Training
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
In The Independent, Nora Berrahmouni, a forestry officer for FAO and Michele Bozzano, forestry researcher at Bioversity International, point out that for the Green Wall project to succeed, "you need to plant the right [tree] species in the right place" and involve and benefit local communities and help change the belief that taking care of the environment is a luxury.
Genes are gems for food security
Risk management in the face of climate change is something we can all learn from smallholder farmers. As climate change stalks global agriculture, researchers should collaborate with smallholder farmers in enhancing the diversification of crops to ensure food security, says Emile Frison, Director General of Bioversity International.
International conferences and meetings
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Agrobiodiversity Education
Exhibition of fruits at a training workshop for farmers in Central Asia on improved technologies for growing fruit tree varieties". Photo: Y.Alekseev/Bioversity International
Agricultural biodiversity – agrobiodiversity – is essential to human survival and the sustainability of agroecosystems. Yet, many university graduates have only limited competence in this field. To address this knowledge gap, Bioversity International works with agricultural universities and networks to integrate agrobiodiversity into curricula and strengthen institutions’ capacity to teach the subject.
Continued genetic erosion and challenges of feeding the world by 2050 has led scientists and policy makers to step up their work on agrobiodiversity. For example, FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture monitors the status of the world’s plant, animal and forest genetic resources and informs policy makers on such trends. Agrobiodiversity is a thematic programme under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Knowledge of agrobiodiversity is critical to understanding the impacts of, and adaptation to climate change and variability. The topic is addressed by the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Food systems approaches that use agrobiodiversity to improve nutrition and health is gaining ground. Such new research findings and policies need to find their way into the education system.
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Agricultural biodiversity rarely appears in universities’ curricula. Elements of it are taught in courses such as plant or animal breeding, or crop science, but a full coverage of agricultural biodiversity, including its social and cultural aspects, tends to be lacking. Bioversity and its partners – universities, educational networks and international organizations – have confirmed a need to strengthen agricultural biodiversity education, and have developed tools to support the process. As agricultural biodiversity connects agriculture, the environment and social sciences, this requires a multidisciplinary approach.
HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMMES
As a service to students, we maintain a list of universities that offer postgraduate programmes and courses on genetic resources and agrobiodiversity, from all regions of the world Click here to view the list
Regional consultations on agrobiodiversity education
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Learning agrobiodiversity: options for universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Proceedings of a regional workshop, 21-23 January 2009, Nairobi, Kenya. 2009. Rudebjer P, Van Schagen B, Chakeredza S, Kamau H, editors.
Reviewing plant genetic resources education in East and Southeast Asia. Proceedings of an international workshop, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 17 -19 November 2009. 2010. Rudebjer P, Watanabe K, Sebastian L, editors.
Plant genetic resources education in Malaysia: Ways forward. Report from a one-day consultation, 1 July 2011. Serdang, Malaysia. Bioversity International. Rudebjer P, editor. (384 KB)Curriculum development
Teaching agrobiodiversity: a curriculum guide for higher education. Bioversity International, Rome. Rudebjer P, Chakeredza S, Njoroge K, van Schagen B, Kamau H, Baena M
The Guide discusses key issues in agrobiodiversity education, drawing on recent consultations with higher education institutions in Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. A curriculum framework for agrobiodiversity learning is presented, introducing 14 key topics along with key learning points, suggested contents, bibliography and internet resources. Read more...
Policy briefs
obiodiversity, the importance of agricutural biodiversity and the role of universities. (217 KB)Learning cases
The case method is an effective approach to teaching complex problems, processes or decisions. After reading a case and reflecting on it individually and in groups, the case is discussed in class under the guidance of the teacher. This suits the learning of agrobiodiversity conservation and management, where there often are no ‘rights’ or ‘wrongs’, but rather an evolving web of options, actions and impacts involving multiple stakeholders. Bioversity provides a library of learning cases that suits both formal education and on-the-job training.
The Forest genetic resources training guide supports the teaching and learning of forest genetic resources for non-specialists. It focuses on the links between forest management and forest genetic resources. The Guide consists of short, science based case studies, grouped together in thematic modules that cover topics such as conservation strategies, forest restoration and logging. Each case study comes with a teacher’s note, video and PowerPoint presentation. To access the Guide, click here.
More coming in early 2012
Conference papers
Agrobiodiversity and climate change: what do students need to know? (212 KB)
Key note paper presented at 2nd ANAFE International Symposium: Mainstreaming climate change into agricultural education: tools, experiences and challenges. 28th July-1st August, 2008, University of Malawi.
Rudebjer P, Baidu-Forson J, Van Schagen B, Jarvis A, Staver C, Hodgkin T.
Enhancing integrated approaches in agricultural learning systems using experiences from agroforestry (80 KB)
Temu AB, Rudebjer P, Chakeredza S. 2010. Scientific Research and Essays Vol. 5(16), pp. 2179-2185.
Biodiversity in forestry education: What needs to change? (241 KB)
Rudebjer P, Eyog-Matig O, Thomson L. 2008. In: New perspectives in forestry education. Peer reviewed papers presented at the First Global Workshop on Improving Forestry Education, September 2007. ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya. p 361-383. Temu AB, Chamshama SAO, Kung’u J, Kaboggoza JRS, Chikamai B, Kiwia AM, editors.
Mainstreaming agricultural biodiversity in higher education (129 KB)
Presented at Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), Biennial Meeting, Lilongwe, Malawi. 22-27 April 2007. Rudebjer P.
Partnerships
We work in partnership with regional and international organizations to strengthen agrobiodiversity education:
- African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE)
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FAFA)
- International Foundation for Science (IFS)
- Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
- Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE)
- Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)
 | Bioversity International is a member of the CGIAR consortium |
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This work by Bioversity International is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. |
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