Agrobiodiversity for locally adapted and resilient land use systems
Agrobiodiversity includes the diversity of crops and livestock species and varieties, the diversity of production and food supply systems, different agricultural practices and intensities and the biodiversity that indirectly supports agriculture through provisioning ecosystem services. Agrobiodiversity is therefore essential for locally adapted and resilient land use systems across the globe and ultimately contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Agrobiodiversity for locally adapted and resilient land use systems
Agrobiodiversity includes the diversity of crops and livestock species and varieties, the diversity of production and food supply systems, different agricultural practices and intensities and the biodiversity that indirectly supports agriculture through provisioning ecosystem services. Agrobiodiversity is therefore essential for locally adapted and resilient land use systems across the globe and ultimately contributes to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this International Summer School, you will learn about various perspectives on agrobiodiversity and its contribution to the sustainability and resilience of food systems. In small groups of international students and experts, you will have the chance to deeply investigate opportunities and challenges of the existing local production systems and food supply chains and how they are connected to agrobiodiversity. Together with local stakeholders, you will develop strategies and solutions for addressing their challenges through different aspects of agrobiodiversity. In this program, you will also have the chance to improve your intercultural competencies to work in an international and interdisciplinary context.
The Summer School is a collaboration between different universities and research institutes in Slovenia, Spain, Hungary and Switzerland and will take place every year at a different location.
Program
The Agrobiodiversity Summer School consists of a preparatory phase and a 10-days study week. In the preparatory phase (April-August 2021) you will elaborate on a core aspect of agrobiodiversity and conduct a case study related to the local agrobiodiversity of your home country or place of study. You will report the results of this phase in our online agrobiodiversity wiki and present it during the study week. In 2021, the 10-days study week will take place in the mountainous area of Switzerland (Wergenstein) from August 29th to September 8th. After successful completion of the course, you will be awarded 4 ECTS.
Please note that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, applications are limited to students from the following countries. Students from other countries who are studying in one of the countries on the list during the Summer School are also welcome. We hope to lift this restriction in 2022.
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Participation Fee: Accommodation, food and excursions will be arranged for you. However, all participants will have to make a contribution of CHF 250.
Travel: Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements and payments to get to the venue. We encourage you to travel by train and bus
Application
If you are interested to participate in the Agrobiodiversity Summer School 2021, please fill in the application form (ZHAW MSc students: Please use the application form provided on the Moodle website) and send it via e-mail until February 7th 2021 to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Summer School is mainly directed to students enrolled in a Master program related to agricultural science, environment, food technologies and processing, rural development, sustainability assessment or associated topics. Bachelor students are also invited to apply, but will be given second priority. The number of participants is limited to 30 persons. All applications will be evaluated after the application deadline. By the end of February 2021 (ZHAW students: February 21st 2021), you will be informed whether you can take part in the Summer School.
Please contact the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you have any questions related to the Agrobiodiversity Summer School or the application procedure.
Picture credit: Zurich University of Applied Sciences