Following the successful Distinguished Lecture Series in 2022, as an initiative in support of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD), the ISC GeoUnions are presenting a continued Distinguished Lecture Series in recognition of the ratification by the United Nations of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD).
The lectures are aimed at highlighting the importance and role of science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and will be of interest to researchers and students.
The third in the new series is to be presented by Professor William G. Moseley on 13 May 2025 at 12:00 UTC.
Prof William Moseley’s new book analyzes the history of food security and agricultural development initiatives in post- colonial Africa and outlines a vision for future prosperity. The book’s main argument has three parts. First, development organizations and governments will only begin to seriously address food insecurity (SDG2) in Africa when they more fully question the assertion that a narrow focus on production agriculture is the solution, an idea that is central to crop science or agronomy. Second, agricultural development must be seen as more than the first step in an industrial development process, but as a sustainable livelihood that has value in and of itself. Third, an agroecological approach, combined with good governance, will allow people to have greater control over their food systems, produce healthy food more sustainably, and enhance access to food by the poorest of the poor. Following a broad conceptual introduction emphasizing political agronomy and political ecology, Moseley reviews past food security and agricultural development experiences in four countries where he has undertaken research: Mali, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Botswana. He then examines successful efforts in each of the aforementioned countries and outlines future directions that emphasize agroecology, or the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems. He concludes with some ideas about institutions at the national, regional and international levels. To build more resilient food systems and a different kind of development, new institutions will need to emerge that support agroecology and vibrant rurality.
Photo by meriç tuna on Unsplash
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