Societal impact: Food security and improved nutrition. In line with the UN sustainable goal of zero hunger (SDG 2) and the NORGOBAL call, SEGURA will contribute to increased access to food. Our main hypothesis is that access to land, access to market channels, and improved policies for food security will empower households and alleviate the structural causes of conflict.
Conflict-afflicted regions value and request food security projects. The question is whether such food security programs could be the basis for larger-scale production developments in a post-conflict scenario, and for many regions of Colombia that suffered acute violence, and to what extent they will function in a situation of continued conflict.
We will contribute actively to the design and implementation of effective food security and nutrition programs in conflict situations. By producing new in-depth knowledge about dietary regimes and food cultures, it will be possible to adapt general policies to local contexts.
Through interventions and collaboration with policy makers, we will be able to measure the effect of the project. The knowledge base generated by the project will serve as an important contribution to monitor food security and to develop public policies on attaining a sustainable food system. The project will create a dialogue platform of various stakeholders involving research institutes, the state level of Cauca, universities, private sector, and NGOs. If successful, it may be a model to be replicated at national level and in other countries and settings.
Conflict alleviation. Both UN and the call emphasize the value of “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” (SDG16). SEGURA addresses conflict indirectly through improving what is regarded as the structural causes of conflict, such as access to land, job creation, poverty, alternatives to illegal activities, and the use of land for legal and sustainable food production. The Colombian partners will take an active role here and the dialogue platform will help to achieve this goal more directly.
Gender equality. By regarding gender as a crucial variable for food security, SEGURA addresses gender equality (SDG 5) directly. Improved food security requires empowering women in the household and in the local community. To achieve this goal, we will communicate with leaders of local community groups and municipalities.
Environmental sustainability. The project supports SDG 12 (“Responsible consumption and production”) through the development of local food and distribution systems linking sustainable production with consumption. We do so by comparing successful and less successful cases to identify mechanisms and success factors. The promotion of arable land for local food production will diminish degradation and deforestation of land. In addition, we will encourage a conversion of land to production of food from production illegal crops. We will collaborate with ongoing projects operated by Fundacion Alpina and Caritas for dissemination of results.
Scientific impact: Strengthened cooperation between Norwegian and Colombian research institutions. The NORGLOBAL2 call emphasizes co-production of knowledge between equitable partners in Norway and the host country. Two Norwegian universities collaborate with three prominent Colombian academic partners. The Norwegian Embassy in Bogota explicitly called for stronger contact with academic networks in Bogota. This will be accomplished through collaborative activities, including seminars in Colombia and Oslo, co-production of empirical data and co-authoring of deliverables and journal articles.
Improved research capacity and dialogue. SEGURA will strengthen methodological development and analytical capacity, improve the evidence base, and ensure sharing of data and research results. By combining different disciplines (development economics, food sociology, human geography, environmental research), we will develop new analytical tools that link quantitative, qualitative, and register data.