Goal 2: Public engagement
The University’s public engagement activities play a key role in our approach to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Here’s a wider showcase of our work addressing Goal 2.
Our Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences is working with farmers in Malawi, some of the poorest in the world, to help share knowledge about plant and soil management through delivering free workshops and building a laboratory that will be the first of its kind in the country. Malawi is ranked within the five poorest nations of the world and one of the least developed. Its agricultural sector accounts for a third of its GDP and approximately 80% of its overall exports. Agriculture clearly holds great potential for enhancing the social and economic development of communities in Malawi.
The Manchester Christmas Dinner project started in 2013 with a vision: “No care leaver will be alone on Christmas day.” The initiative aims to provide young care-experienced people, usually around 50, with a memorable Christmas Day experience. It offers a warm and welcoming venue, delicious food, engaging activities facilitated by friendly hosts, and, of course, presents. The initiative received a Making a Difference Award for its outstanding professional services in social responsibility.
As part of our world-leading FutureDAMS programme, we’ve produced a guide (PDF) to propose a series of steps and principles for conducting public, private and community stakeholder engagement in decision-making around water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) interventions.
This is underpinned by the principle that better decisions are generated when a broad range of stakeholders are included in a genuinely participatory manner.
Millions of smallholder farmers worldwide lack access to reliable and cost-effective water supplies for irrigation.
We’re working with small-scale farmers in Africa and Asia, governments and development agencies to design and assess technological, economical and institutional solutions to improve water access, livelihoods, and resilience to climate change.
Our Take a Bite out of Climate Change partnership aims to share the scientific consensus about how food and agriculture contribute to climate change. It funds easily accessible information and fun activities for citizens such as Climate Food Flashcards, Farming for the Future workshops and the free e-book Food and Climate Change – Without the Hot Air.