Blended Intensive Programe for bachelor and master students „Sustainable agriculture for rural development“
Blended Intensive Programe (BIP) course for students „Sustainable agriculture for rural development“ organised by the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development on 20-24th of November, 2023. The program aims to provide an immersive learning experience that combines face-to-face interaction with researchers and professionals with virtual learning activities.
26 students participated in this programme, including the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Estonian University of Life Sciences, the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, and the University of Palermo (Italy).
Students were introduced to the agricultural situation in the context of regional development, green accounting, potential business models for innovative ventures in the food sector, international marketing methods for agricultural food products, logistics, and supply chains during this BIP program. These and other topics were taken during the program’s discussions, and at the end of the intensive week, participants presented their ideas and projects for sustainable rural development in various thematic areas proposed by the program’s teachers.
The program was taught by 4 teachers from the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of VMU Agricultural Academy – Prof. Dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erika Besusparienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rasa Pranskūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastasija Novikova, as well as 3 teachers from Erasmus+ partner universities – Prof. Dr. Andra Zvirbule and Prof. Dr. Gunta Grīnberga Zālīte (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies), and Dr. Anne Poder (Estonian University of Life Sciences).
An important part of the BIP program was acquainting participants with examples of the best practices. An organized visit to the Training farm of VMU Agriculture Academy allowed BIP participants to become familiar with innovative dairy cow care methods used on the farm (such as the use of sprouted grains for feeding, the application of innovative pasture grass technology, and more), which enable achieving exceptional productivity and outstanding milk quality indicators (such as low-fat content, especially low somatic cell and bacterial counts, indicating excellent cow health).
During the BIP, participants also went on an educational excursion to a 700-hectare “Farmers Circle” farm. Here, BIP participants were introduced to the principles of circular economy practiced on the farm: the production grown at “Farmers Circle” is sold at local farmers’ markets, and the farm also operates a restaurant that serves seasonal dishes made from local products. During the farm tour and local tastings of the local products, students had the opportunity to get a closer look at examples of sustainable use of resources and the practical application of sustainability ideas.
This Erasmus+ BIP program was coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastasija Novikova and the international coordinator of the VMU Agricultural Academy, Dr. Monika Medikienė.
