Conceptualization, organisation and implementation of an international summer school for students on topics related to agrobiodiversity.
In the international Agrobiodiversity Summer School 2025, students will learn about various perspectives on agrobiodiversity and its contribution to the sustainability and resilience of food systems. In small groups of international students and experts, participants will have the chance to deeply investigate opportunities and challenges of existing local production systems and food supply chains and how they are connected to agrobiodiversity in a specific region of Germany. Together with local stakeholders, the students will develop strategies and solutions for addressing their challenges through different aspects of agrobiodiversity. In this program, students will also have the chance to improve their intercultural competencies to work in an international and interdisciplinary context.
The study programme consists of a preparatory phase and a 10-days course. In the preparatory phase (April-August 2025) students will conduct a mini case study related to the local agrobiodiversity of their home country or place of study. The results of this phase will be documented in a factsheet and a poster and presented during the physical program. The 10-days course will take place in Germany from August 17th to 27th, 2025 and include input lectures, student presentations, group work activities (case studies), related excursions, group discussions and reflection sessions.
The realization in 2025 is part of a six-year Agrobiodiversity Summer School program by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Switzerland (FiBL) running from 2021 to 2026, which is funded by Mercator Foundation Switzerland. The FiBL Projekte GmbH was announced as local partner in Germany for the organization of the Summer School in 2025.
Project partner
