SOAR - Research School for Organic Agriculture and Food Systems




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SOAR is a research school. In addition to the focus on PhD students, SOAR also includes graduates, postdocs and supervisors in the activities and networks. This is important because they also constitute the research environment, in which the PhD student is under education. SOAR wants to contribute to the professional discussions with a special focus on the organic food and farming systems.

Organic Agriculture

Organic agriculture has its own values, principles and regulations. The International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements IFOAM has agreed on the four principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care as underlying principles for organic agriculture

Course: System approaches to research and governance in organic agriculture and value-chains

4-9 September 2011

3 ECTS

Introductury course description

In September, SOAR will organise a one-week course, which at the moment has 8 registered East African PhD students as participants, and it will be open for others, who only have to pay for their accommodation.

The focus will be on concepts and research methods, which is linked to organic food and farming system research. We include ‘Farming system research methodologies’, ‘livelihood analysis’, ‘participation and participatory research methods’ in the schedule.

We will do an effort to weave this together with other issues in a coherent course program. We are at the moment applying to have it acknowledged as a 3 ECTS point course. The program is attached to this email and will be uploaded on SOAR.

the course is a collaboration with the East African focused research project named ProGrOV.

Read the preliminary course schedule [pdf]

Get the registration form [Word]

SOAR provides national and international activities and courses where PhD students and their supervisors can

develop, stimulate and challenge their understanding of the organic principles and values
develop competences in interdisciplinary and systemic research approaches
network and stimulate mobility of researchers

The research interests of SOAR cover a wide range of subjects within organic agriculture and food systems:

Farming system research
Crop production
Resource management
Ecosystem services
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Livestock production
Animal health and welfare
Consumer and citizens’ involvement
Regulations and policies
Food chains
Food sovereignty