Economic growth and development require the production of goods and services that improve the quality of life. Sustainable growth and development require minimizing the natural resources and toxic materials used, and the waste and pollutants generated, throughout the entire production and consumption process, the UN wrtie on their website.

Examples on research from UCPH addressing goal 12:

Agricultural Transformation by Innovation (AgTraIn) (2011-2016)

AgTraIn is a world-class Joint Doctoral Program (180 ECTS) between University of Copenhagen and 5 other leading European universities, funded by the EU Erasmus+: Erasmus Mundus program to enhance and promote European higher education throughout the world.

The main objective of the AgTraIn program is to train and educate subject-area experts capable of successful development and transformation of farming systems in the developing world.

Thematically, the AgTraIn programme deals with agricultural production chains, the natural resource base and the involved communities. The scope of AgTraIn range from the technical aspects of agricultural production, over post-harvest management, processing and value-addition, to market access and commercialization. The emphasis is on applied research and a key feature of the program is the involvement of key stakeholders in identifying research questions and participating in project formulation.

Copenhagen University works as a partner on the AgTraIn programme which you can read more about on the project website here.

Primary Sustainable Development Goals: 4, 12 and 15

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Organic Cotton for Employment, Growth and Environment?

Through this research project, researchers develop and apply an interdisciplinary framework for assessing and comparing environmental, economic, and social sustainability of cotton production in Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis includes several currently practiced organic and conventional ways of cotton production as well as some innovative—potentially more sustainable—ways of cotton production. Sustainability is assessed by several indicators, e.g. pesticide residues, soil fertility, greenhouse gas emissions, competitiveness, income and employment generation, and social conditions along the value chains.

The empirical studies are conducted in Benin and Tanzania, representing West and East Africa, respectively.

Read more about SCOPA (Sustainable Cotton Production in Africa) on the project website.

Primary Sustainable Development Goals: 8, 12 and 15 

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