Agris Mundus Magazine Issue 3

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Mara at the EMA General Assembly

AGRISMUNDUS

August-September 2013

MOVING! ... WELCOME (BACK)For those who havent already, its time to move to the next study place. Packing, traveling, finding accomodation... We take

advantage of this issue to give you some advice (p.2). No time to rest, busy with internships (p.3) and then there is the annual

meeting in the Netherlands. We already introduce you to the AgTraIn students as from now on AgTraIn will be actively involved in the

association, including the magazine. This issue is also an opportunity to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the Master

programme. Mariola (finishing her M2) ends this issue with a touching reflection on her Agris Mundus experience.

Did you know about EMA?

Busy summers, the Erasmus Mundus-

ers know that there is always something to

do! Internships, learning a new language,

discovering the world... Or just moving your

stuff (p.2)!

I would like to take advantage of this

preface to introduce you to the Erasmus

Mundus Association (EMA). There is not only

an Agris Mundus association, but also EMA.

This association is funded by the EU and

organizes an annual General Assembly, which

the programme representatives attend. It

consists of different Chapters grouped in

countries and of working groups with

different themes. They work on themes as

diverse as promoting the Erasmus Mundus

programmes, community development,gender equality... Besides networking it

allows you to start your own project with the

platform called REALIZE IT. Or if you have

other ideas you can also bring them on.

And do you know what? They even fund

your dinner! Indeed, students of different

Erasmus Mundus programs can apply to

funding of up to 10 euro/pp/year for joint

activities. Have a look at the EMA website:

thttp://www.em-a.eu. Even if you are not

program representative or an alumnus you

can get involved.

This year 6 Agstudents went to the

General Assembly and we discovered a

group of motivated people with a lot of ideas.

Although it offers such an array of

opportunities the activities of EMA are quite

unkown among Erasmus Mundus students.

So dont hesitate to ask us questions at the

annual meeting in the Netherlands! (Us=Mara, Loet, Amanda and I).

The Editor, Marie Herman (Belgium)

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Issue 3

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Agris Mundus guide to moving accross Europe:

Amanda tells you how (NOT) to get from your M1 toyour M2 country...

This is a foolproof 10-step guide to ensure that you have an

eventful trip to remember.

Step 1: When analyzing routes to get from your M1 country to your

M2 destination; make sure to choose the longest and most

inconvenient. If you chose the train, make sure you have a minimum

of three transfers and chose a date where there are strikes all across

your final country of destination.

Step 2: When living in your M1 city; make sure you accumulate as

much stuff as possible.

Step 3: Defy laws of physics and pack all of the above-mentioned

stuff into a few, very overweight suitcases. For optimal results make

sure the suitcases used are old and partially broken (broken wheels

and handles are ideal).

Step 4: Make sure to buy an expensive bike and plan to take it toyour M2 destination. As you will find out,

it is hard to move bikes internationally

(especially on trains). Unless, that

is, you partially dismantle it and

reconstruct in into an abstract shape,

then cover it with a blanket (no one will

know you are cheating the system

by packing a bike!).

Step 5: When you have made it to your

first transfer of many, break the

handle of your bag further. This allows

you to explore your creativity and

construct a new handle out of the

broken pieces- sharp edges areencouraged to be left uncovered.

!!

Step 6: Make sure the overnight train you are on is the only one that

will experience technical difficulties. Spending hours in the middle of

nowhere countryside is a great way to relax during your voyage.

Step 7: Try to transfer through Paris stations- they have no lifts, lots

of stairs and are fantastic when you have numerous handless bags;

most transfers require going to a different station across the city.

Step 8: Break your

prescription glasses daysbefore you travel so that

you get to be a living tribute

to Corey Hart and wear

your [prescription]

sunglasses at night.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2LTL8KgKv8)

Step 9: Be sure that you take the first train, after numerous

cancellations, that departs right at rush hour. Be sure to let out a nice

Baa as you are herded like sheep towards the only available train for

hours.

Step 10: Once you have arrived at your destination, pour yourself a

cold drink and remember that there is a reason people dont ascend

Mount Everest on an escalator. The feat you have just conquered is a

prize all on its own.

Research credits for this article go to Loet Rammelsberg, Marie

Herman and Amanda Klarer. A special thanks to Gustavo Togeiro

Alckmin for all his help.

! !

by Amanda Klarer (Canada)

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CORKon Internship -by Cllia RoucouxMy year in Ireland is over and I'm now in Canada,

working on a farm. Every day, I wake up early to

feed the animals: chickens and chicks, pigs andcows grazing across the road. I spend 20 minutes

in the pasture waiting for the water barrel to fill up.

