Welcome to the STEPS centre website

Who benefits from GM crops? Will we have enough water to last this century? What are the implications of the HIV/Aids pandemic?

In an era of unprecedented social, environmental and technological change STEPS (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability) is linking environmental sustainability and technology with poverty reduction and social justice.

We are a global research and policy engagement centre, funded by the ESRC, bringing together development studies with science and technology studies.

 

New on the site

Sanitation: challenges and opportunities

In the run-up to World Water Week 2010, a new STEPS Working Paper asks how Community-Led Total Sanitation faces up to social differences and questions of sustainability.
CLTS Working Paper (pdf, 570kb)
Briefing: CLTS: Challenges and opportunities (pdf, 240kb)
Our work on water and sanitation

Enhancing water for food

A new project on ecosystem services, irrigation and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study will look at models of water availability, and the social and economic factors which affect poor people's ability to benefit from it.
Enhancing water for food
Our research on food and agriculture

Farming and biochar in West Africa

To make soils more fertile, West African farmers are using charred carbon to make "Dark Earths". This new research project looks at the history of this practice, how biochar is promoted, and how small farmers can benefit.
Biochar and African Dark Earths page
Our research on food and agriculture

New books in our Pathways to Sustainability series

Books in our new Pathways to Sustainability series are available now. Titles include Avian Influenza, Dynamic Sustainabilities, Rice Biofortification, and Epidemics.
Earthscan: Pathways to Sustainability series
Sarah Dry on Epidemics policy
Sally Brooks on Rice Biofortification
Melissa Leach on A New Politics of Sustainability
Ian Scoones on Responding to Pandemic Threats

Livestock, poverty and Southern Africa

Can trading globally in livestock help Southern Africa out of poverty? New research from the STEPS Centre demonstrates that, given growing competition and the rise of disease standards, the best opportunities are in growing domestic and regional markets.
Ian Scoones: Meat and markets: Can a global trade in livestock deliver Southern Africa out of poverty?
Foot and Mouth Disease and Market Access: Challenges for the Beef Industry in Southern Africa (pdf)
Responses and reactions (pdf)
Our research on veterinary science

A New Manifesto launched

Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto was launched at the Royal Society in London on 15 June 2010. Read the Manifesto, check out the multimedia version and join the debate.
Read the New Manifesto (pdf 1MB)
All about the New Manifesto project
Photos from the Manifesto launch event
Comment on the blog

Multimedia version of A New Manifesto

The multimedia version manifesto is illustrated with video, audio and other materials collected during the project, as well as relevant resources drawn from the work of other people and organisations.
View the multimedia manifesto
Material from 20 international roundtable events
Wiki-timeline

Video Vox Pops: the future of innovation

At international events over two years, we have asked delegates: what is your one recommendation for the future of innovation for sustainability in development?
View the video vox pops

Media coverage

Many media outlets wrote about the launch of Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto. Here is a selection of the coverage that our new report received. Have your say on our blog.
The Guardian- Manifesto call for rethink on how we tackle poverty
Nature - Science for the poor
SciDev.net - Opinion: Nurturing a new innovation politics
Other coverage

Film: Pathways in and out of Maize

Farmers talk about how they are living with concerns about climate change and food security in a new film based on our Kenyan research project.
Pathways in and out of Maize - Part 1(blip.tv)
Pathways in and out of Maize - Part 2 (blip.tv)
New maize and environment briefing papers: download

Call for participation: STEPS Conference 2010

Our conference this year has the theme "Pathways to Sustainability". We are now inviting papers for the conference and other contributions.
STEPS Conference 2010: Pathways to Sustainability
Call for Participation
Working Paper: Pathways to Sustainability (pdf 690kb)
Briefing: Pathways to Sustainability (pdf 210kb)

John Thompson on the future of Food and Agriculture

Dr John Thompson, STEPS Food and Agriculture Domain Co-convenor, gave a presentation on Governance, Sustainability and Pathways to Food and Agricultural Futures at the Second International Conference on Sustainability Science in June 2010.
John Thompson's presentation (Slideshare)
Conference website

Beyond Scaling Up

The STEPS Centre and its affiliate partner Future Health Systems have produced briefings that challenge the thinking behind prevailing concepts of “scaling up” in the health sector.
Beyond Scaling Up - more information

Water Flows: STEPS in Society Now

The STEPS Centre's water and sanitation research is featured in an article entitled Water Flows in the Spring 2010 issue of Society Now. The piece looks at the complex issue of water governance.
Society Now Water Flow article (pdf 790kb)
Our work on water and sanitation
STEPS Water Symposium
Podcast of STEPS session at World Water Week

Melissa Leach speaks at UNESCO conference

Prof. Melissa Leach, STEPS Centre director, gave a presentation on the New Manifesto project at the UNESCO EPFL Conference on ‘Technologies for Development’, Lausanne, on 8 February.
Presentation: Sustainability, Development, Social Justice: Towards a new politics of innovation (Sildeshare)
A New Manifesto website

Climate change & development

To concide with the climate change summit in Copenhagen, STEPS Centre director Prof. Melissa Leach talks on the Guardian's new Climate change and you site, about how to pay the climate change bill. The site also features our research on water and sanitation.
Video: Melissa Leach on climate change
Climate change and you (The Guardian)
The social life of water (The Guardian)

