NEXTFOOD: transforming education to develop sustainable food systems

We describe preliminary outcomes of a research project that aims to develop a new approach in education and training to better prepare current and future professionals to work for positive changes in the agriculture, food and forestry sector. In multiple research activities, educational approaches are being developed based on close collaboration among students, teachers, farmers, food industry representatives and citizens. Results to date emphasize the importance of strengthening and making transparent specific learning outcomes that help
students deal with complexity, such as holistic thinking, collaboration skills and integrating scientific knowledge with knowledge based on lived experience. We also show how this can be achieved in a studentcentred, action-oriented educational setting. Consistent with the principles of agroecology, educational
programmes are unique to each institution, culture, language, and terroir. While results are highly positive during the initial experiments with new approaches to education, such a transformation comes with challenges both for students, faculty members, teaching institutions, and stakeholders who are often accustomed to top-down planning. We have associated research in progress to identify both benefits and challenges to achieving this transformation, and welcome creative suggestions from education colleagues in ENOAT.