Excursion International sub tropical landuse systems Costa Rica

The module consists of a 12-14 days field excursion to a tropical or subtropical country and a series of preparatory seminars. Through its practical component, it aims at providing participants with interdisciplinary insights into the complex bio-physical, economic and socio-cultural components of agricultural systems in developing and transformation countries in the tropics and subtropics. The excursion programme entails visits to agricultural producers, processing and trading enterprises along the food and agricultural product chain from small to large scale, agricultural administration, development organisations and research institutions and universities. The programme is designed to exemplify the opportunities and challenges of agricultural and alternative land use activities in their specific context. Particular attention is paid to aspects of sustainability, environmental safety and organic agriculture. The excursion targets regions where one or both of the organising universities conduct research programmes or maintain long standing scientific working contacts. This will permit students at the M.Sc. level to gain a first impression of how field research is organized and carried out in the context of developing countries in the tropics and subtropics. Up-to-date research approaches are presented to the participants and questions targeting the sustainable use of natural resources as well as questions of development cooperation are discussed in an international, multicultural and interdisciplinary context.Objectives: Students gain interdisciplinary insight into international approaches towards opportunities and challenges of agricultural systems, sustainable resource use and agricultural development interventions. They will also be familiarized with theoretical and practical questions of field research in an international context. LiteraturVarying according to case study / region of interest Bemerkung Seminar in December/ January Varying according to case study / region of interest Bemerkung Seminar in December/ January FB 11 Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften Uni Kassel WiSe 2016/17 Lehrveranstaltungspool FB 11 Prof. Dr. Bürkert Andreas