Major changes are needed to develop sustainable agricultural and food systems in Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka as large proportion of these countries agricultural growth has stemmed from expanded or more intensive use of land and other natural resources, and relatively heavy use of fertilizer and other agro-chemicals increasing the risk of residues in food. Agroecology could be an important approach to meet this general objective - sustainable agricultural and food systems, - as it designs, develops, and promotes the transition towards biodiversity and low external input-based, socially sound farming and food systems. Thus, the CDAE project will create a new MSc programme in a specialized academic area and key regulatory/policy issue, namely “Agroecology” that is as much absent from Partner HEI graduate and postgraduate programmes as it is needed, address this absence and the needs of the region and incorporate ecological principles and knowledge into the study of cropping and farming systems so that professionals are well prepared for the future design and management of a sustainable agriculture and organic farming techniques. In addition, the “Agroecology Labs” that will be established in the participating universities will promote sustainable agriculture and will act as foci of research innovation and cooperation in the area. Moreover, the Agroecology Knowledge Hubs will be a powerful tool for the initial and continued training of the students and academics and will be used in combination with the Labs to ensure continued research cooperation among European and Asian HEIs as well as updating the staff’s knowledge and skills.
The specific objectives of the programme include: (1) To educate professionals via the developed MS program; (2) To increase the capacity of the academic staff of Partner HEIs, improve the level of competences and skills through the development of a VET Programme; (3) To develop the professional capacity for Partner HEIs through the provision of vocational training; and (4) to promote cooperation, exchange of know-how and good practices between EU and Partner countries.
With regard to agriculture and rural development, according to International Labour organisation, nearly 60% of the population in Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka is still classified as rural practice. Major changes are needed to develop sustainable agricultural and food systems. Agroecology could be an important approach to meet this general objective as it designs, develops, and promotes the transition towards biodiversity and low external input-based socially sound farming and food systems.
<< Background >> With regard to agriculture and rural development, according to International Labour organisation, nearly 60% of the population in Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka is still classified as rural practice. Major changes are needed to develop sustainable agricultural and food systems. Agroecology could be an important approach to meet this general objective as it designs, develops, and promotes the transition towards biodiversity and low external input-based socially sound farming and food systems. << Objectives >> The specific objectives of the programme include: (1) To educate professionals via the developed MS program; (2) To increase the capacity of the academic staff of Partner HEIs, improve the level of competences and skills through the development of a VET Programme; (3) To develop the professional capacity for Partner HEIs through the provision of vocational training; and (4) to promote cooperation, exchange of know-how and good practices between EU and Partner countries. << Implementation >> The project was divided into 7 WPs: WP1 focused on identification of similar curricula in Asia and similar curricula and best practices in Europe; WP2 focused on development of 6 adapted outline master programmes at PCs; WP3 focused on development of human resources; WP4: Accreditation and delivery of the courses; WP5: Quality plan; WP6: Dissemination, Exploitation and Sustainability; WP7 concentrated on development of appropriate tools and procedures and optimization of management structure. << Results >> All deliverables met output and indicator requirements according to approved project framework, including: reports; events; study visits; replication training and lab equipment. The most important outputs are development of 6 accredited Ms programs on Agroecology in Vietnam, Philippines and SriLanka, with adaptation from the best practice in EU. These 6 Ms programs were initially launched and have gone through pilot tests and evaluation. New batches recruitment have been going on since then.