The Volkswagen Foundation is funding research at FAU in a number of research areas related to the coronavirus as part of its 'Corona Crisis and Beyond' programme. From over 1100 applications received by the Foundation, 100 projects have been selected for funding including five projects at FAU. Each project will receive funding for the duration of 1.5 years which amounts to around 120,000 euros.
Ensuring state food and nutrition security through alternative food networks
Research on Covid-19 and food and nutrition security in Bangkok and Singapore.
In their project 'Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Urban Food Systems and Citizenship - Lessons (Still to Be) Learnt from Singapore and Bangkok (COVLess)', FAU geographers Prof. Dr. Fred Krüger and Prof. Dr. Axel Drescher are investigating how urban alternative food networks, such as community-supported agriculture, can combine urban food and nutrition security with environmentally sound production and utilization approaches to promote social cohesion in urban environments.
Singapore is highly dependent on food imports and in Bangkok, street markets play a fundamental role in supplying food to its people. Together with research partners in Thailand and Singapore, the project team is addressing the questions of how the pandemic is specifically affecting urban food and nutrition security, what chances and opportunities are opening up for new types of initiatives in the wake of the pandemic, and what approaches are promising for developing megacities in a more resilient, environmentally friendly and socially sustainable way in the future.
