CDI Short Course on Agriculture in Transition

Deadline: 18 October 2016

The Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation (CDI) invites applications for its two week’s intensive course on Agriculture in Transition from 3 April 2017 until 14 April 2017 in the Netherlands.

Agriculture entails much more than just producing food – it also relates to feed, fibre and fuel, to climate change, water usage, waste management, landscape design, leisure, social stability, culture, income and health. Agriculture has to find new balances between producing food, managing natural resources, meeting societal expectations and providing a livelihood base for the rural and peri-urban population. This course offers a system perspective on agriculture as well as skills to design innovative and sustainable farming options.The broad and complex agrifood systems, from soil management to changing consumer preferences will be looked at.

Course Structure

The course will use a mix of lectures, discussions, group work and field trips to offer background, theoretical foundations, as well as practical approaches for production and market development. Taking the participants’ own rural situation as a starting point, we will analyse the current situation, explore options that are already available for further development and design new systems to produce farm products in a responsible manner.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course applicant will:

have a deeper understanding of how global development, trends and patterns affect farming practices and policies at local and national levels;
have a clear picture of the multiple aspects of agriculture and its relation with climate change, food and nutrition security, social stability and resilience;
have the ability to develop scenarios in search of alternative options and trade-offs in resource-scarce situations, using state-of-the-art approaches;
design own transition paths for the introduction of innovative farming interventions that are socially, economically and ecologically balanced.

Eligibility Criteria

It is expected that the group will consist of a mix of technically, academically, and policy oriented participants from different countries.
The basic prerequisite for participation in the course is active interest and professional experience in the topics addressed.
Participants should be proficient in English, and have at least a BSc degree or an equivalent academic qualification.

How to Apply

Applicants are required to register themselves in order to apply for this course.

Eligible Countries

NFP Countries: Afghanistan, Mali, Albania, Nepal, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Armenia, Nicaragua, Benin, Myanmar (Burma), Bolivia, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Peru, Burundi, Palestinian Territories, Cambodia, Philippines, Colombia, Rwanda, Cuba, Senegal, Djibouti, Somalia, DR Congo, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, South Sudan, Eritrea, Suriname, India, Tanzania, Georgia, Thailand, Indonesia, Uganda, Guatemala, Zambia, Kenya, Vietnam, Jordan, Zimbabwe, Yemen,Macedonia, Mongolia