Partners

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Estonian University of Life Sciences (EULS) was represented in the project by the researchers from the Research Centre of Organic Farming. Their main activities include research of organic food and agriculture, promotion and education in organic farming, as well as looking for the best solutions for developing organic sector in a close cooperation with organic farmers, processors, advisors, other entrepreneurs and organisations. Participation in international projects, as well as stimulation of networking and transnational cooperation, represent other important fields of their work. Research Centre of Organic Farming has initiated innovative educational programmes and methods at the university as well as in several gymnasiums. In 2009, 2010 and 2011 researchers from the Research Centre of Organic Farming participated in three Erasmus Intensive Programmes ‘Organic Food Production Chain’ (OFPC) organized at Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Poland. Prof. Anne Luik, who is a key representative of EULS in EPOS, was actively involved in both the organization and the lecturing at each of the OFPC courses. Prof. Luik graduated from Tartu University, Department of Biology, and made her PhD in the Institute of Zoology and Botany of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. Fields of her professional interests include environmentally friendly plant protection, organic plant production and quality of organic food. Other representatives of EULS actively involved in the Partnership were M.Sc. Darja Matt and Assoc. Prof. Eve Veromann.

 

 

 

 

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Technical University of Madrid is the main Spanish University that deals with Agricultural issues. Students from all over Spain and also foreign students (mainly from Europe and Latin America) study there. Group of multidisciplinary staff involved in activities related to organics was representing Technical University of Madrid in the project. The main representative was prof. Teresa Briz (Department of Agricultural Economics). She is a specialist in the consumer aspects of the organic production and the quality of the organic products.

 

 

 

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Tuscia University is located in a typical rural area of Central Italy, in the north area of Rome, where organic farming is an already established activity that can be improved for the benefit of farmers, consumers and the environment. The Partnership was based on the cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Forests, Nature and Energy (DAFNE). Tuscia University was represented in the project by dr. Roberto Mancinelli, MSc in Agricultural Science and PhD in Environmental Science, Researcher at Department of Agriculture, Forests, Nature and Energy (DAFNE) of University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.

 

 

 

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University of Helsinki (HU) was represented in the project by the researchers from HU Ruralia Institute and the Department of Agricultural Sciences (Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry). Ruralia Institute has a long experience in offering and developing education and training: It has been offering further education in organic food and farming since 1991 and started study material production in 1993. This includes both printed and on-line materials, e.g. video lectures and on-line field trips. The Institute has got experience in developing study programmes to be part of degree studies. University networks, on-line education, real life cases and exploring study methods have been significant parts of its work. Furthermore it has created and is now maintaining and developing www.luomu.fi-online service, which offers e.g. news, research summaries and on-line study materials in the topic of organic food and farming. The expertise of the researchers in the Institute is focused not only on organic food and farming, but also rural sociology and rural development, use of natural resources and foodstuffs, entrepreneurship in rural areas and co-operative entrepreneurship. University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute belongs to the Finnish Organic Research Institute, which networks help to reach the labour market in a great extent. The Institute was represented in the project by Eeva Uusitalo, Ritva Mynttinen, Irina Herzon and Anne Hytönen. All the mentioned key persons involved in the Partnership have taken part in great amount of projects developing both contact and on-line education. They have long experience in organic food and farming and understanding of the organic sector. They are also in good relations with local entrepreneurs.

 

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The topic of Organic Agriculture dates back till 1981 where the University of Kassel decided to establish a Department of Methods of Alternative Farming and to implement the first professorship for Organic Agriculture. Since 1996 the complete faculty converted and was renamed into Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, deeply devoted towards academic teaching and research in the fields (A) of <Ökologische Landwirtschaft> as German programme for the B.Sc. and M.Sc. graduation, (B) or for the M.Sc. graduation (as specialisation in a joint degree with the University of Göttingen within a common, English spoken master programme).

 

 

 

 

 

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The Faculty of Agriculture of University of South Bohemia focus on research based to a significant degree on it’s own research fields in the centre of the submountainous agricultural area of South Bohemia, in close proximity to the Sumava Forests among others as well as the Czech-Moravian Highlands. The Faculty cooperates with many foreign educational institutions. Partnership was based on the cooperation with Department of Agroecology. Main interests of this department regard rural development, organic farming, sustainability of landscape management in less favoured areas and economic undeveloped and retarded areas.