Food Security in International and European Affairs
The Food Security Team of Early-career Researchers (FOSTER) project of the CSEIA Centre, a EU Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence of the University of Parma, organised this interdisciplinary workshop in collaboration with the University College Dublin. The workshop brought together scholars from the domains of international law, EU law, and international relations to foster an intensive interdisciplinary dialogue on Food Security in International and European Affairs.
Food security increasingly sits at the intersection of conflict, sustainability, trade and global governance. Yet scholarly debates often remain fragmented across disciplinary boundaries. The workshop aimed to create a focused space for exchange, conceptual clarification, and collaborative thinking.
The programme was structured around two main thematic sections. The first addressed the relationship between food and conflict, focusing on topics such as food insecurity in war contexts, the weaponisation of food, and legal and strategic responses. The second section concentrated on the governance and regulation of food systems within the framework of international and EU human rights and trade legal instruments. Each section included short presentations followed by roundtable feedback and open discussion.
The overarching goal is to provide a forum for scholars to share ongoing research, identify future avenues of inquiry, reflect on methodological challenges, and lay the groundwork for sustained academic cooperation across disciplinary boundaries.
Programme
h. 9.45 — Registration
h. 10.00 – 10.30 — Welcome and Opening Remarks
h. 10.30 – 12.45 — Panel 1 “Food Security in Times of Armed Conflict” — Chair: Caitriona Dowd, University College Dublin
- Functions of Food Weaponisation in Ukraine — Maksym Skrypnyk, Dublin City University
- Food as a Weapon of War: Theoretical Implications and Empirical Puzzles for Conflict Studies — Caitriona Dowd, University College Dublin; Mikael Hiberg Naghizadeh, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
- Water as a Weapon in the Siege of Gaza — Simone Papale, University of Parma; Emanuele Castelli, University of Parma
- Peace Agreements as a Legal Tool for Food Security — Ludovica Di Lullo, University of Parma; Elena Carpanelli, University of Parma
h. 12.45 – 14.00 — Lunch Break
h. 14.00 – 16.15 — Panel 2 “Food and Inequalities: Structural Dimensions of Global Food System” — Chair: Emanuele Castelli, University of Parma
- Mapping Gendered Violence in the Haitian Food System — Caitriona Dowd, University College Dublin (with co-authors Colleen Andrews, University of Wisconsin, Kelsey Gleason, University of Vermont, not in attendance)
- Protecting Vulnerable Communities Now and in Future: Towards a Right to Sustainable Food? — Luca Romano, University of Parma
- Food Sustainability in EU Trade Relationships with ACP Countries: A Legal Appraisal — Nicola Bergamaschi, University of Parma
- The Vulnerable Food Donor: Food Aid, Risk, and the Arab Gulf States — Heba Elsahn, University College Dublin
16.15 – 16.45 — Concluding Remarks
