The Food Odyssey’s Post

The problem based learning will help cultivate innovative solutions to the agricultural sector of the Sub Saharan Africa.

The Universidade do Porto stands out in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking), evaluated among over 2,500 institutions globally. 🥇 With Food Technology and Science securing an impressive 29th place and #CivilEngineering among the top 100, U.Porto continues to be a leader in education! 🌱 Other notable subjects include #Ecology, #AgriculturalSciences, #VeterinarySciences, #PublicHealth, and #Pharmacy, all ranking between 101st and 150th. 📚 Plus, six additional subjects—#BiomedicalEngineering, #Biotechnology, #ChemicalEngineering, #ClinicalMedicine, #Law, and #MechanicalEngineering—are in the top 200! Proudly standing alongside the University of Lisbon, U.Porto reinforces its position as a top choice for #education in #Portugal. 🏆 Globally, the ranking is topped by Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Congratulations to all students and faculty for this remarkable achievement! #UniversityOfPorto #ShanghaiRanking #HigherEducation #ProudToBePorto #GlobalEducation #PortugalMakesSense #Talent #PortugalTalent

'The University of Leeds and the University of Pretoria are testament to the ability to create a mutually beneficial, collaborative research partnership – in this case, one formed around expertise in food security and climate-smart agriculture. The ARUA-SFS (ARUA CoE in Sustainable Food Systems) Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems, hosted by the University of Pretoria, and the Global Food and Environment Institute, University of Leeds boast complementary strengths in food systems research. Since 2019 the institutions have cooperated to find socially just, climate-smart solutions to the global challenge of delivering safe and nutritious food for all.' Read the full Times Higher Education piece on equitable international research collaboration https://lnkd.in/dgzHa3Hp

📢 We are happy to introduce our eRural resilience - Interreg BSR project partner from Lithuania - Vytautas Magnus University (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas) which which is a full scale classical university with modern approaches to research and studies. 🍀 Bio-business and project partner Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy are related more tightly as we might think. „Only in Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy we focus our research on bio-business 🌾 and I as a project manager and researcher am very excited working at this project as my own research focuses on bio-business 🍃 and their development“ says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jolita Greblikaitė. Several years ago, the academy adopted new strategic development guidelines and gave chosen bioeconomy as priority of our research, studies and development. And especially we took very new turn in our structure creating the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development. And that is not all as we have chosen to create first-cycle study programme about bio-business management. Study programme is called 🏞 „Sustainable Bio-Business Management “. 📌 Cooperation with bio-business and Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture, theoretical expertise allows us to provide knowledge to our partners, to bio-business and share experience. 📌 Participation in knowledge hub allow partners to share knowledge and experiences among partners and among support groups in the frames of project. #eruralresilience #InterregBSR #bioeconomy

📢 Exciting Update from The Reviver Project! Yesterday, our partners gathered for our regular progress meeting, and we’re thrilled to share the exciting progress being made. Here’s what we’re working on and finalising: 🌿 Curriculum Development: E-modules and E-tools We’re creating theoretical and practical sections tailored to the specific climates and soils of Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. These will include detailed learning goals, outcomes, teaching methods, evaluation techniques, and module durations. 🌿 Outputs and Deliverables: ET Providers Education Guide: A comprehensive manual designed for vocational education and training providers, offering insights into regenerative farming practices. VET Curriculum for Aspiring Regenerative Farmers: A structured curriculum aimed at individuals pursuing careers in regenerative agriculture, covering both theoretical and practical aspects. Comprehensive Research: In-depth studies and analyses that inform the project's educational materials and methodologies. Centres of Excellence Implementation Act: Guidelines and frameworks for establishing centers dedicated to excellence in regenerative farming education. Umbrella Organizations Report: A report detailing the roles and contributions of various umbrella organizations in promoting regenerative agriculture. Digital Toolkit: A collection of digital resources and tools to aid educators and learners in the field of regenerative farming. RE-AGRI Calculator: An innovative tool designed to assist in calculating and assessing various aspects of regenerative agricultural practices. Digitalized Vocational Curriculum: An online version of the vocational curriculum, making it accessible to a broader audience. E-Learning System: A platform providing online learning opportunities and resources related to regenerative agriculture. These resources are becoming available on the REVIVER Project's Resources page, and many of them are ready now: https://lnkd.in/eySNArt8  🌿 Regional Collaboration: European and Sub-Saharan organisations are working together to integrate expertise, ensuring that both regions benefit from tailored, high-quality educational materials. We’re on track to make a significant impact on regenerative agriculture education, bridging gaps between continents and fostering sustainable practices globally. Stay tuned for more updates! #ReviverProject #RegenerativeAgriculture #EuAndAfrica #EducationalDevelopment #ClimateSpecificEducation

