The Student Survey “Teaching and Learning Evaluation” is Underway

The University has launched the student survey Teaching and learning evaluation in 2021 autumn semester. In the end of each semester all the students of bachelor, master, integrated and professional studies are invited to share an opinion about teachers and their own work during the semester study courses. The survey is anonymous!
More information.

The visit in university of Palermo

Assoc. professor dr. Jurgita Kulaitienė and lecturer dr. Dovilė Levickienė (Institute of Agriculture and Food Science, Faculty of Agronomy) visited the University of Palermo (UNIPA) the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences in Palermo, Italy on 15–17 June 2021 under the Erasmus+ staff mobility for training.

Teachers got acquainted with the Palermo higher education system, acquired knowledge and competence in area of modern analytical methods which are used to assess the storage and quality of the raw materials.

The visit has given an opportunity for exchanging the ideas on future education and research cooperation’s, improving the academic relations between relevant institutions of both universities in the academic and scientific field.

Agronomy faculty researches will participate in the International H2020 program project and will implement interdisciplinary, cross-sector and internationally relevant problems of soil fertility changes

In 2021 in April new international H2020 program Project HoliSoils “Forest Soils Research and Innovation Action – Holistic Management Practices, Modelling and Monitoring for European Forest Soils“ will be started. Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy will participate in the Project together with researchers from other 19 countries (Finland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, France, Spain, the Netherlands, etc.). The project aims to exchange the new knowledge on soil assessment processes and assessment methods in order to address the long-term benefits of soil-related ecosystems and climate change policy strategies in line with the European Union strategic standards. Including the UN’s Agenda 2030 SDGs, the Paris Agreement of Climate Convention, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the EU’s LULUCF Regulation, the EU Forest Strategy (2018), and the European Green Deal. HoliSoils will develop a harmonised soil monitoring framework and identify and test soil management practices aiming to mitigate CC and sustain provision of various ecosystem services essential for human livelihoods and wellbeing.

The multidisciplinary consortium consists of universities and research institutes from across Europe, with leading expertise on soil analysis and databases, development of advanced analytical techniques, complex system modelling, digital soil mapping, soil ecology, disturbance ecology, forest and GHG inventories, social sciences, and communications. It also involves active engagement with diverse stakeholders, including forest owners and managers, industry actors, forest extension services, a certification body, forest and soil researchers, climate policy support and GHG inventory experts, and policymakers.

The following main activities will be carried out in order to implement the project objectives: (WP 1) Analysing soil properties & drivers of microbiological processes, (WP 2) Modelling dynamics of soil properties & element fluxes, (WP 3) Harmonised soil monitoring framework for an EU GHG inventory, (WP 4) Holistic sustainable soil & forest management strategies, (WP 5) Soil resilience & recovery capacity after natural disturbances, (WP 6) Forest soils under different management scenarios in Europe, (WP 7) Stakeholder engagement, dissemination, exploitation & communication (DEC).

Researchers at the VMU Agriculture Academy will be actively involved in all project activities, however, will focus on analysis of soil properties and microbiological processes, evaluation of soil GHG evaluation strategy, development of holistic sustainable soil and forest management strategy, dissemination, communication and harmonization of project results.

Project duration – 54 months.

The total Project budget is 10,035,592.50 EUR, the financing from the European Union funding – 9,999,920.00 EUR. The VMU Agriculture Academy budget is 93,125.00 EUR, the European Union funding – 86,875.00 EUR.

International attention and insights on agro-ecosystems sustainability in Lithuania

On 2-3^rd December, 2020 was held the 3rd International Scientific Conference AgroEco2020: “Agroecosystem Sustainability: Links between Carbon Sequestration, Food Security and Climate Change” organized by Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) Agriculture Academy, Faculty of Agronomy. The conference was held virtually for the first time. The international research infrastructure consortium AnaEE also contributed to the organization of the conference. The conference was attended by about 200 participants from various countries: France, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Hungary, India, Denmark and others.

The conference AgroEco2020 was opened by the VMU Agriculture Academy Dean of Agronomy Faculty prof. Aušra Blinstrubienė. Vice-President of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences prof. Zenonas Dabkevičius welcomed all participants of the conference.