In the horizon, I can see the breath-taking blend of

the clear blue line of the sky and the deep green of

the fields. I then walk to the field to begin my daily

chores: weeding to protect the carrots, the pretty

little clovers lost in the invasive grass or the peas,

up with their little swords and thinning to let the

beets, parsnips and rutabaga grow large enough to

be harvested. The rest of the time, I enjoy cleaning

the pig pen, tidying the barn, carrying around tools

such as shovels, hoes, rakes, pitch forks, andwheel barrows here and there, everywhere! Then

more weeding, sometimes by hand, other times

with the hoe or the wheel hoe, standing up, sitting

in the aisle, bending, with two hands, with one

handFor sure I'm doing organic farming!

The farm is a CSA (community supported

agriculture) which means that not only do they

produce food that will be sold locally (within 15 to

30 km) but also belong and participate in a

community. Twice a week, we harvest for the

members and the Farmers' Markets. Every

Harvest Day, our bins are filled to the brim with

fresh cut greens, onions and garlic and every week,

our boxes become more and more full with beets,

peas, radishes, strawberries. Soon, well be adding

green beans, cauliflower, tomatoes and zucchini to

the collection. As a part of

the community, the farm is always open to the

people: members that come every week to pick uptheir share, visitors and families on Farm Crawl,

school kids that spend a day discovering animals

and take walks in the forest and neighbours and

friends during big events like the recent Solstice

Party. Although things are not easy for the farmers,

people at the market complain when they see that

the bundle of organic asparagus locally produced is

twice the price they found in their grocery shop.

Veggies are under-valued and sold at a price just

enough to recover the cost or less. The work is

constant, hard and under-appreciated. Organic

farming is not supported by the government, thusfaces unfair exploitation by distributors and

retailers. It is part of a small and shrinking market.

Deep within Canada right now, working the dirt, I

reflect back on my experience with farmers a few

years ago in Senegal. Watering from a 15-metre

deep well, less than 1 acre of onions that might not

survive the drought, planting baby trees in a valley

of sand ravaged by the winds and finding a solution

to cut the hay without a hay-bind to endure the dry

season. I remember farmers going to the market to

sell carrots only to find the ones from at a cheaper

price. I also remember the kids and the women in

the fields, groundnuts freshly harvested and eaten

and the much awaited mango fall after the first

rains. Farming all over the world is the hardest, yet

most beautiful thing one can do.

(France)

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by the Montpellier crew, with special thanks to Anna-Sarah Eyrich

10 suggestions to get around in Montpellier

1. Housing--The SupAgro residence located right next to campus offers the benefits of living

close to school, communal BBQ tables for nice evenings in the summer, and laundry/internet/

bar services. It's pretty pricey, however, and though the residence staff may tell you otherwise,

it IS possible to find nice and affordable housing elsewhere. The CROUS offices offer rooms for

students around 200 Euros. It is always possible to move out of the residence into a shared

apartment. www.cnous.fr

2. CaF--The CaF is the Frenchgovernment's subsidy for student housing, the amount

depends on your earnings two year's before. If you earned less than 10,000 Euros that year,

you can receive up to about 190 Euros. After lots of paperwork, you usually need to wait at

least a month before receiving the first payment (it is deducted from your rent). Tip: Fill out your

document online and print it as soon as you arrive to speed up the process. http://www.caf.fr/

2. Food--Students from SupAgro generally flock to Lidl around the corner for the cheapest

prices around. The market on Saturday and Tuesday mornings under "les Arceaux" o ffers a

much more authentic experience of French specialties and local products, but be ready to pay

substantially more. With SupAgro's "Panier piano" group, you can sign up to receive a

vegetable/fruit basket for 2 from a local farmer every Tuesday, at 10 Euros per week.

3. Weekend Trips: Buses run out of Mosson (North of Montpellier). For 1.50 Euros you can

hope over to countless surrounding villages and explore their hiking trails. Good spots include

Lac de Salagou and St. Guillaume le Desert.

CHEAP BUSES: Not just Moson, there are other stations too: http://www.herault-transport.fr/

horaires_tarifs.html they go quite far in the department). Every department has long distance-

inter department bus services for 1 to 1.5 Euros... very useful during the stage in August also)

4. Bikes:You can go for a

VeloMag-- people who got them were generally quite content. Orbuy one second hand - that is hit or miss--- http://www.montpellier-agglo.com/tam/page.php?

id_rubrique=314

5. Second hand shopping: Mosson Flea Market every sunday morning on the parking lot

adjacent to MOSON tram station. Clothes, household stuff, bikes (but choose wisely.... some

of us had terrible luck!). Also look for "vide grenier" signs... meaning flea market. They occur

around the city

6. Markets: There are 2 farmers markets per week at the Arceaux - however there are also

other markets around. A nice one on sunday morning is on the southern side of the Olympic

pool in Antigone. http://www.montpellier.fr/1048-marches.htm

7. Phones: It seems the best option for a Phone is FREEMOBILE. You buy the SIM online once

you have a bike account and they send it to you. They have a 2 E option that will give you

certain deals and a 20E package taht is unlimited internet and international calls and texts ...other providers are quite expensive... http://mobile.free.fr/

8. Museums/galleries: Free to everyone under 25 years old....(entire France). First sunday of

the month FREE to everyone

9. Estivales: every Friday evening in the summer at the esplanade.... Very nice. drinks and

food.

