Perceptions of higher agricultural education toward sustainable agricultural development

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 187-202
Author(s):  
Ruth Ortega-Dela Cruz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the purposes and current outcomes of Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree program in Austria. It identifies the ability of higher agricultural education (HAE) curriculum to meet its purpose by way of validating its current outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The study used survey research design to purposively sample faculty members and graduating students under the bachelor degree program of Agricultural Science at BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. In addition to a self-administered questionnaire, key informant interviews were also conducted to validate the data gathered. Findings The Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree program in Austria aims to develop the student scientific understanding of theoretical and practical aspects of agriculture. The program also gears toward developing their lifelong learning skills. Analysis of the difference reveals congruence in the perceptions of agricultural education professionals and students regarding the intended and expected learning outcomes of the HAE curriculum. The findings affirm how the purposes and outcomes of HAE curriculum have been met successfully and their implications to BS Agriculture curriculum in the University of the Philippines. The findings are grounded on the firm foundations of Austrian higher education system from their strategic curriculum planning, design, and implementation to evaluation where all stages are done in consultation with the various stakeholders. Truly a community of dedicated members of the academic and administrative staff is a powerful tool toward curricular advancement in HAE institutions. Practical implications The subject of this study, in particular BOKU University, provides a concrete example that not only the University of the Philippines Los Baños but all the other agricultural universities around the world could learn from. Social implications This study serves as a springboard for the development of new and innovative models of curriculum and instruction in the Philippines and other agricultural developing countries in the world. Originality/value This is an original study that provides discussion on the link between a developed country as a possible model and a developing country in terms of HAE. It helps the HAE institutions realize the ways on how their educational aspirations will turn into reality when it comes to fulfilling their role in supplying a well-trained and productive workforce for the agricultural economy toward sustainable agriculture development in one’s own country.

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16
Author(s):  
Asterio T. Miranda ◽  
Lilibeth E. Tenedero ◽  
Juneth Lourdes Fiel-Miranda ◽  
Edwin R. Celestino

Purpose This study aims to determine the extent of implementation of income-generating projects (IGPs) of the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP). Design/methodology/approach It uses a descriptive-correlational research design, involving 126 respondents, composed of 5 members of IGP Board of management, 11 managers and 110 clients. Frequency counts, percentages, ratios, weighted means and multiple regression analysis are used to treat and analyze the data gathered. The assessment of the extent of implementation of IGPs results in a high extent of implementation, indicating that the emergence and development of IGPs significantly improved the income-generating capacity of UEP. Findings The test of the relationship between the extent of implementation and the profile of the IGPs in terms of length of operations prove that they are not significantly related, indicating that the length of operations has no direct influence on the implementation of the IGPs, and the extent of how IGPs are implemented does not largely depend on the number of staff the IGPs have. However, the average number of clients served is significantly related to the extent of implementation of IGPs. Originality/value In determining whether a relationship existed between the extent of implementation of IGP and the profile of the staff, the results prove that except for the age of the staff, the educational attainment and the number of trainings and seminars attended are found to have a significant relationship.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pambas Tandika ◽  
Laurent Gabriel Ndijuye

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to university students' awareness of the employers preferred competencies and the educational level capable of readying them satisfactory for the demands of the world of work.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative approach exploratory research design, data were gathered in an informal and unstructured manner, researchers identified undergraduate students' awareness of employers' preferred competencies of the graduates.FindingsUndergraduate students overestimated academic credentials while ignoring soft skills as employers' preferences. Nevertheless, they were worried about their capability to compete adequately when seeking employment despite identifying university level of education as the most appropriate for developing and enhancing their employability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study involved mostly second-year students from one college of the seven colleges constituting the University of Dodoma.Practical implicationsThere is a need for university education to integrate and emphasize the non-cognitive skills for adequately and holistically preparing future employees with adequate knowledge and skills to thrive in the world of work demands.Social implicationsThere likelihood that a lack of confidence would impact their participation in academia and work/job. Hence, lower down their productivity and inadequately contribute to social and national economic growth.Originality/valueThe value of these findings is that they identify, inform and can be used to enhance university education programming for improved graduate's employability.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuriy I. Razorenov ◽  
Konstantin V. Vodenko

