EIMAS Winter School 2024

The Battle for Sustenance: Navigating the Complexities of Food Politics in Africa

Overview

The fourth cohort students in the Erasmus Mundus Master’s program EIMAS (European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies) was organizing a Winter School scheduled from November 18 to 21, 2024, in Bordeaux, France. This year's conference aimed to foster a critical dialogue on the theme "The Battle for Sustenance: Navigating the complexities of food politics in Africa." Embracing an interdisciplinary approach, the event integrated practical experiences and scholarly perspectives from fields such as political economy, political ecology, environmental studies, and international relations.

The conference sessions encompassed lectures, presentations, Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and various interactive group activities. To engage a broad audience, the majority of sessions adopted a hybrid format, facilitating participation for both on-site attendees in Bordeaux and remote involvement for students and professionals from African nations and across the globe.

Objectives
   

• To delve into the root causes of the food crisis experienced in many parts of Africa, specifically to dissect issues arising from climate change, resource-based competitions, conflicts, and land grabbing.
• To question systemic issues underlying the lack of food sovereignty, including unequal and colonial power dynamics in global trade, investment and cooperation, the politicisation and commodification of the environment, and a lack of effective regulation of communities’ rights to their ancestral lands.
• To centre insights from feminist political ecology, including on gendered inequalities in the context of food security, as well as women’s resistance to extractivist agriculture; to inform strategies that acknowledge and promote women as key agents of change in food production and sovereignty.
• To discuss sustainable solutions that genuinely reduce food dependency, promote equal, inclusive development, resolve conflicts and thus contribute to long-term food accessibility and sovereignty.
• To create a platform for a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss ideas on improving food system governance for future collaborative efforts within African and global development frameworks, including a focus on involving youth and young people more decisively in food systems at large.

Themes
   

• Food Crisis and Climate Change in Africa
• Resource-Based Competition, Conflicts, and Land-Grabbing
• Systemic Issues in Food Sovereignty

Target Audience

In Person:
Students from the Universite Bordeaux Montaigne, other universities, and professionals

Online:
Students, young people, professionals and anyone interested from around the world

Voice of Communities

The Winter School featured testimonials from local communities, including activists and individuals collaborating with grassroots organizations to enhance resilience against climate change and combat food insecurity. These voices emphasized the tangible effects of the issues being discussed, ensuring that local perspectives are central to the conversation.

Conclusion

The EIMAS Winter School 2024 provided a comprehensive exploration of food politics in Africa, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches and international cooperation. By addressing the root causes and proposing sustainable solutions, the Winter School aimed to contribute to the long-term goal of ensuring food security and sovereignty in Africa.

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Contact: EIMAS-Winter-School@uni-bayreuth.de