Monday, November 2, 2009
Climate Change Education at IAAS
Climate Change in Agriculture Education at IAAS: Experiences and Future Directions1
Dharma Raj Dangol, Ph. D.
Department of Environmental Science
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
E-mail: dharmadangol@hotmail.com, drdangol@gmail.com
Abstract
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science of Tribhuvan University is attempting to integrate new developments into its agricultural education. This institute has introduced many new courses such as Environmental Science and Agroecology, Environmental Ecology, Conservation Ecology, Environmental Impact Assessment into Bachelor or Master degree programs. This paper reviews contents of courses and discusses on the importance of integration of climate or global warming in the syllabus. This also discusses on the important issues related to delivery of units of courses prescribed.
Introduction
The Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) is the only agricultural institute under Tribhuvan University in Nepal for providing higher education in agriculture, animal science and veterinary medicine. This IAAS has three campuses located in the hill (Lamjung Campus at Lamjung), Terai (Paklihawa Campus at Paklihawa) and Inner Terai (Rampur Campus at Rampur). Currently, this institute is running B. Sc. Ag., B.V.Sc. & AH, M. Sc. Ag., M. Sc. An., M. Sc. aquaculture, M. Sc. Veterinary Medicine, and Ph. D. as academic programs (IAAS; 2003a, 2003b; 2006). These three campuses run B. Sc. Ag. programs. Among the three campues, Rampur Campus runs all the four year courses, however, Lamjung and Paklihawa Campuses run first two year courses only and then after students move to Rampur Campus for remaining two year courses. Post-graduate program is directly run under the IAAS and runs at Rampur. There are post-graduate programs in 14 different disciplines. The main objective of this paper is to review the content of courses for global warming and climate change. This paper also highlights on the issues and the future directions for the improvement of education in the IAAS.
Experiences
IAAS has established Department of Environmental Science to deal with environmental education. Currently, this department has 2 professors, 3 associate professors, 3 assistant professors, 3 lab boys and 1 gardener. It has some physical facilities including laboratories, demonstration plots, herbarium and ethnobotanical museum, etc. For designing or reviewing course curriculum, a subject matter committee has been formed for three years period. All the courses offered under this department are given as follows:
_______________________
1This paper was presented in Climate Change Workshop on 20 June 2007 in Narayangarh, Chitwan
Program: Undergraduate program
Core courses
• Introductory Biochemistry (2+1)
• Agricultural Microbiology (2+1)
• Introductory Crop Physiology (2+1)
• Environmental Science and Agroecology (2+1)
• Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (2+1)
Elective courses
• Environmental Ecology (2+1)
• Biodiversity Conservation (2+1)
• Fundamentals of Ethnobiology (2+1)
• Ecological Research Methods (3+0)
Program: M. Sc. Ag. (Conservation Ecology)
• Crop Physiology (2+1)
• Conservation Ecology (2+1)
• Microbial Ecology (2+1)
• Ecological Agriculture (2+1)
• Applied Ethnbotany (2+1)
• Natural Resource Management 2+0)
• Wetland Ecology (2+0)
• Biodiversity Management (2+1)
• Agroecotourism (2+0)
• System Analysis and Crop Models (2+0)
• Ecology of Community Forestry (2+0)
• Weed Biology and Ecology (2+0)
• Environmental Impact Assessment (2+0)
• M. Sc. Seminar (0+2)
• M. Sc. Thesis (0+6)
A course syllabus entitled “Environmental Science and Agroecology” is taught in the third semester of B. Sc. Agriculture program in three campuses of the IAAS. This course is divided into 10 units and Unit 6 deals with Urbanization, Global Warming and Climate Change in two lectures (IAAS, 2003a). No other courses directly deal with this issue. However, instructors can orient or deal climate change and global warming while teaching the first practical entitled “record and analyze the climate data”. Again faculties need orientation on climate change and their impact on agriculture. This climate change issue can also deal while teaching Environmantal Impact Assessment in post-graduate program (see course details in IAAS, 2006).
