The agrifood-related challenges we are facing today abound. The increasing levels of hunger and poverty are accompanied by diversifying forms of insecurity and inequality in terms of access to a healthy and ecologically sustainable diet. Accelerating ecological threats like climate change and agrobiodiversity loss are accompanied by the rise of authoritative regimes and anti-democratic governance of the agrifood system. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only demonstrated once again the vulnerabilities of capitalist-industrial agrifood relations but also has significantly intensified them. And now, on top of all, the world is faced with a war, which is further deepening the already existing problems while creating new ones.

The mini-conference aims to revisit these themes with a specific focus on what the pandemic has revealed about them. The conference will take place at the Research Center Global Dynamics at Leipzig University in Leipzig, Germany, on October 20-21, 2022. The mini-conference is organized as an intellectually stimulating in-person two-day event. In the tradition of RC40, ample time the participants are dedicated to discussion and debate allowing them to integrate varied theoretical frames, problem definitions, and empirical observations across scales and geographies. 

The conference was co-organized by AiS members.

Find more information and the program here.