The topics of the conference are closely related to the European Commission’s Mission area “Soil Health and Food”. The conference was attended by the Chairman of the Mission Board “Soil Health and Food” prof. Cees Veerman. He presented the Mission and the Board’s activities in plenary session. He has a wide experience as he is a former Dutch Minister of Agriculture, a professor at Wageningen University & Research, and also he is a farmer. Assoc. prof. dr. Zita Kriaučiūnienė from VMU Agriculture Academy, Faculty of Agronomy, Institute of Agroecosystems and Soil Sciences is also a member of Mission Soil Health and Food Board.

The second plenary presentation was about the research infrastructure AnaEE (Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems), presented by Michel Boer, Head of this infrastructure. VMU Academy of Agriculture together with the Lithuanian Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Center (LAMMC) seeks to join this international infrastructure and its project activities. Later in the conference was presented BIOEAST initiative, in which the VMU Academy of Agriculture and its researchers are already participating as partners together with other Central and Eastern European countries, on common agro-ecological problems and insights into sustainable farming. Prof. Abdul M. Mouazen from the University of Ghent (Belgium) presented research on precision agriculture. Active cooperation with this professor has been going on for several years and in 2021 a joint international project will be launched. The famous researcher of allelopathy research prof. Inderjit from the University of Delhi (India) had presentation about weeds in agroecosystems. Professors from Poland presented two more plenary presentations: prof. Ewelina Hallmann on bioactive food components, and prof. Renata Marks-Bielska on the circular bioeconomy in the food chain.

For the rest of the day, oral presentations were presented in three parallel sections. A total of 31 oral presentations were made on the following topics: soil health and carbon sequestration for sustainability; soil and crop management to reduce chemicals in agriculture; biodiversity, crop and product diversification; precision agriculture and digital technologies; food quality and safety; the role of the circular bioeconomy in climate change mitigation.

The conference poster presentations, of which there were 41, and the conference abstract book were published on the Internet.

The second day of the conference was dedicated to the presentation of AnaEE international research infrastructure and its services. During it prof. Algirdas Augustaitis, prof. Arvydas Povilaitis, prof. Vaclovas Bogužas, assoc. prof. Zita Kriaučiūnienė presented agro-, forest- and aquatic ecosystem research infrastructures, laboratory equipment and research and project activities in VMU Agriculture Academy, and the director of LAMMC dr. Gintaras Brazauskas in the Lithuanian Agriculture and Forestry Sciences Center.

Communication with foreign partners is very important to increase the awareness and quality of research. The conference, even in a pandemic, took place and was successful. It is hoped that the experience gained by organizing an international scientific conference virtually will be useful in the future, but wishing that at the AgroEco2022 conference we would have the opportunity to meet live in our nice academic campus and in a wonderful country – Lithuania!

AgroEco2020 organizers:
Assoc. prof. Zita Kriaučiūnienė and prof. Vaclovas Bogužas

Agrobiodiversity Summer School 2021

We invite students to register for the organized Summer School “Agrobiodiversity 2021”, which will take place in Switzerland in August 29 to September 8, 2021.

All the requirements that must be met in order to enter Switzerland for a short-term stay can be found at:
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/publiservice/weisungen-kreisschreiben/visa/liste1_staatsangehoerigkeit.html

All visa procedures remain the participant’s responsibility and must be arranged prior to arriving in Switzerland. Please note that you cannot apply for a student visa as a participant of the Summer School, as you will not be an officially enrolled student. For the visa application form please visit:
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/themen/einreise/visumantragsformular.html

Please return this application form until February 7^th, 2021 to: gof.iunr@zhaw.ch
After sending us your application, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive this within a couple of workdays, please check your junk mail folder or contact anna.geiser@zhaw.ch

AGROECO 2020 3rd International Scientific Virtual Conference

The 3rd International Scientific Virtual Conference “AGROECO 2020” will be held online on 2-3 th of December, 2020. The conference is organised by Faculty of Agronomy of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy.

Conference programme and connections.

Registration for the online regional hackathon HACK AgriFood’20 has started!

AgriFood Lithuania DIH, together with international partners, has announced the beginning of registration for the regional online two-day hackathon HACK AgriFood’20, which will take place on November 21-22, 2020. Participants will be able to choose from 18 unique challenges, divided into 6 different categories, that the agri-food sector is facing today.

During the two-day hackathon innovators from Lithuania and neighboring countries will:

get mentorship and guidance from experts at the top of their fields;
have the opportunity to pitch their ideas during the international AgriFood Forum 2020;
compete for a solid cash prize;
be invited to participate in unique interactive entertainments.

