The first Dick de Zeeuw lecture took place on april 14th 2011.
Title: Food security and economic change: what to do about the food crisis?
Joachim von Braun Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and Professor for Economic and Technological Change at University of Bonn
In his lecture Von Braun focused on the causes and effects of volatility in food prices, en he argued for measures and actions to keep food affordable, also for the poorest of the poor.
- Promote agriculture growth with technology and institutional innovations to prevent risks.
- Change demand and behaviour, including behaviour related to waste.
- Facilitate reduced market volatility.
- Expand social protection and child nutrition action.
- Move system change onto the agenda.
The system changes proposed by Von Braun included a National Grain Reserves Bank, similar to a Central Bank set-up.
See also: Report from the lecture in De Financiële Telegraaf. (in Dutch)
Download: Dick de Zeeuw Lecture 2011
Joachim von Braun is Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and Professor for Economic and Technological Change at University of Bonn, Germany. ZEF is a multi-disciplinary research institute with a comprehensive doctoral studies program held in English. (see more at www.zef.de) From 2002 to 2009 he has been Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington DC.
Von Braun serves on the boards of several academic journals, as well as on the international advisory boards of a number of research and policy organizations. He has published research on international development economics topics, including science and technology; on policy issues relating to trade and aid, famine, health, and nutrition; and on a wide range of agricultural economics research issues. von Braun has worked in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, Egypt, Russia, and China.