PurposeThe goal of the research is to analyze the university development trends in the national innovation system. The paper presents a review of the formation of innovative development strategies and the place of a university in them. The structure is based on the analysis of foreign trends of the transformation of universities and the examination of the efficiency of the interaction between the university, industry and the state. Russian experience in the transformation of universities is presented.Design/methodology/approachResearch methodologies include methods of statistical and comparative analysis and synthesis. The information analysis base of the research is composed of the reports of the World Intellectual Property Organization at year-end 2019, as well as global comparative assessments of the status and development of innovation activities by the Global Innovation Index and Global Competitiveness Index, which are calculated according to the methodology of the World Economic Forum and others.FindingsIn the course of research, the authors put forward a new model of universities within the framework of the national innovation system, which is based on the “triple helix model of innovation” implemented by universities, industry and the state. The logic and structure of the research are set forth in the following way. First, a review of the global practice of the formation and implementation of state innovation policy is given, with the university being a key link, the foreign experience in the transformation of universities is analyzed and the efficiency of the interaction between the university, industry and the state is examined. Furthermore, consideration is given to the Russian experience in the transformation of universities. In conclusion, the main findings of the research are presented.Practical implicationsResults testify that goals and objectives that can be solved by achieving indicators in the world rankings are important for improving competitiveness of education, but they are only efficient if they conform to management decisions that are taken for achieving them and coincide with strategic goals and directions that should be implemented within the framework of the national innovation and academic system.Originality/valueResearch hypothesis is as follows: modern age is characterized by the rapid development of digital technologies and globalization processes, which transform technologies and cultural patterns into techniques and methods of working with information. Despite the fact that a university is the center for the development of society and culture, which serves as an axiological core, it is subject to the transformation, which is mainly manifested in instrumental changes and the expansion of the social procurement range. The modern educational system is yet to find a contemporary conceptual framework of a university that would satisfy the up-to-date requirements of the global information society in an age of digital revolution and dominate in the educational services market.


2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McIlveen ◽  
Dominic Pensiero

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to overview the Backpack‐to‐Briefcase project which established a set of prototype career development learning strategies for Australian university career services, with the aim of contributing to their services for supporting students and graduates to make a smoother transition into graduate employment and the world‐of‐work.Design/methodology/approachA case study analysis of the development and implementation of three career development learning interventions is described. These interventions include: employability skills workshops for students; career mentoring for students; and services to small and medium sized employers to support their recruitment and induction of new graduates into their worksites.FindingsThe prototype interventions developed in the project extended the work of the university's Career Service. The interventions were judged as having the capacity to be readily implemented by university career services. A key outcome was the success of the graduate‐induction initiative which engaged small and medium sized employers traditionally unfamiliar with or unable to enter the graduate recruitment market.Originality/valueThis case study highlights the value of university career services' contributions to undergraduate preparation for the world‐of‐work, particularly in regional areas. Furthermore, the case study highlights the importance of inter‐departmental cooperation within the university environment, and the value of university‐industry collaboration toward the goal of improving graduates' transitions into the workforce, particularly in rural and regional areas.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Baljeet Singh ◽  
Kushankur Dey

Learning outcomes: The paper aims to understand the process of transfer of agricultural technology, which comprises incubation of the technology business, valuation, evaluation, licensing and commercialization, to examine various dimensions of the process of technology transfer and the effectiveness of transfer object use criteria, to explore ways of sustaining incubation and commercialization through an autonomous unit responsible for technology transfer, to peruse the role of agribusiness incubators in creating an effective agri-entrepreneurship eco-system and to study the factors that promote or inhibit the sustainability of business incubators in an academic or research institution setting. Case overview/synopsis: An innovative technology for production of liquid bio-fertilizers was developed and nurtured to market levels by Anand Agricultural University (AAU), a State Agricultural University in Gujarat. The technology for production of liquid bio-fertilizers, developed during 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 was licensed to some of the state public and private sector undertakings under the World Bank-financed National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) implemented through Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). For commercializing the technologies from the University, a Business Planning and Development (BPD) Unit was set up at AAU along the lines of a technology transfer office, under the aegis of NAIP during later part of 2009. The NAIP funding from World Bank for BPD Units ceased in June 2014 with closure of the project. With funding no more available, Rajababu V. Vyas, a research scientist at the Microbiology and Bio-fertilizer Department of the University and Head of the BPD Unit, had serious concerns about the BPD unit’s sustainability, as well as sustaining the process of technology transfer from the University. Complexity academic level: Anand Agricultural University (AAU), a state-run university in Gujarat, developed and incubated a technology to produce liquid biofertilizer, licensed the technology and marketed its product through a few state-run and private fertilizer firms. The technology was developed between 2009/2010 and 2013/2014 as part of the National Agricultural Innovation Project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research with funds from the World Bank. A unit to incubate agri-businesses, referred to as Business Planning and Development Unit (BPDU), was set up in late 2009 to expedite the process of technology transfer from AAU to agribusiness firms. Rajababu V. Vyas, a research scientist at the Microbiology and Bio-fertilizer Department of the university, was concerned about the unit’s sustainability, because funding from the World Bank had ceased from June 2014, and wondered how to sustain the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the field in the light of the data available to him. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code Entrepreneurship


