Project: Climate Change, Food Security and Women in the Global South

Keynote speakers

Prof Madhusree Shekher, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

Social Science Research in the Emerging Context: Science beyond Sciences
There is inadequate understanding of local systems, particularly while dealing with concerns relating to climate change. Climate action needs to be framed at (local) policy-level through understanding of community needs and uses of land-water-energy systems.

Risk and resilience capacities of local communities need to be at the forefront of climate action and adaptation measures. Also, there is need to provide space for addressing and re-imagining long-standing perceptions about communities and their practices, in order to improve and inform better policies. This calls for an understanding of non-conventional human security concerns, and a dive into looking at 'Science beyond Sciences’, which social science research can explore in the emerging context climate change and climate response actions.

Prof Madhushree Sekher is Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Currently, she is the Dean, School of Skill Education, and Chairperson, Office for International Affairs, TISS. Institutions, political economy of representation, governance, inclusive development and policy implementation are her core research interests. Her current research areas are institutions for food security, inequalities and social welfare systems, collective action and community resource governance, and democratic representation in India.

Prof Ameeta Jaga, Commerce Faculty, University of Cape Town

Elevating marginalized women's voice in the global South: Using participatory and arts-based methodologies to co-produce social change
In this talk, Prof Jaga presents an epistemological endeavour to challenge traditional hierarchical models of knowledge construction and dissemination for developing contextually relevant southern knowledge and solutions to improve low-income mothers’ quality of life in South Africa.

She reflects on how participatory action research and arts-based methodologies can offer emancipatory possibilities and serve as a means to understand on-the-ground geopolitical dynamics, and shares an example of work using these methodologies in a project titled Motherload. This project sought to foreground the lived realities of mothers’ multiple intersecting vulnerabilities of food and economic insecurity, unsafe environments, and disproportionate care work, by centring their voices as expert knowledge producers and actors for social change.

Prof Ameeta Jaga is Professor of Organisational Psychology and Deputy Dean of Transformation in the Commerce Faculty at the University of Cape Town. She is a southern work-family scholar who prioritises context while underlining global inequalities in knowledge production. Her current projects focus on reducing mothers’ disproportionate care work and the creation of care economies using participatory and arts-based methodologies.

You can watch one of the presentations, Nagma Bhadanaafroza: VanGujjar community in Uttarakhad, India, online.

Keynote speakers

Prof Anjoo Sharan Upadhyay, BHU, India

Digital technologies and food governance in India This presentation undertakes a nuanced exploration of government agencies and multilateral forums in the realm of food governance within the Indian context, with a focus on the integration of digital technologies. It seeks to intricately weave together global, national, and local narratives surrounding food security and policy, shedding light on their interplay.

The analysis spans a spectrum of issues, including the impact of climate change and the efficacy of nationwide public food distribution systems. A pivotal aspect of the discussion is the manifold ways in which digital technologies are revolutionizing food production and distribution practices in India.

While acknowledging India's significant strides in enhancing food security, the presentation underscores the persistent gaps that remain. Through an interdisciplinary lens, it scrutinises the underlying complexities of food insecurity and poverty within the Indian policy landscape, while also delineating prospective pathways for tackling these challenges.

Prof Priyankar Upadhyaya, UNESCO and MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU)

Environment and Conflict in the Indian Subcontinent

The Indian subcontinent faces conflicts caused by environmental issues such as water scarcity, deforestation, land degradation, and air pollution. Climate changes such as rising temperatures, volatile changes in rainfall, and extreme weather events aggravate conflicts over resources, displacement, and migration. Cross-border disputes over water-sharing agreements and dam construction along several transboundary river basins exacerbate these conflicts.

Marginalised communities often suffer the most from natural disasters and poorly managed relief efforts. To mitigate these conflicts, integrated and sustainable approaches that prioritise environmental conservation, resource management, conflict prevention, and community resilience are required. International cooperation, effective governance, and inclusive decision-making processes are essential for building peace in the region.

Workshop taster

Himanshu Verma, Red Earth

Conversations on textiles
This workshop reflected on the impact of climate change on aesthetic traditions using a multipronged approach to sustainability, through seasonal patterns in art and music practices.

An arts curator, Himanshu Verma is the founder of Red Earth, a Jaipur-Delhi-Mumbai based independent arts organisation that works with Indian contemporary visual art, design as well as diverse forms of cultural expression.