Refining the summer school concept for education in sustainable agriculture and the environment
Rival, Alain | Lesueur, Christophe | Thammachote, Pasakorn | Saeyang, Rungrat | Sukkum, Rosawadee | Chalil, Diana | Setyarso, Agus | Dufour, Magali | Pillot, Didier
Agricultural activities are a major contributor to prosperity and a key player in the maintenance of productive and resilient landscapes. However, ageing farmers, yields gaps and climate change are hampering the development of agriculture, and Southeast Asia is no exception to this trend. In this worrying context, the revitalisation of the sector through agricultural education is a key issue: academic curricula in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences must regain their attractiveness among students and their capacity to meet the present and future needs of agricultural chains. Gathering a group of universities in the region, we explored several ways of diversifying the existing academic curricula through the design of original tools aimed at reconnecting scholars with field-based approaches to agricultural challenges and concepts. The aim of the TALENT programme (TrAining on LandscapE maNagemenT) is to raise awareness among the present and future sustainability managers in charge of making informed decisions concerning tree-crop plantations, and of developing relevant policies on sustainable development issues. Here, we propose a renovated approach to analyse the landscape, assess ongoing agricultural practices, generate a simplified agrarian diagnostic tool and finally assess the sustainability of current agricultural practices.
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