SOAR - Research School for Organic Agriculture and Food Systems




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SOAR is a research school. In addition to the focus on PhD students, SOAR also includes graduates, postdocs and supervisors in the activities and networks. This is important because they also constitute the research environment, in which the PhD student is under education. SOAR wants to contribute to the professional discussions with a special focus on the organic food and farming systems.

Organic Agriculture

Organic agriculture has its own values, principles and regulations. The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements IFOAM has agreed on the four principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care as underlying principles for organic agriculture

Farming and food systems as social ecological systems - integrated assessment for resilience and adaptive capacity

13 - 19 June 2010 in Finland

4 ECTS (1 ECTS ~ 25-30 hours work load)

The overall aim of the course is to introduce PhD students with conceptual frameworks and methodological approaches of studying farming and food systems as social ecological systems, and integrated assessment for sustainability of these.

The key learning goals include conceptual modelling of agri-food systems as social ecological systems, tools for their integrated assessment, and resilience and adaptive capacity as key parameters of sustainability of such systems. Along the rationale of the NOVA agroecology network (see e.g. Francis et al. 2003), an emphasis is in applications relevant not just to mainstream systems, but also to organic/ecological systems.

Course responsible
Professor Juha Helenius, Helsinki University, Finland

Course teachers
Professor Tor Arvid Breland, UMB, Norway

Senior scientist Mette Vaarst, AU Denmark

Associate professor Vibeke Langer, LIFE/KU, Denmark

Invited teachers

Martin van Ittersum, WUR, Associate Professor, plant production systems, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Charles Redman, Arizona State University, Director, School of Sustainability, and Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change

Reimund Rötter, Agri-Food Research Finland, Adjunct Professor, Docent of agroecology, University of Helsinki

Course description

The course consists of a pre-course assignment 1-31 May, and an intensive course 13-18 June.

Course schedule...

Scientific description...

Pedagogical approach
The pedagogical approach is based on a concept developed over the series of earlier courses of the Agro-ecology network, consisting of the following four elements:

• A good preparation of participants ensures a high level at the course. Thus, a pre-course assignment must be accepted before coming to the intensive course period.
• A research-based learning environment is sought by linking to an internationally recognized research examples, by eminent guest teachers. Creativity is facilitated by including conceptual frameworks stemming from a range of disciplines.
• A high degree of interactions during the intensive course period is sought by integrating windows of interaction with invited experts, interactions among participants through walk-and-talk and discussion topics.
• Ownership of own learning is sought by using a tool that has proven its value during the previous courses of the Agro-ecology network, which is that the participants apply what they learned in developing research proposal (group work) which is being defended in front of all participants.

NOVA Universities are:

LIFE, DJF, HU-AF, HU-V, UEF-F, LBHI, UMB, NVH, SLU

See list at NOVA website

BOVA Universities are:
EMU, LLU, LZUU, LVA
See list at BOVA website

Venue

Tvärminne Zoological station is situated in south coast of Finland,
about 100 km from Helsinki.

The place is surrounded by nature conservation areas and sea, and nature there is unique!

More information (in english) of Tvärminne station can be found here:
http://luoto.tvarminne.helsinki.fi/english/index.htm

SOAR provides national and international activities and courses where PhD students and their supervisors can

develop, stimulate and challenge their understanding of the organic principles and values
develop competences in interdisciplinary and systemic research approaches
network and stimulate mobility of researchers

The research interests of SOAR cover a wide range of subjects within organic agriculture and food systems:

Farming system research
Crop production
Resource management
Ecosystem services
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Livestock production
Animal health and welfare
Consumer and citizens’ involvement
Regulations and policies
Food chains
Food sovereignty