Anyone interested can join HACK AgriFood’20 at www.hackagrifood. Registration for the hakathon will be open until November 18.

Challenge categories: Fighting food loss and food waste; Crisis-averse horticulture; Mitigating labor shortage; Smart animal husbandry; Side-stream valorization; Boosting local production.

Project “Optimal catch crop solutions to reduce pollution in the transboundary Venta and Lielupe river basins” (LLI-49 CATCH POLLUTION)

In September, 2019, Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VDUŽŪA) together with partners from the Center for Environmental Policy (AAPC) (Lithuania) and Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics (AREI) (Latvia) finished implementation of the project “Optimal catch crop solutions to reduce pollution in the transboundary Venta and Lielupe river basins” (LLI-49 CATCH POLLUTION) which was supported by the Interreg V-A Latvia-Lithuania Cross Border cooperation programme 2014-2020.

Project “Optimal catch crop solutions to reduce pollution in the transboundary Venta and Lielupe river basins” (LLI-49 CATCH POLLUTION) was initiated with the aim to investigate catch crop potentials to reduce agricultural pollution in the transboundary Venta and Lielupe RBDs, extend the existing knowledge about catch crops and quantify their potential environmental effects and benefits, support farmers in decision making, and initiate a dialog between farmers, experts and stakeholders about future developments of agri-environmental measures in Latvia and Lithuania. To facilitate a wider application of catch crops, project experts prepared recommendations for catch crop support and guidance on the required implementation actions. The decision support tool was elaborated to help farmers in finding catch crop options best suiting to the needs of their farm.

All project results can be found here:

https://latlit.eu/lli-49-optimal-catch-crop-solutions-to-reduce-pollution-in-the-transboundary-venta-and-lielupe-river-basins/

Project implementation period: April 1, 2017 – September 30, 2019

Project number: LLI-49

Project acronym: CATCH POLLUTION

Project budget: 201 845 EUR

ERDF funding: 171 568 EUR

Project supported by Interreg V-A Latvia-Lithuania Cross Border cooperation programme 2014-2020 http://www.latlit.eu/

More info: www.europa.eu

This information has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

The visits in Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences and Lublin University of Life Sciences

Prof. dr. Honorata Danilchenko and prof. dr. Elvyra Jariene (Institute of Agriculture and Food Science, Faculty of Agronomy) visited the Wroclaw University of Environment and Life Sciences on 13-17 of January and University of Life Sciences in Lublin on 10-14 of February, 2020 in Poland under the Erasmus + Training and Training Exchange Programs.

New structural changes of Vytautas Magnus University, development and internationalization of study programs, research activities at the Institute of Agricultural and Food Sciences of the Faculty of Agronomy were introduced to colleagues of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences of the Wroclaw University of Environment and Life Sciences and academic staff of the Faculty of Agro-bioengineering of University of Life Sciences in Lublin during the visits.

The changes in the Polish higher education system were introduced to visiting professors. During the discussions with students and teachers, there were discussed about the innovative teaching methods that’s motivate the young generation’s creativity and the pursuit of knowledge.

During the visit the professors of the Vytautas Magnus University Agricultural Academy had a possibility to get an acquainted at approved research laboratories. Modern analytical methods used to evaluate the quality of raw materials were introduced at the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (JUNG, Pulawy).

prof. dr. Honorata Danilčenko, prof. dr. Elvyra Jarienė

COMPETITION FOR EXCHANGE STUDIES AT non-EU/EEA COUNTRIES

ATTENTION TO ALL VMU STUDENTS!
COMPETITION FOR EXCHANGE STUDIES AT non-EU/EEA COUNTRIES (Erasmus+ and VMU Bilateral Exchange)

Students are invited to participate in a competition for one semester exchange studies at non-EU/EEA countries with Erasmus+ or VMU Mobility scholarship.

Students have to submit completed online application form (Outgoing – Application for Bilateral and Erasmus Study Exchange) until 1st of March, 2020

Selection criteria:

compatibility between the plan for studies or research at the Higher Education Institution abroad and the study programme at VMU;
motivation;
results of studies or research during the last two semesters (for VMU Mobility scholarship GPA should be no less than 8.0);
good knowledge of the language in which lectures will be taught.

Selected students will receive Erasmus+ or VMU Mobility scholarship.

Students will be personally informed via email about the results of first selection stage and invitation to second stage – interview.

MORE INFORMATION