10. Beach: To get to the beach you can take the tram to Etangs-D'Or, then walk or take a bus

to the beach Palavas... OR you can take apaved trailall the way to the beach following the

river.... Go to the river LEZ (place dEurope), and to the same side as the University (opposite to

the antigone). Follow that path all the way through fields and suburbs along the waterfront to

the beach.... http://www.montpellier.fr/198-velo-montpellier-le-transport-pour-les-citoyen-

ecologiste.htm

How to find your way in ... MONTPELLIER

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Surviving(in(the(Netherlands...

So now you have the privilege to belong the Agris Mundus family. We want to provide some useful tips for your first stop

in Wageningen. Study in the Netherlands...

Prepare yourself to deal with a bipolar weather -opportunity to experiment the 4 seasons in just 45 minutes- impermeable

clothes even in summer!

Buy a bicycle during the first 5 minutes you arrive to the town. Where? You can ask the friendly staff of the infopoint in

forum, check the facebook groups or ask to international students associations (IxESN and ISOW)

Looking for a cheap place to live? Student flats are good options. Hoovestein, Assepark and Dijkgraaf are located just a

few minutes from forum. There you will live in a corridor with international colleges sharing facilities (kitchen, toilet,

shower) if you want something private you can apply for Bornsesteeg of the self containers in haarweeg.

The last period of the MIL programme includes a professional practice in Valencia, for that reason a good

recommendation is to start learning some useful words in Spanish. Free courses in several languages are given by

students that belong to ISOW. So do not hesitate to join this association and make your experience in Wageningen more

multicultural than it already is.

Basics for living inWageningen by Adriana Sanchez (Nicaragua)

Top 5 of the alternative places in Cork and in Ireland in general

5. Camden palace, to listen and participate to the Cork Sacred

Harp or just hang out.

http://corksacredharp.com/

4. A weekend in Cloughjordan Community Farm to learn everything

about this eco-village or volunteer there

http://www.cloughjordancommunityfarm.ie/

3. When spring call, enjoy free Gardening Classes and give a hand

in everybody's garden

2. Never miss Veg'out on Tuesday and movie night on Wednesday at

the Solidarity Bookshop. Or just go there for a read. https://

www.facebook.com/solidaritybooks?fref=ts1. And after all that, go for delicious raw, vegan, healthy food

at Very Healthy Food, best place to eat in Cork.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Very-Healthy-Food/236336516391451?

fref=ts

Cork and Ireland, 4 x top 5! by the Cork team, special thanks to Cllia RoucouxCork Hipster Town

5. Finishing a tiring weekend listening to the

featured DJ at the Pav'.

https://www.facebook.com/pavcork?fref=ts

4. Shopping vintage clothes and other useless

items at Mother Jones Flea Market

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mother-Jones-Flea-

Market/100608443419871?fref=ts

3. Ride your fixie in Cork streets (if you

dont have a bike yet, try the Bike Shed on

Barrack street: https://www.facebook.com/

pages/The-Bike-Shed-Cork/197477380311387?fref=ts)

2. Then have a coffee at the F I L T E R

https://www.facebook.com/pages/F-I-L-T-E-R/

537055749645261

1. And be ready to see the same face at the pub

next door when the night's on! Try a

traditional pub like Sin to fill up your

ears with sweet Irish music or fill your

pint with local brew at the Franciscan Well

then go dancing late at night at the Crane

Lane Theater or the Pavilion!

Amazing stuff to do in Ireland

5. Cycle in Inishboffin

4. Sleep in a ghost village in Achille Island

3. Camp in a ring fort in West Cork

2. Hike in Gougane Barra

http://www.gouganebarra.com/

1. Rock climb in Dalkey QuarryTips for getting by in Cork and Ireland.

5. Participate in sports, great way to meet people.

4. Every time you go to Dublin for any visa procedure, make it worth it with a

visit to places and concerts you are interested in.

3. Banks take time. If you need anything from them, ask at least three weeks in

advance.2. Inter-city buses and the Irish Rail offer free wi-fi, may be handy to have your

device with you while travelling.

1. Learn a few words of the Cork slang and accent, might be of big help. A guide

to Cork slang:

http://www.peoplesrepublicofcork.com/dictionary

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All you need to know aboutCopenhagen!

By Gabriela Maciel (Mexico)

Moving to another country, culture and university requires some

adaptation, but in Copenhagen you will find it easy! Hope this brief

section can provide you basic information about the city and some

useful tips on diff

erent topics besides the ones touched upon onduring the two weeks International Orientation Program offered by the

University of Copenhagen (August 19th to September 2nd).

