In Cape Town, young international researchers focus on food systems
Last September, the "Nutrition-Food Systems" (FOODS) Doctoral Collaborative Platform held a field school in Cape Town, South Africa. It was an opportunity for the program's two cohorts to meet, present their work and complete their training with instructive field visits.
After the University of Montpellier and the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP) in Brazil, it was South Africa's turn to host the international doctoral researchers of the UM-UP collaborative doctoral platform dedicated to food systems and nutrition, under the scientific responsibility of Karen Lambert-Cordillac, professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy (attached to the PhyMdEx laboratory) at the University of Montpellier.
Held from September 8 to 17 at the University of Cape Town, in partnership with the University of Pretoria and the University of the Western Cape, this field school brought to a close the program's first cohort, who presented their group work, while doctoral researchers from the second cohort were able to introduce their thesis topics.
During the week-long field trip, visits to Cape Town's fresh produce market and Paradise Market enabled doctoral researchers to learn more about the organization of food systems in South Africa. But also to gain a better understanding of the historical and cultural heritage of the area. A visit to the Steenbras Dam and its filtration plant gave them an insight into the water conveyance and filtration system that serves the Cape Town metropolis.
A crucial role in the face of global challenges
At the close of the Symposium on September 12, François Pierrot, vice-president in charge of international relations at the University of Montpellier, emphasized "the crucial role of the next generations of researchers in resolving today's global challenges". Under the impetus of the UM and the University of Pretoria, these meetings between young scientists from all over the world aim to create a transdisciplinary international cooperation network committed to research into nutrition and food systems. Each cohort of the collaborative doctoral platform participates in two training courses, in conjunction with the platform's 16 partner universities, as well as in the production of collaborative scientific works.
Next stop: Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, where the next field school will be held from October 29 to November 6, 2025.