Nutrition and Rural Development

Overview

Key facts

In addition, changes in nutrition and diets have a significant impact on natural resources and climate change. Improving nutrition is therefore key to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. To solve the existing nutrition (security) problems worldwide, specialists with an integrated and multidimensional view on development problems are urgently required. Using better nutrition and food security as a starting point, students will contribute to sustainable development at household, national and international level. 

Ghent University's Nutrition and Rural Development programme has an international focus with specific attention to the international dimension of nutrient and food security and challenges faced in high as well as low- and middle income countries. Students come from a diverse background of cultures, technical background and nationalities. During the courses, students collaborate closely to critically assess available evidence, share lessons learned and develop innovative solutions to prevailing problems from community to national and international level.

Labour Market

• Research and education at universities, private or governmental institutions;
• Research in research institutions, private or governmental;
• Development project collaborators (governmental, national or international NGOs, private);
• Food and nutrition policy development, implementation and evaluation;
• Administration of rural and urban projects to improve diet, nutrition or food security;
• Industrial sector i.e. improvement of nutritional contribution of foods or nutritional services; consultancy services
• PhD programmes;
• Overseas project collaborators for local governmental and non-governmental development organisations;
• Involved in Europe in some international organisations, active in the development cooperation field;
• In administration as policy preparatory jobs;