FORSCHUNG - Research 2020-2022

The core of the ICDD research agenda is Decent Work and SDG 8: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.” The ICDD brings together social sciences and agricultural sciences, which is also reflected in the jointly developed research agendas.

Overview

From 2020 to 2022, ICDD is in a transfer phase, focusing on sharing its knowledge and experience in managing externally funded research projects with new Exceed Centers, while continuing research on its core topics. Besides the continued publication of ICDD Working Papers and the continuation of the Labor and Globalization book series, ICDD members are staying active by publishing journal articles and collaborating in new networks.

New research projects were developed in 2021 with partners in India, Pakistan, and Mexico, involving a professor from the international ICDD Network and a professor from the University of Kassel each.

Against the backdrop of the new German law on due diligence in supply chains, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation (BMZ) also funded a research project on the “Opportunities and constraints of decent working conditions in intercontinental banana shipping”.

I. Opportunities and constraints of decent working conditions in intercontinental banana shipping

Project Coordinator:
Prof. Dr. Christoph Scherer, University of Kassel, Germany

The project aims to (1) shed light on the deficit of decent working conditions in the banana value chain between Germany and Colombia and Costa Rica, and (2) highlight the opportunities and obstacles for reducing the deficit of decent working conditions.

II. Pandemic and the Credit-based Stimulus Package for the MSME Sector: A Study of Selected Peri-Urban Regions of Bengaluru

Coordinators:
Prof. Meenakshi Rajeev, Centre for Economic Studies and Policy (CESP), India
Prof. Christoph Scherrer, University of Kassel, Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic has created livelihood problems, particularly for the self-employed who have started working at suboptimal levels. To address the economic downturn during the pandemic, the Indian government has initiated several interventions that focus on credit-related initiatives.

This research project aims to assess the performance of some of these programs in several peri-urban areas of Bengaluru in terms of their accessibility, sustainability and impact.

III. Making voluntary sustainability standards work for decent work in agrifood value chains: a gendered perspective

Coordinators:
Prof. Christian Herzig, University of Kassel, Germany
Prof. Praveen Jha, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Voluntary sustainability standards have been advertised as a mechanism to make trade in agricultural products, especially from the Global South, more beneficial to farmers, workers and ecosystems, in line with ILO’s Decent Work agenda. However, several weaknesses of these voluntary, market-based standards have been identified, such as their inconsistent effectiveness and impacts on the ground, and their weak enforcement of social standards. Acknowledging the interconnectedness of the Decent Work agenda with SDG5 on gender equality, this research seeks to better understand the governing structures supporting the individual standards and how they influence the achievement of decent work in agri-food value chains.

IV. Lessons from COVID-19: Resilient-Sustainable-Solidary Economy on the example of local communities (Yucatán – Kassel)

Coordinators:
Prof. Dr. Javier Becerril, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY), Mexico
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Tuider, University of Kassel, Germany

In November 2019, the first case of the new Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was detected. This marked the beginning of an unprecedented pandemic that affected and is still affecting the entire planet in 2020 as one of the most severe global shocks of modern time.

Against this backdrop, this research project aims to analyse social and economic resilience/sustainability in (ethnic) communities, considering the communitarian cohesion of two different 'cases': the case of rural Mayan communities in the South of Mexico and the case of the “Kommune Niederkaufungen” in the middle of Germany. It also discusses the relationship between social cohesion (solidarity), social and natural capital, and sustainable economies.

V. Development of Solar Thermal Energy Storage System at medium temperature using Phase Change Material (PCM) for continuous on-farm decentralized food processing

Project coordinators:
Dr. Anjum Munir, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan
Prof. Dr. Oliver Hensel, University of Kassel, Germany

The current study is the continuation of 2.5 m² Scheffler concentrator based Latent heat thermal energy storage system. In this study a large-scale standalone Latent heat thermal energy storage will be developed to harness the energy generated by 10m² Scheffler concentrator which in theory will enable higher volume of energy to be stored at medium temperature. The system will be able to exchange thermal energy with various food processing system running on different working fluids (air, water, oil) thus provide a facility to the farming community to prosses their produce even in the absence of sun.