The goals of the 'green deal' for a climate-neutral and globally fair society are part of the EU priorities for university cooperation with African partners. The project 'ADVALUE' focuses on the training and research topis of sustainable agricultural value chains and is funded by the EU 'Erasmus+' program for capacity building in higher education. The international consortium is led by Nürtingen-Geislingen University.
The acronym ADVALUE stands for 'Advancing Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains through Strengthening Transdisciplinary Skills and Cooperation in East African Doctoral Education'. The three-year collaborative project has been started in January 2024. Central core of the project activities is the development of four modules that will be integrated into the doctoral education of the East African partners and aim at improving the quality of teaching and research.
Even or especially at the level of training doctoral students for research work, the practical relevance must not be lost. Instead, to achieve sustainable development goals, it is important to conduct research with and for the practice. Two of the modules deal with pastoralism and agricultural value chains, which are important economic sectors in Kenya and Uganda. Two further modules deal with approaches and methods in scientific working and transdisciplinary research.
Nürtingen-Geislingen University from Germany is coordinating the project. Participating partners from European countries are: the German Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture Witzenhausen, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The partners in Kenya and Uganda are the University of Nairobi and Pwani University Kilifi, as well as Makerere University Kampala and Uganda Christian University in Mukono. RUFORUM (Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture) as additional partner, will support and facilitate the exchange within the African university network.
In addition to the module development and pilot events, study visits take place and a discourse on quality development in agricultural science faculties involves a wider audience. Associated partners from the national ministries of research and education in Kenya and Uganda support the project.
Project team:
Dr. Petra Chaloupkova (chaloupkova@ftz.czu.cz)
Dr. Jana Mazancová (mazan@ftz.czu.cz)
Prof. Michal Lošťák (lostak@pef.czu.cz)
Dr. Tereza Brůna Slámová (slamovat@ftz.czu.cz)
Please find the newsletters from the ADVALUE project below or read more about the project here.
Successful Advalue Project Meeting at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
On October 7th and 8th, 2024, the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU) hosted a meeting of the Advalue project partners from Europe and Africa. The meeting aimed to continue the development of advanced PhD modules and support international knowledge sharing and capacity building in sustainable agricultural value chains.
The first day (October 7) opened with remarks by Dr. Petra Chaloupková from FTZ, CZU and Prof. Dr. Michal Lošťák, Vice-Rector for International Relations at CZU. Project Manager Dr. Angelika Thomas from HfWU Nürtingen-Geislingen University provided updates on the progress of the PhD module development. The discussions focused on module development, including topics such as scientific research in agriculture, transdisciplinary research, and rangeland management. Key contributions were made by Dr. Anna Maňourová (SLU), Prof. Dr. Brigitte Kaufmann (DITSL), and Prof. Dr. Oliver Wasonga (University of Nairobi), focusing on modules related to scientific working in agriculture, transdisciplinary research, and rangeland management.
The second day (October 8) was dedicated to strategic issues concerning stakeholder dialogue, quality assurance in doctoral education, and the dissemination of project results. Representatives from Uganda and Kenya presented their plans for stakeholder engagement, while Elisha Otieno outlined the project's PR strategy. The meeting concluded with a summary of workshop outcomes and plans for upcoming project activities.
The program also included an Advalue project presentation for students and staff of the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, with presentations by Dr. Angelika Thomas, Prof. John R. S. Tabuti, Dr. Anna Maňourová, Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba, and Dr. Martin Mutambuka.
The Advalue project connects universities from Kenya, Uganda, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Sweden and is funded by the Erasmus+ program. This meeting served as a joint meeting of representatives of all financed partners and it targets on the WP3 International knowledge sharing and capacity building especially in connection with WP4 development of advanced PhD modules.
