To be held in Riga, Latvia 6-8 November 2018 at the Baltic Studies Centre
Food and nutrition security and long-term sustainability of food systems are among the major challenges for European societies in the coming decades. Food systems and the ways we produce, consume and regulate the production of food are increasingly expected to contribute to a range of societal objectives – provide healthy nutrition to all, conserve the planetary resources, deliver public environmental goods, facilitate the development of rural and urban territories, promote social justice and inclusion, enrich our cultural diversity. Various stakeholders from food companies to consumers, environmentalists, municipalities, and many others are engaging in new practical initiatives of sustainable food provision, or even seek to develop new and more inclusive food policies. These processes are closely related to social innovation.
Objective of the Autumn School
The objective of the ESRS Autumn School 2018 “Social Innovation in and for Sustainable Food Provision” is to advance scientific knowledge of PhD students in rural sociology and related disciplines (e.g. food studies, nutrition and public health) about the role social innovation plays in contemporary food provision. The Autumn School will look into conditions, frameworks and mechanisms of social innovation as well as its outcomes and effects on our food systems.
Who is invited?
It has been a tradition of ESRS summer, autumn and winter schools to bring together students who work on PhD projects in thematically related area to discuss issues of common interest and individual relevance, and enhance the expertise of PhD researchers in an interdisciplinary and friendly atmosphere, together with more experienced researchers and professors who act as tutors. This year the Autumn School invites PhD students who work on social innovation in the areas of food, nutrition, diets and consumption; examine the responses of the food industry to dynamic shifts in consumer demand for sustainably produced products; investigate collaborative arrangements between producers, consumers, retailers, governance and knowledge institutions towards new forms of food provision; examine ways in which specific supply and demand synergies enhance different modes of sustainable food production and consumption; look into governance arrangements and policy instruments that improve food provision; and other related topics. PhD students are expected to bring their own theoretical perspectives and empirical cases that would form the basis for academic interaction during the School’s activities.
Guest professors and scientific committee:
▪ Tālis Tisenkopfs, Chair (Baltic Studies Centre, LV)
▪Boelie Elzen (Wageningen University and Research, NL)
▪Chris Kjeldsen (Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, DK)
▪ Elisabete Figueiredo (Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of Aveiro, PT)
▪ Kristina Svels (Nordland Research Institute, NO)
▪Marc Barbier (French National Institute for Agricultural Research, FR)
▪Maria Partalidou (Aristotle University of Thesaloniki,GR)
▪Marianne Cerf (French National Institute for Agricultural Research, FR)
▪Mikelis Grivins, Vice-Chair (Baltic Studies Centre, LV)
Gains from the Autumn School
For PhD students the Autumn School will provide an opportunity to discuss their work, receive feedback, and make choices regarding theories, methods and data representations most fitting their research goals. The School will also provide a structured overview of social innovation related academic debate which will be presented by wellknown experts in the field. Guest professors and tutors will provide input in various forms (keynotes, workshops, feedback, individual consultations, etc.).
How to apply?
▪ PhD students willing to apply have to submit an abstract (including a short biographical note, title of a paper, research questions, theoretical framework, methods used, empirical data and main results if available) as well as characterisation of nature of the text – is it a thesis chapter, an academic paper or any other academic text. The abstract should not exceed 800 words.
▪ Abstract has to be sent to: andris.suvajevs@gmail.com by the 20th of September.
▪ The Scientific committee will select and inform the candidates by the 1 st of October.
▪ Candidates who are selected will have to send their full paper (3-4 thousand words) by the 25th of October. Baltic Studies Centre (BSC) is a leading research institute in Latvia in the implementation of EU research and innovation projects on food systems, food security, agricultural knowledge and innovation, and rural development.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.ruralsociology.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ESRS-Autumn-School-2018.pdf