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"Designing Food Value Chains to foster the Agenda 2030" Education Programme
Description/achievement of initiative

The cooperation projects aims at educating young researchers and future decision makers to develop food value chains that foster the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Students from different parts of the world will be trained to facilitate their understanding of sustainable food value chains, related challenges and potentials for sustainable development. This will include in-depth knowledge of the functioning of the food system, an understanding of major drivers and barriers for sustainability and insights of different perspectives from around the globe. Students will be trained to develop and implement new solutions for food chains that create value for everyone.

Implementation methodologies

The cooperation partners are offering in interdisciplinary and international education programme with its guiding theme "Designing Food Value Chains to foster the Agenda 2030". The programme includes a free online course including three modules: • “Understanding the Major Challenges of Sustainability and Food System” • “Basic of Sustainable Food Value Chain Design“ • “Understanding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the Context of Food Value Chain Design” Participating students will be able to receive a certificate after success completion of the course. 30 students per year will be given the opportunity to participate at an international summer school, building upon the content of the online course and will take place three times from 2017 to 2019. Locations and focus of these summer schools are: 2017: Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) –Switzerland 2018: Zero Hunger (SDG 2) – India 2019: Life on Land (SDG 15) – Slovenia In international and interdisciplinary teams, students will learn during the summer school how to analyse, evaluate and improve the performance of food value chains in terms of sustainability.

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

The main goal of this project is to educate and train young people around the globe for designing sustainable food value chains. With the open online course everyone interested is offered the opportunity to gain knowhow on sustainable food value chains and how these can foster the SDGs. With the Summer School about 100 students from around the globe will be trained to further increase their know-how and achieve the expertise needed for a future career in field of sustainable food value chains. This includes careers in academia, industry, NGOs or politics.

Coordination mechanisms/governance structure

The project is a cooperation project lead by the Institute of Natural Resources Sciences from the Zurich University of applies Sciences (ZHAW) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Switzerland. Together with their collaborating Universities in India (University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore) and Slovenia (University of Ljubljana), the education programme is being offered to students from all over the globe. Students have the possibility either to join the free online course or apply for one of the three summer schools taking place in Switzerland (2017), India (2018) or Slovenia (2019). An advisory Group with members from academia, NGOs and the private sector are supporting and advising the programme.

Partner(s)

Institute of Natural Resouce Sciences, Zurich University of aplied Sciences, Switzerland Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore, India University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Progress reports
Goal 2
2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round
2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
2.4 - By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality
Goal 4
4.7 - By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Goal 12
12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.3 - By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.6 - Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.8 - By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.a - Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
Goal 15
02/2017
Free open online course online
08/2017
Summer school in Switzerland
08/2018
Summer school in India
08/2019
Summer school in Slovenia
Other, please specify
Mercator Foundation Switzerland is supporting the development and implentation of the programme
Staff / Technical expertise
Researchers from
Staff / Technical expertise
Researchers from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture
Staff / Technical expertise
Researchers from Zurich University of Switzerland

Basic information
Time-frame: 01.08.2016 - 31.12.2019
Website
Partners
Institute of Natural Resouce Sciences, Zurich University of aplied Sciences, Switzerland Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Switzerland University of Agricultural Sciences Bangalore, India University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Countries
Contact information
Isabel Jaisli, Ms, jais@zhaw.ch
United Nations