AGRoECOlogical FARMing master programme for a sustainable agriculture in West Africa

ongoing

The AGRECOFARM project aims to actively increase the relevance, quality and responsiveness of higher education institutions in Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The project's objective is to introduce and advance the skills of the academic staff, students as well as agricultural extension staff, through the development of new curricula and a MSc program that integrates theory and practice on the latest developments of applied research in agroecological techniques for sustainable agricultural productions. The purpose is to provide staff, and in turn students and vocational trainees with knowledge, skills and competencies in the field of agroecological approaches and advanced technology in the agricultural systems. This project will substantially respond to the needs of the sector for skilled personnel and state-of-the-art, sustainable practices creating new oportunities for employment and enterpreneurship for the students, particularly for those living in remote areas. The wider and long-term objective of the AGRECOFARM project is to make a viable contribution towards achieving sustainable agriculture in the project region, promoting a global transition to sustainable food systems. This project will create conditions for investing in new teaching methods, where multidisciplinarity and learner-centered approaches are key. This will help the students to learn more effectively, advance problem-solving capacities and understand complex systems as a whole. The industry's involvement in the program will be a means to increase employability of the students.Additionally, it will allow to deliver workshops on horizontal, cross-sectorial topics which will deepen the students' soft skills allowing them to further develop communication with society – i.e., to teach much more an agro-food systems approach within a real-world societal context.