Publications

The Royal Tropical Institute did research in 2011 to assess the impact of schoolbased dance4life programmes on young people in Uganda and Russia. This article discusses the concept of meaningful participation using findings from the study. What does this concept mean and which models exist to analyse the different aspects of participation? It is concluded that participation not only becomes meaningful if young people are actively involved and have a voice, but also when it is sustainable and valued by the young people.

Scaling up of nutrition programmes has gained substantial support worldwide, including in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. But progress in decreasing undernutrition is extremely slow. A sustained reduction in malnutrition, particularly stunting and micronutrient deficiencies, requires an integrated approach to ensuring access to an adequate diet. This policy brief argues for an increased focus on domestic value chain interventions to improve access to nutritious food by poor urban pregnant women and lactating mothers and their children in Sub-Saharan Africa. It also describes an approach for how this can be done.

The changing nature of African agriculture in the face of myriad global, regional and local challenges demands change in agricultural capacity development. Universities are well placed to spearhead this change, but to effectively do so they need to update courses’ content and change the way they are delivered. In particular, changes at an institutional level are required to transform the long-held negative image of universities as backwaters populated by egotistical academics and bureaucratic administrators. The African university must become better positioned to be a facilitator of agricultural innovation, technology, institutions and development.

Governance is important in every aspect of sustainable development, as it affects guidance, processes, consistent management, cohesive policies, accountability mechanisms and the right to decide on particular areas of responsibility. This is equally true of all types of organisation, regardless of their purpose and motivation (such as for common goods or individual benefits, profit or not-for-profit) and whether a single individual, a group of people, a community, local government, university or research centre, an enterprise, ministry or even all of humanity is involved.

Smoothly functioning food markets are vital for food security. They give smallholder farmers incentives to generate a surplus they can sell, and to invest in new production and postharvest management technologies. They also ensure that food reaches consumers in deficit areas. In doing so, they contribute to food security and higher incomes, the main goal of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

n 2010–2011, recent graduates (2008 or earlier) of the Masters in International Health (MIH) (as offered by over 30 universities and institutions collaborating in the tropEd network) were surveyed. We aimed to examine whether the competencies gained proved appropriate for alumni’s current positions and to develop the programme according to alumni’s needs.

The changing nature of African agriculture in the face of myriad global, regional and local challenges demands change in agricultural capacity development. Universities are well placed to spearhead this change, but to effectively do so they need to update courses’ content and change the way they are delivered. In particular, changes at an institutional level are required to transform the long-held negative image of universities as backwaters populated by egotistical academics and bureaucratic administrators. The African university must become better positioned to be a facilitator of agricultural innovation, technology, institutions and development.