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Conference paper - Peer-reviewed, 2006

Creating a Nordic regional research network in agroecology: links to MSc education

Francis, Charles; Breland, Tor Arvid; Leiblein, Geir; Geber, Ulrika; Salomonsson, Lennart; Sriskandarajah, Nadarajah; Porter, John; Helenius, Juha

Abstract

Challenges facing agriculture and food supply in Nordic countries are unique to an ecoregion with short growing season, limited arable land, and long distance from import suppliers. Among the long-term challenges that will influence food availability in the region are scarcity of fossil fuels, changes in production conditions due to global warming, preserving ecosystem services in multifunctional rural landscapes, fragility of national and regional subsidies, and recognition of food as a human right. Research on broad and critical topics is not simple, and often moves beyond the comfort zones of disciplinary scientists. Thesis projects are most valuable if they provide a growth and learning experience for students and faculty as well as contribute in some way to resolving major issues that will impact food systems and quality of life for people of the region. Most frequently, MSc and PhD student research projects address narrow questions for which methods are known and answers can be easily predicted. With limited research funding this is a luxury we cannot afford. Research and education programs should address high-priority issues in the agriculture and food sector, both broad and narrow, as well as on-farm production questions and constraints in local food systems. Agroecology provides an organizing framework to set priorities and address critical issues regarding environmental impacts, alternative farming strategies, economics of production, and social viability of future farming and food systems. Limited budgets and human resources make it imperative that regional networks design coordinated efforts to identify and examine priority concerns for long-term sustainability of farming and food systems. This is one goal of the network AGROASIS, a group of researchers and students who are linked through the regional agroecology MSc education program centered in Norway and run by systems educators from five countries. The process of setting research priorities and seeking support is described

Published in

Title: Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in Transition

Conference

6th European Sympoisum of International Farming Systems Association (IFSA)