Global Food Systems – Sovereignty or Trade Rules –or Both

*event will be held in English

The seminar focuses on food security (SDG 2) and examines the global causes of nutritional inequalities. Despite sufficient food production, climate change, corruption, conflicts, and unstable markets lead to hunger and food shortages. A key approach is food sovereignty – the right to shape one's own agricultural and food policies independently of in- ternational trade rules.

To illustrate this, quinoa cultivation in Ecuador can be seen as an example, demonstrating how rising demand can lead to monocultures and negative consequences for growing regions. In contrast, solutions like the "La Via Campesina" initiative promote the independence of small-scale farmers, fair trade, and traditional farming methods. 

The seminar invites participants to reflect on their responsibilities as consumers. Topics such as foodwaste in the Global North, post-harvest losses in the Global South, and resilient agricultural methods to increase productivity while preserving ecosystems will be the focus of discussions.

Seminar "Mental Health - How to get over the trauma?" (SDG 3) englischsprachig

While the concept of mental health is gaining in public awareness in countries of the Global North, it is often not clear and associated with shame in countries of the Global South, often in countries with poverty and war. This reflects the contrast between fundamentalist understandings of religion and scientific approaches. The seminar provides an insight into the programmes offered (by the university and institutes, e.g. on the experience of flight) and addresses the issue of help. The meanings and possibilities of how healers, religion etc. are used as resources in different parts of the world are also discussed here.