Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the campus to other sites in the learning landscape. These learning methods are incorporated
into new courses as well as emerging sections of a future curriculum in agroecology and sus-
tainable agriculture.
Other dimensions of future learning approaches for organic farming include just-in-time
education, the scheduling of courses and activities that are sequenced in the program for times
when students are prepared and recognise the need for each subject. Learning off-campus in
projects that deal with real-world situations gives students confidence in their ability to handle
complexity and change, both characteristics of the farming and food sector. Finally, it is concep-
tualised how a future active learning university might be structured to support all these innova-
tions. There needs to be a careful examination of disciplines and departments, campus and
off-campus facilities and mobility of students, and how to catalyse the active learning process.
In this Chapter, our description of current activities in education in organic farming has
moved well beyond a listing of topics and courses offered by our universities in the Nordic
region and the USA. It is essential to confront the educational system and ask if it is set up opti-
mally to prepare students for work in the farming and food systems of the future. Some struc-
tural changes are needed in how to organise courses, curricula and universities and how to
think about education. Organic agriculture and agroecology, as addressed by small groups of
educators in agriculture, provide one example of how these changes could be achieved in the
university as part of a broader learning landscape.
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