Submitted by jkato on
The "Advancing Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains through Strengthening Transdisciplinary Skills and Cooperation in East African Doctoral Education" (ADVALUE) project is a collaborative initiative launched in January 2024, running until December 2026. Funded by the EU Erasmus+ program, the project aims to enhance doctoral education in agricultural sciences within East Africa, particularly in Kenya and Uganda. Its primary goal is to equip future academic professionals with the skills necessary to develop sustainable agricultural value chains, thereby contributing to local and regional achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key Objectives of ADVALUE:
- Modernizing Doctoral Programs: Develop and integrate four innovative modules into existing doctoral curricula:
- Scientific Working: Enhancing research methodologies and academic writing skills.
- Transdisciplinary Research: Promoting collaborative approaches that involve various stakeholders.
- Rangeland Management: Focusing on sustainable practices in managing rangelands.
- Agricultural Value Chains: Analyzing and improving the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of agricultural products.
- Strengthening Stakeholder Involvement: Engage local stakeholders, including potential employers, government organizations, and international partners, to ensure the curricula align with real-world needs and foster innovation.
- Building Capacity: Provide training and resources to approximately 120 staff and 160 students through both online and offline events, enhancing their competencies in sustainable agriculture.
- Improving Quality Assurance: Develop and implement strategies to elevate the quality of doctoral education, ensuring programs meet international standards and effectively address local challenges.
Project Consortium:
The ADVALUE project brings together a diverse group of partners:
- European Institutions:
- Nürtingen-Geislingen University, Germany (Coordinator)
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
- German Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture (DITSL), Germany
- AGRINATURA (European Alliance in Agricultural Knowledge for Development), Belgium (Associated Partner)
- East African Institutions:
- University of Nairobi, Kenya
- Pwani University Kilifi, Kenya
- Makerere University Kampala, Uganda
- Uganda Christian University, Uganda
- Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), Uganda
- Associated Partners:
- National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda
- National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), Uganda
- Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), Kenya
- Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), Kenya
Recent Developments:
ADVALUE virtual seminar series #1: Topic: Ethics in Science
On January 31, 2025, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) hosted the inaugural session of the ADVALUE virtual seminar series, focusing on "Ethics in Science." The seminar was facilitated by Dr. Per Sandin, a senior lecturer in bioethics and environmental ethics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). This event is part of the ADVALUE project, which aims to enhance doctoral education in agricultural sciences across East Africa. The seminar addressed critical topics such as ethical considerations in human-involved research, compliance, and the processes of ethical review. It contributes to the development of a module on scientific working within the ADVALUE project, emphasizing the importance of ethics in scientific research.
For more information and updates on the ADVALUE project, you can visit their official website (https://erasmus-advalue.org).