Last week, I truly stepped into uncharted waters by delivering my very first academic presentation at YHYS (The Finnish Society for Environmental Social Science) in Lappeenranta (hence, lake Saimaa in the picture). To be honest, I was quite nervous, but I made it through - and I might even say it went wonderfully well. The study I presented is something we have been working on with Niko Räty Minna Kaljonen Rachel Mazac, Ph.D. and Irina Herzon. It focuses on culturally accepted sufficient diets. Here are a few key ideas: 🍲 Sufficient diets are diverse. There is no single way to eat within planetary boundaries. 👂 Cultural acceptability is dynamic and negotiable. The key is open dialogue; the ability to listen and try to understand others’ perspectives. 🧑🍳 Engagement, participation, and concrete examples are powerful tools for implementing culturally acceptable sufficient diets. ➡️ This ties in perfectly with last week's hot topic, as new nutritional recommendations have caught the attention of many Finns. After YHYS, I am motivated with new ideas. I had the pleasure of meeting so many new and inspiring individuals and it felt good to share thoughts with like-minded people. And this is just the beginning of an exciting journey that awaits me next year...✨

Great teaching experiments We teach for the time being in our Advanced Seminar in Environmental and Resource Management. Associate Professor Julia Bronnmann from the Department of Business and Sustainability, SDU has build this course and teach together with the partner University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) (agricultural and environmental seminars) and in relation with the EpicurAlliance. This collaboration is unique and creates ideas and knowledge from different methodologies, countries and academic systems. FACT about EPICUR The ambition in the EPICUR alliance is to transform education, research and transfer practices and opportunities across its member universities. All this in order to develop original cutting-edge solutions and train new generations of European change makers. The aim is that new generations are shaping a European society in transition and help overcome the daunting challenges. Partners in the EPICUR alliance: Syddansk Universitet - University of Southern Denmark University of Amsterdam Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) University of Strasbourg The University of Freiburg University of Upper Alsace, Colmar/Mulhouse University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) #epicurexperience #foodpolicy #agricultural #resourceeconomics #newgenerations #developcuttingedgesolutions

According to The Malabo Montpellier Panel, Africa’s universities need to expand their curricula to include programming and algorithm design so that they can become hubs of digital innovation for Africa’s agrifood systems. Universities should also introduce technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to equip young people with the specific digital skills needed to efficiently use and develop new agricultural technologies and digital services for use along agrifood value chains. Learn more from the YOUTH in Agrifood Systems report: https://shorturl.at/owzB1

🌟 Highlights from the Academic Symposium on M&E Education! 🌟 Today, Geeta Batra, Director of the GEF Independent Evaluation Office, delivered a keynote at the Academic Symposium on M&E Education: “Future of Evaluation: Role of Academic Education in Monitoring and Evaluation.” in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 🎓 Her address emphasized how robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) can tackle global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and socio-economic inequalities. She advocated for a systems approach to evaluation, integrating environmental, social, and economic perspectives to drive transformational change. Key takeaways from her keynote: 🌍 Harnessing cutting-edge tools like geospatial analysis and machine learning to address ecological crises. 📊 Evaluating the co-benefits of interventions—environmental, socio-economic, and governance impacts. 💡 Redefining traditional evaluation approaches by adopting comprehensive theories of change. Geeta underscored the importance of investing in M&E education to build capacity for the future, inspiring all of us to embrace systemic, sustainable solutions. Thank you to the @Center for Evaluation (CFE) at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) and the Consortium of Institutions on M&E Education in Asia Pacific, for organizing this insightful symposium. Curious to learn more? Explore GEF IEO's online training module: https://lnkd.in/enRJRf3f Let’s shape the future of evaluation together! 🌱 #Evaluation #Sustainability #ClimateAction #TransformationalChange #CapacityBuilding

OVER 1,500 SEEDLERS: SNAU IMPLEMENTS A GRANT FROM THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC 🇨🇿 🖇 Saplings of tree and shrub species, provided for by a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, were planted at the Sumy Technical College of SNAU. Planting saplings is one of the components of fruitful cooperation between MENDELU (Mendel University in Brno) and Sumy National Agrarian University (SNAU). For a long time, representatives of SNAU and Mendel University worked out ideas that could be implemented together. As a result, they received funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic for the implementation of the project “The social and ecological significance of urban green spaces from the point of view of the water cycle, changed by global climate change – cooperation in education and research between the Mendel University in Brno and the Sumy National Agrarian University.” The Czech side fully financed the grant for the implementation of the project to solve social and environmental problems. Funds were allocated for: internships for our students and scientific and pedagogical staff, research using the latest equipment, and most importantly, we participated in the selection of tree and shrub species adapted to the climatic conditions of the Sumy Oblast. Read more at the link - https://lnkd.in/erg7dgq3