FEMOZ conference 2024: Bridging the food security gap in rural areas

Many ideas and innovations

"Climate change affects us all," emphasised Klaus Becker, Vice President of TH Köln, who opened the conference together with Amália Uamusse. "The topic of the conference is fundamental for Mozambique," said the Vice Rector of the UEM.

In addition to participants from TH Köln, in particular from the Faculty of Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems/ITT, numerous other international scientists, academics, representatives of the Mozambican public sector and committed students made the conference a true melting pot of ideas and innovative solutions.

Thanks to the hybrid format, the conference overcame geographical boundaries and enabled active participation from different parts of the world, including Mozambican universities in the north. Simultaneous translations encouraged engagement and facilitated a lively exchange between Mozambican and international participants.

Rural food environment

The conference consisted of four focus sessions, each of which opened with a keynote speech by an international expert. This was followed by parallel sub-sessions in which important topics were explored in greater depth. For example, the impact of the attractiveness and convenience of food on eating habits and the influence of politics and technology on shaping the food environment and improving food security in rural Mozambique were examined.

Representatives of institutions from all over Africa and Germany, including Eduardo Mondlane University, Lúrio University, Rovuma University, the Federal University of Dutsin-Ma, TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences, Frankenförder Forschungsgesellschaft and Humboldt University Berlin, exchanged ideas in 17 subgroups.

On the first day of the conference, Dr. Christopher Turner from Greenwich University discussed the concept of the rural food environment, a session that underlined the growing global interest in this topic. Dr. Alexander Fekete from Cologne University of Applied Sciences then explored the resilience of rural livelihoods in the face of disaster risks, deepening the discourse on food security.

Improved food security through NUS

The second day of the conference was equally dynamic, with Dr. Amos Laar from the University of Ghana exploring the feasibility of interventions for a healthy food environment in sub-Saharan Africa. The final session focused on Neglected or Underutilized Crop Species (NUS). Dr. Fátima Portilho and Dr. Irmgard Jordan reported on their experiences from Brazil and Kenya respectively with the use of NUS to improve food security and livelihoods.

The discussions were complemented by a multimedia exhibition with posters on various relevant topics and a short film on neglected and underutilized crops in Mozambique, which highlighted the project results.

Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlüter (Image: Fakultät12/ITT)

Continuing the dialog

The event culminated in a stimulating panel discussion chaired by Prof. Dr. Sabine Schlüter, Faculty of Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems at TH Köln, which focused on the translation of research findings into political action. This discourse was enriched by the contributions of a diverse panel, including Prof. Dr. Amos Laar and representatives of Mozambican governmental and academic institutions.

The FEMOZ team would like to thank all participants and speakers for their insightful contributions and the Eduardo Mondlane University for their tireless support.

Those interested in the detailed insights and discussions of the conference will soon find summaries of the presentations and posters shown during the event on the FEMOZ website, which promise to continue the dialog and development in the field of rural food security.