Manifesto: New videos, reports and blogs

Our programme of global roundtable events is in full swing, with a host of multimedia material from events in the Netherlands, Kenya and Nigeria available to view on the Innovation, Sustainability, Development: A New Manifesto website.
Netherlands: 3TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology roundtableNigeria: African Science Manifesto and roundtable event
Kenya: Roundtable events with ACTS and TWAS
Comment about our Manifesto project on the blog

The Publics of Public Health - Kilifi, Kenya, Dec 2009

Find out about the fascinating debates at this STEPS co-convened conference examining "the changing politics of knowledge and life in Africa" by reading Melissa Leach's blogs.
Melissa Leach blogs from Kilifi
Our work on health
Our work on Epidemics

New publications: Maize; Water reform; Vaccines

Our new Working Papers look at repsonses to climate change by maize farmers in Kenya; discourses around water reform; and how vaccine knowledge builds, from the laboratory to the field.
Maize Working Paper (pdf 817kb)
Water Allocation Reform Working Paper (pdf 1.82mb)
Briefing - Reforming Water Rights (pdf 239kb)
Vaccines Working Paper (pdf 514kb)
Briefing - Vaccines (pdf 220kb)

Manifesto: Wiki-timeline

Contribute quickly and easily to our new wiki-timeline, a living archive tracing over 50 years of events and publications on science, technology and innovation for development.
Wiki-timeline - contribute to 50 years of science & technology for development
Multimedia, Padmashree Gehl Sampath's seminar

New publication: the peri-urban edge of sustainability

For the first time in history more than 50% of the world population lives in built up areas. Our new Working Paper explores sustainability challenges, drawing on our work in peri-urban Delhi.
New Working Paper - On the Edge of Sustainability: Perspectives on Peri-urban Dynamics
Fiona Marshall blog: What does peri-urban sustainability mean in the context of Delhi?

 

Biotechnology Research Archive

Our Biotechnology Research Archive spanning 10 years of research and a new paper on Bt Cotton by Dominic Glover are launched at a 'Dangerous Ideas in Development' event in London on June 10.
Nature article: Africa's biotechnology battle -Scoones & Glover
Biotechnology Research Archive
Working Paper: Undying Promise: Agricultural Biotechnology's Pro-Poor Narrative, Ten Years On
Briefing: Transgenic cotton; a 'pro-poor' success?
Ian Scoones' backgrounder, GM Crops: 10 Years On
Dominic Glover on the Undying Promise
id21 Viewpoints: GM Crops
Eldis Biotechnology Key Issues Guide
Podcast: GM Crops and the Global Food Crisis event, June 10
Photos from GM Crops event in Parliament

 

Indian Knowledge Society Debates

Read reports from our events in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore, debating visions of a knowledge society bringing science, technology and innovation to the forefront of politics, democracy and public life.
Report on the Knowledge Society debates
Report and materials from New Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad
Special issues of Seminar
Media coverage

Swine Flu: Governing global health in an age of epidemics

Will an ‘active, aggressive, and coordinated response’ to swine flu work? Ian Scoones, STEPS Co-director, writes in The Guardian on the emerging infectious disease.
Ian Scoones on Swine Flu's emerging lessons
Our blogs on swine flu
Our Epidemics project
Melissa Leach on disease dynamics in Sierra Leone
Epidemics for all? Our project featured in Health reporter
Working papers on Epidemics, Ebola and Avian Flu
Slideshare: Erik Millstone on Obesity and Jerker Edstrom on AIDS

Avian 'flu in SE Asia - new publications

Four new papers on the political economy of avian flu in Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and Viet Nam have just been published as part of a STEPS-affiliated project, supported by the FAO.
New SE Asia publications
Avian Flu Working Paper and briefing
Epidemics project: pathways of disease and response k

Farmer First Revisited book and event

Farmers are in the front line of climate change, globalization and food security. This new book - launched in Nairobi by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner - calls for a major rethinking of agricultural R&D focussing on farmer-led innovations.
22 April - London book launch and Dangerous Ideas seminar
Photos from Nairobi book launch
Multimedia & wiki-timeline, podcasts, papers, radio & photos from Farmer First Revisited workshop

Reframing Resilience

The STEPS Centre has been engaging with resilience thinking and exploring practical implications for policy in agriculture, water, peri-urban dynamics, epidemics and regulation
New! Resilience working paper and briefing
Resilience resources for the STEPS Symposium

STEPS Seminar Series: Spring 2009

Francis Johnson, Fred Steward and Fabian Scholtes have kicked off our 2008-09 seminar series. Podcasts, presentations, photos and blogs from our seminars are available on the STEPS seminar page.
Material from previous STEPS seminars
Upcoming events

Hitting the headlines

Reuters, BBC World Service, International Herald Tribune, New Era, the Guardian, New Scientist, New Agriculturist, The Lancet and AllAfrica.com are among the media outlets who have covered our work recently.
Ian Scoones talks to Veterinary Times on livestock revolution
Melissa Leach talks to The Lancet about STEPS' work
Sign up for our daily Media Briefing

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