116
I. Jaisli et al.
During the study period, three agricultural commodities of high relevance in
Southern India were investigated in the group work activity: coconut, millets and
dairy. The respective value chains were introduced by local experts, mapped by the
students and the relevant stakeholders visited, and interviewed during the excursions. To reduce organizational and logistic problems, the number of commodities
and parallel excursions were reduced to three compared to 2017. Based on this intensive exchange, 6 groups of students developed strategies to improve the existing value
chains to foster the Agenda 2030. The experiences and results of the team cases are
shown in Table 3.
2019: Summer School in Slovenia, SDG 15 ‘Life on Land’
In the third year, the summer school took place at the University of Ljubljana in
Slovenia with a focus on SDG 15. Soil degradation, biodiversity loss and conflicts
between wildlife and agriculture were defined as the three central aspects of SDG
15 to be studied in the Slovenian context. Slovenian agriculture is mainly based
on grasslands for milk and beef production. However, orchards, olive groves and
vineyards that are located in the hilly areas and along the coast also represent an
important Slovenian agricultural sector. With forests covering more than 60% of
Slovenia’s land surface, it is home to extensive wildlife (bears, wolves and others)
and hunting is a well-accepted practice for the regulation of animal numbers.
In the third implementation of the course, 27 students from 9 countries took part
in the programme. Topics related to the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, the
prevention of land degradation and biodiversity conservation were investigated in
the preparatory mini case studies. For example, key factors affecting sustainability
and food security of coffee growers in Colombia was the topic of one mini case
study. It showed that the environmental costs of coffee production are currently
covered by the coffee growers who are already struggling to be food secure and to
have a decent livelihood. Another participant investigated how soil biodiversity is
affected by management intensity and climate change. She found that the effects on
soil biodiversity are very site-specific depending on the type of management and
soil bio-chemical properties. Several students focussed on alternative agricultural
systems such as agroforestry, community-supported agriculture, organic farming or
permaculture and their impacts on environmental integrity, social well-being and
economic resilience. They found that such systems generally have the potential for
more sustainable agricultural practice, but that the question of scaling-up remains.
The mini case studies triggered discussions about the many trade-offs between agricultural production and ecosystem and biodiversity integrity and soil health, all of
which are important aspects of SDG 15.
In this year, the value chains of olives and olive oil, grapes and wine and meat
were investigated during the group work task. For the meat production, both beef
production and the respective conflicts with wildlife (bears) as well as local hunting
was looked at. During the first week, the value chains and the SDG 15 subtopics
of soil, biodiversity and wildlife were introduced for the Slovenian context by local
experts at the University of Ljubljana. The second week was dedicated to field and
I. Jaisli et al.
During the study period, three agricultural commodities of high relevance in
Southern India were investigated in the group work activity: coconut, millets and
dairy. The respective value chains were introduced by local experts, mapped by the
students and the relevant stakeholders visited, and interviewed during the excursions. To reduce organizational and logistic problems, the number of commodities
and parallel excursions were reduced to three compared to 2017. Based on this intensive exchange, 6 groups of students developed strategies to improve the existing value
chains to foster the Agenda 2030. The experiences and results of the team cases are
shown in Table 3.
2019: Summer School in Slovenia, SDG 15 ‘Life on Land’
In the third year, the summer school took place at the University of Ljubljana in
Slovenia with a focus on SDG 15. Soil degradation, biodiversity loss and conflicts
between wildlife and agriculture were defined as the three central aspects of SDG
15 to be studied in the Slovenian context. Slovenian agriculture is mainly based
on grasslands for milk and beef production. However, orchards, olive groves and
vineyards that are located in the hilly areas and along the coast also represent an
important Slovenian agricultural sector. With forests covering more than 60% of
Slovenia’s land surface, it is home to extensive wildlife (bears, wolves and others)
and hunting is a well-accepted practice for the regulation of animal numbers.
In the third implementation of the course, 27 students from 9 countries took part
in the programme. Topics related to the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, the
prevention of land degradation and biodiversity conservation were investigated in
the preparatory mini case studies. For example, key factors affecting sustainability
and food security of coffee growers in Colombia was the topic of one mini case
study. It showed that the environmental costs of coffee production are currently
covered by the coffee growers who are already struggling to be food secure and to
have a decent livelihood. Another participant investigated how soil biodiversity is
affected by management intensity and climate change. She found that the effects on
soil biodiversity are very site-specific depending on the type of management and
soil bio-chemical properties. Several students focussed on alternative agricultural
systems such as agroforestry, community-supported agriculture, organic farming or
permaculture and their impacts on environmental integrity, social well-being and
economic resilience. They found that such systems generally have the potential for
more sustainable agricultural practice, but that the question of scaling-up remains.
The mini case studies triggered discussions about the many trade-offs between agricultural production and ecosystem and biodiversity integrity and soil health, all of
which are important aspects of SDG 15.
In this year, the value chains of olives and olive oil, grapes and wine and meat
were investigated during the group work task. For the meat production, both beef
production and the respective conflicts with wildlife (bears) as well as local hunting
was looked at. During the first week, the value chains and the SDG 15 subtopics
of soil, biodiversity and wildlife were introduced for the Slovenian context by local
experts at the University of Ljubljana. The second week was dedicated to field and