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosheek Sewchurran ◽  
Lester Merlin Davids ◽  
Jennifer McDonogh ◽  
Camille Meyer

Purpose In the African context of business practice, the authors face two interrelated challenges. First, executives need to deal strategically and sustainably with growing levels of inequality, under-employment and declining levels of wellness and safety. Second, executive development needs to develop virtues to help executives to address these problems. This paper aims to articulate an integrated, sustainable business education approach that aims to prepare executives to practice integrative thinking while simultaneously cultivating virtues that enhance their lives, thereby enabling them to make ongoing sustainable impacts to their worlds. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a mixed method analysis including both quantitative and qualitative data from student course feedback evaluations from Business Model Innovation (BMI) and Phronesis Development Practice courses run over four consecutive years between 2018 and 2021 at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business as part of the Executive Masters of Business Administration degree. Findings The program’s pedagogical approach integrates a philosophical habituation process with a core course on BMI practice. This philosophical integration is one in which there is a sustainable focus on cultivating specific “process” and “practice” virtues which foster awareness amongst executives of their everyday mundane skilful coping in the world. This leads to candidates becoming attuned to ways, in which they can strive for more authenticity and to step into newer ways of being, that allow them to reflect their values and evolve cultural practices. Originality/value As the first business school in Africa to base a BMI course on the affordances of the phenomenon of being-in-the-world and a philosophical habituation process, the authors hope to inspire more business schools to adopt holistic, sustainable approaches to executive development that goes beyond the competence paradigm.


2007 ◽  
pp. 25-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Gordon ◽  
Rotacio Gravoso ◽  
Eduardo x Eduardo Mangaoang ◽  
Edwin Balbarino

Tree registration in the Philippines helps meet the legal requirements for harvesting and transport of timber, and is encouraged by the Philippines Government. To help improve information flow an extension primer was developed. The primer contains basic information on tree registration, harvesting, log transport and marketing. The development process involved input from staff of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources, tree farmers, furniture dealers, the Philippine National Police, the World Agroforestry Centre, Visayas State University and The University of Queensland. Key stakeholders were brought together at three workshops to review policy information and explore the interactions between, and differing opinions of, the various stakeholders. The primer has been distributed widely. Positive feedback has been obtained, although testing has shown that further improvements are possible. A revised version of the primer is to be produced.


1987 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-111
Author(s):  
Beatriz L. Mercado

Dr. Mercado is Professor, Department of Agronomy, University of the Philippines at Los Baños. Her undergraduate and Master's degrees are from the University of the Phillippines, and her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She has been active in weed science since the early 1970's and has trained some 27 M.S. and 8 Ph.D. students. In addition, she and her husband have raised a family of five children. Mercado is a well-recognized weed scientist in her part of the world, having lectured in Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. Her weed science textbook, “Introduction to Weed Science,” is widely used in Asian countries. Among her many honors, perhaps those most prized would be three awards for outstanding achievement from her own University of the Philippines.


Author(s):  
Sari Silvanto ◽  
Jason Ryan

PurposeThis study aims to empirically examine the most common appeals recommended for use in nation branding campaigns to attract and retain skilled professionals from abroad to enhance a country’s economic competitiveness. To assess this, the authors examine how the image and reputation of a country as a destination and location for talent compare to its actual performance in terms of attracting and retaining skilled professionals. This comparison provides useful insights into the aspects of a country’s reputation that matter most for attracting the talent it needs to enhance its competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a multivariate analysis to examine a sample of 122 countries using secondary data from the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, the UNDP and other non-governmental sources, such as the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto. It then tests the results using a sample of 35 OECD countries to assess whether they apply to all types of countries equally.FindingsThe study finds that the two most important factors for ensuring that a country is maximizing its potential to attract skilled professionals are the availability of employment and the degree of ethnic and cultural diversity within the host country. The most important factor for ensuring that a country is maximizing its potential to retain talent, the study finds, is the availability of employment. This does not mean that other factors do not matter, but employment and diversity are crucial for attracting talent from abroad.Research limitations/implicationsThe study also tests the overall results of the study by using a smaller sample of 35 OECD countries. It finds that the availability of employment and high levels of GDP per capita (i.e. wealth) is important for attracting and retaining skilled professionals in more industrially developed countries.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few empirical studies to examine nation branding to attract and retain talent from abroad to enhance national competitiveness. Its findings suggest that a multifaceted and holistic framework-based approach to nation branding to attract talent, such as that recommended by Silvanto and Ryan (2014), is less likely to work in the short term than an approach which primarily emphasizes employment and diversity.


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