The INSSPIRE Erasmus Project is a collaboration under the South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) framework, initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). The project focuses on uniting scholars from African and European universities to address global challenges in food systems and climate change. It aims to enhance evidence-based higher education curricula and foster innovative research practices. By leveraging interdisciplinary knowledge and practical tools, INSSPIRE aims to promote food and nutrition security through sustainable practices. The project’s goal is to provide students with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle real-world food systems challenges through collaborations between universities.

The Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC) joined INSSPIRE in 2022 as part of its broader commitment to sustainability and education for food security. ELRC’s involvement is a natural extension of its work on other projects, such as the Water Research Commission (WRC) Amanzi for Food project, which emphasises the importance of sustainable water use in agricultural production. ELRC’s role in INSSPIRE emerged from its established expertise in developing sustainability-focused curricula, particularly for agriculture and climate change.

The ELRC’s primary role in the INSSPIRE project involves the development of curricula for agricultural training programs, integrating both food security and climate change. These programs build on existing ELRC projects, such as Amanzi for Food, which helps farmers adopt sustainable practices for harvesting, storing, and utilising rainwater. In addition to curriculum development, the ELRC co-designed a Winter/Summer School program run in June 2024, for graduate students and other participants interested in food security and agricultural resilience. This school adopted the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach, facilitating joint assignments between students at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 and VU Amsterdam. The focus is on comparing agricultural challenges in South Africa and the Netherlands, particularly regarding resilience to climate change and other socio-ecological issues.

The upcoming Winter/Summer School will take place in 2025, offering a platform for interdisciplinary learning, combining theoretical insights with practical applications. Students from both institutions will work together to explore shared and region-specific challenges, enhancing their capacity to contribute to sustainable food systems. This initiative is set to broaden the project’s impact by fostering international academic collaboration and preparing students to address the pressing issues of food security and climate resilience across different geographical contexts.

To find out more, please visit the project website: https://www.insspire.net/

Last Modified: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:03:45 SAST