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Feeding the Billions: Food and Water Security

Feeding the Billions: Challenges and Innovation in Food and Water Security

In this course you will examine a range of approaches towards food and water security, from food systems to international policy agreements to community-based activities.

Course description

There are 8.0 billion people to feed today, and this number is expected to increase to about 10 billion by 2050. More food is needed, and more food means more water for crops and livestock to grow.

This course is evidence-based and addresses food and water challenges and innovative interventions from various disciplinary perspectives and socio-cultural contexts, using real-life examples. This year, students will collaborate with students from Rhodes University in South Africa on joint assignments and presentations through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). Interactive theoretical lecture sessions (partly online) are alternated with discussions, group work, and a field visit. Students will benefit from discussions with their peers from different disciplinary backgrounds and countries of origin. At least five of the following topics will be covered: 

  • Food systems, Food and Nutrition Security and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture
  • Water management, water security and Climate-Smart Agriculture
  • Extension services, Policies & challenges
  • International food markets and economic factors that affect food security
  • Innovative interventions along the value chain (from farm to fork)

We bring practice to the classroom by using real-life examples from the Netherlands and from South Africa. Assessment will be based on students’ participation in discussions, debates, and group presentations.

Continue reading below for more information

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About this course

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Course level

  • Advanced

Credits

Contact hours

  • 45

Language

  • EN

Tuition fee

  • €765 - €1360

Additional information

  • Learning objectives

    By the end of this course, students will be able to:

    • Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of key concepts related to food systems, food markets, food and nutrition security, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, water security, and climate-smart agriculture.
    • Develop and apply transversal skills, including communication, debating, digital literacy, presentation, team collaboration, in an intercultural setting.
    • Design and implement data collection tools.
    • Conduct a comparative analysis of stakeholder perceptions of in the field of food systems
    • Reflect critically on food security, nutrition and climate change challenges across diverse socio-ecological contexts.
  • Forms of tuition and assessment

    This course is going to be taught through (partly online) lectures, excursions (if possible), discussions, group work, and videos. 

    Students will be assessed through active participation in debates, discussions and group presentations.

  • About the course lecturers

    Denyse Snelder and Sabina Di Prima work at the Centre for International Cooperation (CIS), VU Amsterdam. Both manage and implement research and capacity building projects in Africa and Southeast Asia. Dr Denyse Snelder has expertise in sustainable land and water management and Sabina Di Prima conducted her PhD research in food and nutrition security. Dr Lia van Wesenbeeck is senior researcher and the director of the Amsterdam Centre for World Food Studies at VU Amsterdam. Dr Wilma van Staden has expertise in environmental management and climate-smart agriculture and is e-learning specialist and lecturer at Rhodes University in South Africa. 

  • Preliminary course syllabus

    Here you can find the preliminary course syllabus for summer 2025. 

  • Further information

    The Summer School on Food and Water Security is organised by the Centre for International Cooperation (CIS), in collaboration with Rhodes University in South Africa and the Amsterdam Centre for World Food Studies (ACWFS), a joint initiative of the School of Business and Economics (SBE) and the Faculty of Science, VU Amsterdam. CIS is active in acquisition and implementation of externally funded international research and education projects, in developing interdisciplinary education; and in promoting communication between researchers at the VU by organising seminars, workshops and conferences.

Team VU Amsterdam Summer School

We are here to help!

amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl

Microsoft Teams: by appointment via amsterdamsummerschool@vu.nl

Contact

  • Yota
  • Programme Coordinator
  • Esther Fris
  • International Officer
  • Julia
  • International Officer

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