described the food security situation in the country and explained what is currently being done to battle these issues. In the end, they handed their essays in to SLU Youth Institute where some were chosen to participate in one of three round table conversations, given at each campus. One, out of these twenty-five students at each round table conversation, was elected to go to the U.S. to present the essay and take part of the Global Youth Institute conference in Des Moines, so here we are.

At the Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, we have enjoyed several interesting talks and presentations by leading figures in the battle of ending hunger globally, such as the CEO at the African Bank, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, this years’ World Food Prize laureates and many more. One example of a lecture was when we learned more about deep space travelling and some challenges feeding the crew during these journeys. Another interesting lecture taught us how artificial intelligence, AI, can help women in agriculture.

What I find inspiring is how these, about a hundred teenagers, are at the very centre of it all. Whether it being the content of the talks or activities chosen, all is relevant and elaborated for these possible future researchers and policy makers and, despite the long days, seems to succeed in engaging them no matter the topic. It is truly luxurious to watch and take part in these days, which I am sure will shape these young minds for a long time. This is not only an important investment for the future but also a way to let these students know how much they matter.

We are probably all aware of some of the challenges that Swedish schools face, such as large class sizes, which leads to the fact that it can be difficult to challenge gifted students every lesson. During this conference students are just that, they are challenged both socially and intellectually. To me, seeing my student, along with the others, being stimulated and inspired by the activities and talks at the Global Youth Institute, has been the most rewarding part of the journey and I can only hope I get to send more students to Global Youth Institute in the future.

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SLU Youth Institute (SLU YI) aims to create interest among Swedish youth for global food security and to find sustainable solutions to the global challenges based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. SLU Youth Institute is the Swedish part of many Youth Institutes coordinated by the World Food Prize Foundation. Read more at our Swedish website!

This blog post is written by Emelie Zonabend König, research advisor at SLU Global.

PhD student Karolin Andersson, SLU, presenting at DevRes.
Photo: Emelie Zonabend König

DevRes (the Development Research conference) is a bi-annual conference gathering Swedish development and sustainability researchers from different academic disciplines to exchange ideas and network as well as promote collaboration with practitioners, organisations and policy makers. DevRes 2024 was hosted by Lund University and the conference theme was “Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals in a polarised world”.

Although I missed the critical discussions on the first day, it quickly became clear that the exchanges taking place were of great importance. Among other things, the Swedish Research Council presented their newly published report “Development research at the Swedish Research Council 2013-2023”. It is a nice piece worth reading.

During the conference we heard about concrete projects showing how development research has led to tangible benefits. For instance, one project focused on improving maternity care by training healthcare workers, by among other things letting the pregnant woman sit on a stool while giving birth and leaning on a support person which has helped reduce birth-related injuries in several African countries. Another project showcased how collaboration with NASA enhanced systematic air quality monitoring in Ethiopia. These examples underscore the real-world impact of development research when it is applied effectively.

Yet, while the outcomes of development research are inspiring, the field has faced significant challenges in Sweden. In recent years, Swedish development researchers has grappled with severe funding cuts, including the complete elimination, and the government has been phasing out Agenda 2030 from the mandates of its authorities, which has raised concerns about Sweden’s commitment to global development goals.

A new troubling development that was discussed during the conference is the decision by Formas, the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, to limit external collaboration by allowing only 15% of research funding to go to researchers outside Sweden. Interestingly, the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) has taken a different legal interpretation, suggesting there may be room for policy reform. This will be interesting to follow.

DevRes 2024 gathered representatives from 35 different universities and offered more than just a space to express concerns — it provided a platform for researchers to come together, present their fascinating research, share ideas, learn from each other, and brainstorm about new ways forward. In a time when development research faces immense challenges, the opportunity to network and support each other is more important than ever. We must find creative solutions to navigate the changing funding landscape, while celebrating the excellent work being done across the globe.

The conversations and collaborations we build are crucial. As much as we value the technical insights, it’s the human connections that will propel us into the future. We must continue to meet, discuss, and challenge each other. We also need to share the relevance of our work outside of our own choir, and I was glad to hear that the steering of SweDev took the main role to write a debate article about the harsh situation for Swedish development researchers. This was later published in Altinget.

A big thank you to the organisers and all others involved in making DevRes 2024 such a success. Even in the face of setbacks, let’s keep these conversations going and work together to ensure that development research continues to thrive.

This blog post is written by Einar Nordgren, Vice Chair of the Joint Committee of Student Unions of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

Drinking my morning coffee on the terrace of the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation’s (FAO). Photo: Jens Mårtensson

It was with an ounce of confusion that I stepped into the FAO headquarters in Rome at the start of the World Food Forum, what will happen, is there anyone here that I know and what will I be able to contribute?

One of these questions was cleared up quite quickly when I entered the entrance and met representatives from SLU and Alnarp Agroecology Farm, but the other questions were still unsolved.

During the various sessions organised, I came to the realisation quite quickly that I could contribute and bring home thoughts and reflections. Much of what was discussed was linked to the involvement of young people in decision-making. Something that I, in my role as Vice President of Sluss (The Joint Committee of Student Unions of SLU), work with daily and that I also realised that in Sweden we are good at involving young people in decision-making.

A session on the opportunities and challenges of agriculture and forestry from the perspective of young people.
Photo: Einar Nordgren

But I also came to another realisation, and that is that the word sustainability has different meanings depending on where in the world we are. When I think about sustainable food production from a Swedish perspective, it’s about being economical, reducing climate impact through emissions and economising on the resources we have. I looked at the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website to see how they have defined sustainability and in summary, their definition is about economic and environmental sustainability, but also social sustainability to fulfil human rights. During the World Food Forum, sustainable food production was discussed from a completely different perspective, namely ensuring the long-term ability to put nutritious food on the table.

