Certificate Course on Agroecology and Action Research

Certificate Course on Agroecology and Action Research offered at the Centre in collaboration with European Union H2020 project, adopts participatory, action-based research and education methodology, and promotes a holistic and system-oriented approach to learning, which is considered necessary for dealing with complex, dynamic situations regarding agriculture, food and public health. The initiative is a maiden effort towards participatory education in the state of Kerala, where students from diverse disciplines come together and develop skills from participatory experience to co create knowledge along with farmers and other stake holders to benefit the society as a whole to meet the challenges of sustainable agriculture. Twelve post graduate students from multidisciplinary background participate in the twenty-eight-day course offered every year since 2017, and gains with soft skills and green skills needed for an envisaged shift in bringing in agroecological transition and there by sustainable development.

Improving sustainability: Agroecological approach via action learning

The case of University of Kerala, one among the nine cases in NEXTFOOD project namely ‘Improving sustainability in farming and food systems by bringing in agroecological approach through action learning’ encompasses ‘Course on Agroecology: Action Research and Education’ as a pilot educational prototype. The initiative is a maiden effort towards participatory education in the state of Kerala, where students from diverse disciplines come together and develop skills from participatory experience to co create knowledge along with farmers and other stake holders to benefit the society as a whole to meet the challenges of sustainable agriculture.

Why the course is important?

There is a growing realization of the need for a look into the educational system followed in India and this realization, to get ramified into policy changes needs successful educational prototypes which can fix the systemic faults that has crept into the system and make education more reachable, learner centric, flexible and dynamic to meet society’s everchanging needs. This alteration has to begin at the root of the society and ostensibly a change in system of learning from conventional, monoculture style to experiential learning has the power to kindle this transformation where the student is trained to be agent of change. The need of the hour is interdisciplinary initiatives from academia and creation of common platforms where different stakeholders such as government officials, technicians, farmers, students and researchers can engage in dialogue and contribute to reach common innovative and sustainable solutions. This requires cultivation of skills that can suit the dynamic nature of sustainability concerns. The course on Agroecology will be experimented against this background through participatory and action learning strategies with a view to develop competences required to foster more sustainable development practices in social, economic, ecological and political arenas.

What makes the course different?

Conventional theory centric learning with lecture as the main pedagogy have inherent limitation in dealing with complex real situation and a curriculum which starts with phenomenology and understanding complex reality in the social setting with theory playing a supporting role will be tested in the course. There will be a judicious blend of empirical and theoretical practices in the course and experimenting a curriculum, reflecting it and evaluating its effectiveness over each cycle, a final curriculum will be evolved. The transformation happening to students throughout the course will be evaluated and discussed, based on which effective training methods will be formalized. Research will be done on quantitative and qualitative data generated during the case development process and analyzed to contribute towards research and development. Specifically, research protocols, master manuals, annual case development report, review reports of educational approaches, toolbox for teaching practitioners, reports on educational strategy and accreditation framework will be developed.

Course Highlights

• Diverse learning arenas
• Right blend of subjects
• Participatory/ Peer learning, 
• Flexibility and adaptability in curriculum 
• Interdisciplinary
• Innovating teaching/learning tools 

Which are the learning arenas and methods?

Learning arenas will involve not only university territory but also extra university territory involving stakeholder actors, comprising of other departments, universities, farmer cooperatives, local self-governments etc. Class room exercises and discussions along with concrete experience in the field will help in developing competences/ skills needed for fostering sustainable agricultural development. Process involved will be based on action learning methodology, which will enable co-learning between teachers, farmers and students. Support from local governments, educational institutions and non-governmental institutions such as farmer’s cooperatives and training centers will be maintained to popularize the methodology and to ensure a good social networking which will in turn help to achieve sustainability goals at the grass root. This can help in bringing lifelong learning a reality and can improve social capital and empowerment of all stakeholders. This case, based on action- and practice-oriented learning, will offer a new approach to the outreach of sustainability knowledge in India. The pilot course will contribute towards creation and documentation of skills and competences needed for transition to more sustainable agriculture and will also identify the gaps and needs in the current educational system and through that process exemplify the hindering and supporting forces for such transformation.

Certificate Course on Agroecology and Action Research 2017

Certificate Course on Agroecology and Action Research 2018

Certificate Course on Agroecology and Action Research 2019

Training Programme on Action Learning and Research

Centre for Agroecology and Public Health, Department of Economics, University of Kerala organized ‘Training Programme on Action Learning and Research’ during March 2025, with financial assistance from the University of Kerala. The ‘Training Programme on Action Learning and Research’ was conducted with the goal of providing training to higher secondary, undergraduate (UG),  and postgraduate (PG) students in action learning and research methodologies.

Institutions

Govt. Higher Secondary School, Kazhakoottam

 Department of Economics, Kariavattom (FYUGP)

 D.B College, Shastamkotta

Mar Ivanious College

 Department of Economics, Kariavattom (PG)

 Govt. Higher Secondary School, Kumarapuram

S.N College, Varkala