Gaps and Lessons Learned
Climate change is very important issue of the environment. IAAS has initiated to deal with this issue and learned some lessons. Firstly, this institute needs to identify its strengths and weaknesses in teaching and research and to identify potential partners working in this issue. Secondly, after identifying the potential partners and stakeholders, IAAS needs to develop networks and partners for collaborative works including research, development and teaching. Thirdly, this network of partners should be also used to build capacity of institute, faculties, researchers, students and staff on climate change and global warming. Fourthly, regular seminars, workshops or conferences should be organized for sharing important issues and lessons learned from teaching and research on climate change. Finally, team effort is needed to change in policy level and educate all people about impacts and challenges of the global warming and climate change.
Future Directions
• Faculties involving in teaching “Environmental Science and Agroecology” should get involved in action research conducted by GOs, NGOs and CBOs or familiar with research activities.
• The organizations, such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD, Ecological Services Centre, are conducting research on climate change are the real partners for the IAAS for training in the issues. IAAS needs to develop partnership with such organization for building institutional capacity for academic excellence on the subject matter.
• IAAS needs to build capacity of faculties, students and staff to learn more about climate change with the help of organizations such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD, Ecological Services Centre, and Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology. IAAS also needs to create educational resources, facilitate faculties and students to participate in trainings, seminars, workshops, conferences and conduct action researches on climate change.
• IAAS should organize guest lectures of experts to aware or educate about the climate change.
• IAAS needs to revise or develop course curriculum to incorporate adequate information on climate change.
• IAAS also needs to initiate field visits during the classes of climate change with the help of organizations such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD and Ecological Services Centre.
Literature Cited
IAAS. 2003a. IAAS Bulletin. Course Catalogue of B. Sc. Agriculture. Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
IAAS. 2003b. IAAS Bulletin. Course Catalogue of B. V. Sc. and A. H., Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
IAAS. 2006. Information Bulletin: Postgraduate Program (revised edition). Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
Dharma Raj Dangol, Ph. D.
Department of Environmental Science
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science
Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal
E-mail: dharmadangol@hotmail.com, drdangol@gmail.com
Abstract
Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science of Tribhuvan University is attempting to integrate new developments into its agricultural education. This institute has introduced many new courses such as Environmental Science and Agroecology, Environmental Ecology, Conservation Ecology, Environmental Impact Assessment into Bachelor or Master degree programs. This paper reviews contents of courses and discusses on the importance of integration of climate or global warming in the syllabus. This also discusses on the important issues related to delivery of units of courses prescribed.
Introduction
The Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) is the only agricultural institute under Tribhuvan University in Nepal for providing higher education in agriculture, animal science and veterinary medicine. This IAAS has three campuses located in the hill (Lamjung Campus at Lamjung), Terai (Paklihawa Campus at Paklihawa) and Inner Terai (Rampur Campus at Rampur). Currently, this institute is running B. Sc. Ag., B.V.Sc. & AH, M. Sc. Ag., M. Sc. An., M. Sc. aquaculture, M. Sc. Veterinary Medicine, and Ph. D. as academic programs (IAAS; 2003a, 2003b; 2006). These three campuses run B. Sc. Ag. programs. Among the three campues, Rampur Campus runs all the four year courses, however, Lamjung and Paklihawa Campuses run first two year courses only and then after students move to Rampur Campus for remaining two year courses. Post-graduate program is directly run under the IAAS and runs at Rampur. There are post-graduate programs in 14 different disciplines. The main objective of this paper is to review the content of courses for global warming and climate change. This paper also highlights on the issues and the future directions for the improvement of education in the IAAS.
