On 21 June 2018, Professor Max Spoor delivered his valedictory lecture at the International Institute of Social Studies.
As Emeritus Professor of Development Studies and associate of the Political Ecology research group, Max Spoor is retiring after 25 years at ISS. His research focused on rural and environmental issues, such as land grabbing, access to water resources, poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
His valedictory lecture entitled 'Water, Land and Farmers along the Silk Road' discussed the issue of water stress including the gap between availability and withdrawal of water resources in the context of farmers and rural households. Special attention was paid to Central Eurasia, the region known for the ancient (and recently revived) Silk Road.
Professor Max Spoor concluded the lecture by emphasizing the importance of taking a multidisciplinary research approach to finding solutions to this complex problem. Rising temperatures and climate change only increases the urgency of solving issues of water stress. Scholars should be incentivized, not dis-incentivized, to explore innovative research and multidisciplinary approaches. It is necessary for scholars of different disciplines to combine their knowledge in order to look critically at such complex global problems.