From 13 – 17 May, African agricultural researchers from all over the continent converged on UWC for a theory and methodology workshop convened by PLAAS. They were all members of Young African Researchers in Agriculture (YARA), a peer network developed to support t and promote young scholars on the continent in order to secure the future of research, policy and practice in Africa’s rural transformation.
In collaboration with PLAAS, YARA organised a theory workshop for young African scholars from across the continent to equip them with deeper understanding of historical and contemporary African contexts in which issues of land, agricultural production, food security and environmental change are relevant. The workshop aimed to introduce a range of possible approaches from within diverse theoretical, conceptual and political perspectives that they can use to understand issues related to land, agricultural production, food security and environmental change. This academic training was supported by eminent African scholars in critical agrarian research: Prof Kojo Amanor from the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana; renowned scholar Prof Issa Shivji from the University of Dar es Salaam, and UWC’s Prof Ruth Hall. They helped participants to clearly grasp the key elements of approaches grounded strongly in agrarian political economy and introduced them to substantive issues and controversies in relation to processes of change in land, environment, and African food systems.
For more information about YARA, visit their website.