Experiences
IAAS has established Department of Environmental Science to deal with environmental education. Currently, this department has 2 professors, 3 associate professors, 3 assistant professors, 3 lab boys and 1 gardener. It has some physical facilities including laboratories, demonstration plots, herbarium and ethnobotanical museum, etc. For designing or reviewing course curriculum, a subject matter committee has been formed for three years period. All the courses offered under this department are given as follows:
_______________________
1This paper was presented in Climate Change Workshop on 20 June 2007 in Narayangarh, Chitwan
Program: Undergraduate program
Core courses
• Introductory Biochemistry (2+1)
• Agricultural Microbiology (2+1)
• Introductory Crop Physiology (2+1)
• Environmental Science and Agroecology (2+1)
• Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (2+1)
Elective courses
• Environmental Ecology (2+1)
• Biodiversity Conservation (2+1)
• Fundamentals of Ethnobiology (2+1)
• Ecological Research Methods (3+0)
Program: M. Sc. Ag. (Conservation Ecology)
• Crop Physiology (2+1)
• Conservation Ecology (2+1)
• Microbial Ecology (2+1)
• Ecological Agriculture (2+1)
• Applied Ethnbotany (2+1)
• Natural Resource Management 2+0)
• Wetland Ecology (2+0)
• Biodiversity Management (2+1)
• Agroecotourism (2+0)
• System Analysis and Crop Models (2+0)
• Ecology of Community Forestry (2+0)
• Weed Biology and Ecology (2+0)
• Environmental Impact Assessment (2+0)
• M. Sc. Seminar (0+2)
• M. Sc. Thesis (0+6)
A course syllabus entitled “Environmental Science and Agroecology” is taught in the third semester of B. Sc. Agriculture program in three campuses of the IAAS. This course is divided into 10 units and Unit 6 deals with Urbanization, Global Warming and Climate Change in two lectures (IAAS, 2003a). No other courses directly deal with this issue. However, instructors can orient or deal climate change and global warming while teaching the first practical entitled “record and analyze the climate data”. Again faculties need orientation on climate change and their impact on agriculture. This climate change issue can also deal while teaching Environmantal Impact Assessment in post-graduate program (see course details in IAAS, 2006).
Gaps and Lessons Learned
Climate change is very important issue of the environment. IAAS has initiated to deal with this issue and learned some lessons. Firstly, this institute needs to identify its strengths and weaknesses in teaching and research and to identify potential partners working in this issue. Secondly, after identifying the potential partners and stakeholders, IAAS needs to develop networks and partners for collaborative works including research, development and teaching. Thirdly, this network of partners should be also used to build capacity of institute, faculties, researchers, students and staff on climate change and global warming. Fourthly, regular seminars, workshops or conferences should be organized for sharing important issues and lessons learned from teaching and research on climate change. Finally, team effort is needed to change in policy level and educate all people about impacts and challenges of the global warming and climate change.
Future Directions
• Faculties involving in teaching “Environmental Science and Agroecology” should get involved in action research conducted by GOs, NGOs and CBOs or familiar with research activities.
• The organizations, such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD, Ecological Services Centre, are conducting research on climate change are the real partners for the IAAS for training in the issues. IAAS needs to develop partnership with such organization for building institutional capacity for academic excellence on the subject matter.
• IAAS needs to build capacity of faculties, students and staff to learn more about climate change with the help of organizations such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD, Ecological Services Centre, and Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology. IAAS also needs to create educational resources, facilitate faculties and students to participate in trainings, seminars, workshops, conferences and conduct action researches on climate change.
• IAAS should organize guest lectures of experts to aware or educate about the climate change.
• IAAS needs to revise or develop course curriculum to incorporate adequate information on climate change.
• IAAS also needs to initiate field visits during the classes of climate change with the help of organizations such as Practical Action, LI-BIRD and Ecological Services Centre.
Literature Cited
IAAS. 2003a. IAAS Bulletin. Course Catalogue of B. Sc. Agriculture. Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
IAAS. 2003b. IAAS Bulletin. Course Catalogue of B. V. Sc. and A. H., Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
IAAS. 2006. Information Bulletin: Postgraduate Program (revised edition). Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal.
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