With over 925 million people hungry across the world, a top research university such as Michigan State University is called to address issues of food security and poverty. But being called is not enough—it also requires reaching across traditional boundaries and barriers.

“We are committed to unraveling the multi-faceted issues of poverty and in doing so we are placing a priority on facilitating resilient communities,” said Jeffrey Riedinger, dean of International Studies and Programs. “We do this by building networks and partnerships across the nation and around the world and by testing and verifying research assumptions at the community level.”

There are opportunities and challenges of enormous magnitude that can contribute to a community’s resilience. Many of these issues are well-known, while others are less visible or are emerging.

“MSU and its global partners have a breadth of knowledge, expertise, and human capital that we wish to mobilize with the many communities who struggle with viable livelihoods on a daily basis,” said Riedinger. “We also want to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in creating resilient communities.”

Tanzania Partnership Program

Within this framework the Tanzania Partnership Program (TPP) at MSU is pioneering a new approach to local global engagement. The program is fostering resiliency within communities and helping to create a model for sustainable prosperity.

Resilient communities are those best able to withstand and recover from stresses created by natural disasters, environmental change, social disruption, economic strain and political upheaval. But that’s not enough. Communities must also be able to identify vulnerabilities, build upon assets and engage in collective action to enhance the common good. Communities with this social capacity
can sustain development to promote economic viability, food security, public health and equitable education for community and individual growth.

The cornerstone of TPP is the creation of new forms of partnerships that recognize the power of working together over the long term to define problems, respond to opportunities, set priorities and create solutions.

This way of working unites knowledge from political and social units of differing levels and scales and incorporates intellectual and technical expertise from diverse and complementary sources. TPP recognizes the need for this approach as it acknowledges uncertainty, expects surprises and plans for the unpredictable. Within TPP policies are treated as assumptions rather than inherited rules and interventions are treated as experiments rather than proven prescriptions.

MSU’s network and partners, especially the members of two villages in Tanzania, Naitolia and Milola, are advancing the frontiers of knowledge globally and at home. The program is a keen example for moving forward an ideal to change the world, transform local communities and improve the lives of individuals.