HAFL Hugo P. Cecchini Institute Annual Event and 30 Years of International Agriculture at BFH-HAFL. 11 June 2024, Zollikofen

This public event that includes keynotes and debates on the theme "Building bridges and joining forces: engaging youth in shaping sustainable food systems and landscapes”. Further information and registration. 

Geneva Africa Lab Events

7 Mai: Présentation du livre « Les Bons ressentiments. Essai sur le malaise post-colonial », par Elgas

15 Mai: Djihadisme, réforme politico-morale et violence agraire en Afrique de l’Ouest

30 Mai: Conférence «Peace is possible: Faith, Activism and Hope» par Mme Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge

Conference “Reversing the Gaze: Using Concepts Across Borders”, 12-13 September, Basel
The conference brings together reflections on the use of concepts across borders in social sciences.  See the website for more information.

8th Swiss Researching Africa Days, 25-26 October, Bern

The conference with the theme “Sustainability and Transformation” marks the 50^thanniversary of the Swiss Society for African Studies. Further information. 

ETH Study: Public Opinion on Development Cooperation

Since 2021, ETH NADEL has conducted the annual Swiss Panel Global Cooperation survey, which analyses the views of over 3,000 Swiss citizens on international cooperation. The 2023 survey indicates that i) the Swiss population remains concerned about global poverty, ii) there is greater support for strengthening development cooperation than for increasing military spending, and iii) education, food security and health are seen as the top priorities for the allocation of development funds. 

Missing Dollars: How Illicit Financial Flows Affect Developing Countries

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) erode the tax base of low and middle-income countries. Against this backdrop researchers from Switzerland, Ghana, and Laos engaged in a six-year research, funded by the R4D programme, to study the IFFs associated with commodity trade mispricing and tax evasion. The Ghanaian filmmaker Fiifi Koomsom retraces this research collaboration in the documentary “Missing Dollars”.

Disenchanted Modernities: Mega-Infrastructure Projects, Socio-Ecological Changes and Local Responses

Mega-Infrastructure Projects (MIPs) are a central element of globalized development.`Disenchanted Modernities' presents 16 case studies showing that the promise of a sustainable modern development by MIPs leave many local users disenchanted: They don't profit from the MIPs. The book is published by the authors of the KFPE-Factsheet: ‘The New Global Connect: Mega-Infrastructure Projects and Their Local Impacts’. 

The potential of agroecology and organic agriculture in the tropics

The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL’s latest publications offer insights into the latest science demonstrating that organic agriculture and agroecology have the potential to facilitate the transition towards inclusive, healthy and sustainable food systems in the tropics. Read the latest paper, policy dossier and factsheet. These publications add to the KFPE-Factsheet: ‘Variety is the source of life’

Restoring Mountain Systems for Social–Ecological Resilience

Conserving and recovering mountain landscape functions are key concerns in the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and a focus of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030. The articles in Mountain Research and Development Vol 43, No 4 highlight the social dimensions of diverse restoration efforts, including páramo protection in Ecuador, puna grassland rehabilitation in Peru, forest plantations in Ethiopia, spring conservation in Nepal, and large-scale landscape conservation in North America.

New KFPE Staff: Elisabeth Schubiger

Since March 2024, Elisabeth Schubiger is working as a project manager for the Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries and the Sustainability Research Steering Group.