The fact that sustainable food production can be defined in two such different ways was something I hadn’t realised before, but is very important to keep in mind.

Having the opportunity to participate in events like these is a privilege and something that should not be taken for granted. Students from all over the world participated in the World Food Forum, but there was one thing that separated the two groups. Namely, the conditions to participate, both when it came to getting a visa to travel to Rome, but also the financial aspect. While the majority of the students had received financial support to participate, the common factor for those who had paid for their own participation was that these were people who came from countries that do not have a stable and secure food supply.

As I sat down and listened to the different speakers and had a look around the room on the first day, I realised how big the world is!

The conference hall at the FAO headquarters. Photo: Einar Nordgren

But a few days later it turns out that it may not be as big as I think. During my second year as a student at SLU, I went on a study trip to Slovenia to see how their forestry works and I had the opportunity to meet and talk to the forestry students there. In a corridor at FAO in Rome I met one of these students again. I have heard the saying ‘The forest is not as big as you think’ during my education, but I never thought when I stepped into the World Food Forum that I would say the world is not as big as you think.

Back at campus Ultuna, I will now try to summarise a couple of extremely interesting and instructive days in Rome. Linking back to the title of this blog post, I have realised how big the world is when one word can mean so many different things, but at the same time so small, especially when you have decided which direction to take, both professionally and academically.

With regards from Einar

 

About the World Food Forum

The World Food Forum (WFF) was launched in 2021 by the Youth Committee of the the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as an independent network of partners. Hosted within FAO, it serves as the premier global platform to actively shape agrifood systems for a better food future, accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through youth action, science and innovation, and investment, the WFF forges new paths of action and multi-sector partnerships for agrifood impact at the local, regional and global levels to achieve a more sustainable, resilient, inclusive and hunger-free food future for all.

This blog post is written by Mary Theodorah Ajal, Master’s student at SLU.

From left: Peter Wallensteen, Mary Theodorah Ajal, Jan Egeland, Reina Lee, Linnea Törnlund and Janithrika Jayasundara. Photo: Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

On 16 September 2024, I had the honor of representing the Swedish University of Agricultural Science as one of the panelists during the Dag Hammarskjöld annual lecture, organised by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation.

Before the invitation to participate as one of the panelists, I did not know who Dag Hammarskjöld was nor anything about Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. Luckily, I was brought to speed with different materials and information about Dag Hammarskjöld and the previous Dag Hammarskjöld annual lectures. I must say I was so overwhelmed when I learned about the high-profile individuals, who in the previous year’s gave lectures, and the speakers I would be meeting. I am grateful for the guidance offered by Prof. Peter Wallensteen; it did calm me down to give my best.

Dag Hammarskjöld served as the UN Secretary-General from 1953 till his death in 1961. He lost his life in the pursuit of peace, on a mission to mediate the Congo crisis in the 1960s. I am humbled to have participated in an event that celebrates and honors the life and service of Dag Hammarskjöld.

I had the honor of sharing the stage with several distinguished guests including Rena Lee, Ambassador for International Law and Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, Secretary General for the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, Prof. Peter Wallensteen, Senior Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, and my fellow panelists Janithrika Jayasundara, Pax et Bellum and Linnea Törnlund, the Vice President Uppsala Association of Foreign Affairs.

I was privileged to meet the Vice Chancellor of Uppsala University, Professor Anders Hagfeldt, Chairperson Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation Board of Trustees, Hans Wallmark, and many other distinguished guests.

In one sentence the event was surreal.

I learned from Secretary General Jan Egeland that peace can’t be pursued passively. Conflict resolution isn’t possible with hypocrisy or selective application of laws.

Despite all, there’s hope as long as there is someone making the bold steps to restore peace. As long as there is someone speaking up and acting on it, there is hope for peace.

Ambassador Rena Lee is a woman crowned in grace, wisdom, and humility. She’s a testament that anything is possible. As a young woman looking forward to making the world a better place, she fueled my will and zeal.

I had the great opportunity to ask her questions about

the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) or “High Seas Treaty” in the areas of deep-sea exploration and plastic management in the oceans.

I thank SLU for the opportunity to participate in the Dag Hammarskjöld annual lecture. I am also privileged to receive funding from SLU Global through the Minor Field Study (MFS) grant to facilitate my master’s thesis research abroad in the Karamoja region, North Eastern Uganda. My study will focus on the Characterization and productivity of kitchen gardens and their contribution to food security and livelihoods in the Karamoja region. I am excited about my research because it will be able to inform policy and shape how kitchen gardens can be implemented in agropastoral and pastoral regions to enhance food security and livelihoods.

Kitchen gardens in Moroto, North Eastern Uganda, where I am doing my research for my Masters thesis.
Photos: Mary Theodorah Ajal

I am eager to gain an understanding of kitchen gardens in an agropastoral and pastoral region. “Is it the same as my understanding of kitchen gardens in Sweden, or in my small hometown in Tororo, Eastern Uganda or is it something new and beautifully different?”

About my future plans, I am looking forward to pursuing a PhD when an opportunity opens but I am also open to working with organizations that are supporting local/indigenous food systems to become more sustainable and resilient.

To learn about Dag Hammarskjöld visit: https://www.daghammarskjold.se/

Watch the recording of the Dag Hammarskjöld lecture 2024 here: https://www.daghammarskjold.se/dag-hammarskjold-lecture/the-dag-hammarskjold-lecture-2023-2024/

Yours truly, Mary Theodorah