Strategic partnerships with academia and research institutions in support of the SDGs
Following the June 2020 publication on case studies of successful partnership practices and important outcomes with featured academia and research institutions, a second series of case studies showcases four key partnerships with Agrinatura (Czechia), Texas A&M AgriLife (United States of America), Università degli Studi di Torino (Italy) and Université Laval (Canada). These key partnerships contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from different perspectives.
The partnership with Agrinatura makes use of research, education and innovation to support the transformation of agri-food systems and promote sustainable development approaches. To achieve such objectives, the collaboration focused on the EU-funded “Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems”, a project for the production and dissemination of theoretical and practical knowledge to strengthen capacities, and supported the development of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) in the development and validation of a Common Framework on Capacity Development for Agricultural Innovation Systems. As a result, the partnership allowed the implementation of activities to produce communication materials, organize advocacy events, develop the capacities of practitioners and policy makers, and promote innovation, food security and climate-smart agriculture.
The partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife supports the development of capacities and innovative tools in areas such as food security and the sustainable development of livestock. The release of the online course “Laboratory Quality Control Systems for Feed Analysis”, the creation of early warning system to predict the forecast of forage conditions, and the implementation of intern and volunteer programmes are just some examples of the successful results of the partnership. Further activities, such as training programs on infectious zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases, including the foot-and-mouth disease, and the exchange of resources and expertise which target additional areas such as the links between animal wellbeing and public health.
Università degli Studi di Torino
The scale-up note on the partnership with the Università degli Studi di Torino highlights the skills developed by the participants who attend the International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas. The course allows practitioners, technicians and officers from governmental institutions and NGOs to understand the potential of ecological and social impacts of different management policies targeting mountain areas. Furthermore, the collaboration with the Università degli Studi di Torino also allowed the production of communication material on mountain and soils and the expansion of the activities with the new partner the University of Tuscia.
Finally, the brief on the partnership with Université Laval focuses on the development of innovative tools and resources to help policy-makers and prepare new generations to respond to climate change impacts through agroforestry and tenure, climate change adaptation and further collaboration on food safety. Actions such as the development of knowledge products on agroforestry and tenure for the restoration of landscape, the organization of events and advocacy, involvement in the design and implementation of training modules are just some of the key results obtained through this partnership.