Housing

It is known that Copenhagen is a very expensive city for housing and it is

hard to find accommodation, but the first (and safest, though not the

cheapest!) option I would suggest is the Housing Department of the

University of Copenhagen, because it will give you a contract, flexibility in

the dates to pay your installments as well as assistance in case

something is not working at your place. There some other options to look

at, like www.boligportal.dk or the Facebook group Legebolige til unge og

studerende, gratis og sikkert. The former one, requires a payment of some

DKK (Danish kroners) to get access to the offers in the internet, but it is

somehow safe. The latter, is an informal site where you can post your

need for accommodation and you can also have a look if someones offer

matches with your needs; normally, the renting periods in this page areshort. Be aware of the fake contracts and the super high deposits that are

sometimes required by fake landlords; make sure you go to the place,

you have a look and you ask all your doubts and concerns.

Transportation

Copenhagen is definitely a biking city! There are plenty of second hand

shops and Y you can also check the Facebook group ESN CPH: Give-

Buy-Sell-Rent which is a very useful website where you can look not only

for bikes but for many other things. Be aware of the bike stores owners

who try to charge high prices for second hand bikes (more than 800-1000

DKK), normally they are used for the customer to bargain until the price

gets a bit lower. It is essential also that you get a lock and a pair of lights

for your bike. Other places to look for a bike are www.dba.dk and

www.guloggratis.dk. For transportation by public service, it is useful to

order a REJSEKORT (www.rejsekort.com) which is free of charge and you

buy saldo for it via internet. The transportation fares are lower with theRejsekort than buying the regular tickets. If you plan to often travel inside

the country and if you are under 25 years old, it is recommendable to get

the WildCard at DSB, it will allow you to get 50% discount in all the train

tickets you buy during the week, except during Friday and Su nday, when

you will get only 25% (www.dsb.dk).

University

Regarding academic matters (e.g. official documents, assistance on

opening of a bank account, and courses registration) it is useful to contact

the Erasmus Mundus Coordinator, Lene Kristine Christensen

([email protected]). In case you need assistance about procedures at the

University, the types of examination and other general information,

contact the International Office ([email protected], Tel. +45 35 32 29 18).

Last but not less, it is always super helpful if you contact our dear Agris

Mundus Coordinator, Andreas de Neergaard ([email protected]) for

information about the program, the courses approach and much more !

He might broaden your point of view, discuss the thing or place you in the

reality, but for sure you will always get a big smile and an encouraging

word!

A good idea is to sign up for the Mentor Program through the University

webpage or in the Facebook group (International Students and Mentors @

SCIENCE-KU), where a Danish student will give you plenty of advice

regarding student life and Copenhagen.

The University webpage (www.ku.dk) has a lot information that sometimes

is not very visible but useful, so you will sometimes need to dig in and

have a look at the different guest lectures that are taught along the year,

the exhibitions and fairs at the Uni from the private sector, the different

possibilities for students to participate in workshops, the research news

and more.

If you are looking forward to get a bit or experience or to use your time

doing some work, there are many possibilities to get a Student job, which

you can look for at the Uni webpage or directly asking to your professors.

There are also some opportunities in places different than the University,

such as non-profit cafes and tourist guides companies, among others.

When talking about books, the University has an Academic Book Store

where you can get them new, but if you are looking for a more economical

way, you can check www.pensum.dk, where you can get second hand

books for cheaper prices.

Food and Drink

You will find a lot of places with different kind of food in CPH!

Nevertheless, the cheapest way during the week is to cook for yourself

but when at the Uni, it is also common to go to one of the two Kantinen

Gimle & Gamle, there is also the Greenhouse Caf where you can get a

fair discount if you get in your student card the DSR sticker (you can get it

in the DSR offices below Gimle). Another good option for weekend is

Paludan Caf, Caf Aura and some non-profit cafs in Nrrebro and

Frederisksberg. For drinking cheap beer you shouldnt miss the University

bar A-Vej, other places (although the music is not that good ! ) are

Student Huset, LA Bar, Mlk and CafeEn, all of them in the city center.

Culture and free time

Something you enjoy in CPH is the various cultural events and places!

you never get bored (not even in winter) because there are many

museums (the ones belonging to the University are free with your Student

Card, e.g. botanical garden) and parks where especially during spring-

summer, different festivals and shows are held. If you like music, theres is

a jam session every Sunday in Christiania for free and some Fridays thereis a chill out with electronic music in Our Lady s Church you shouldnt

miss. There also different street musicians along Strget (main shopping

street) and some cafes and bars with live music. Another idea is to

register at the ESN Erasmus Student Network Copenhagen, where you

will receive new about tours, events, and more happening around.

Sports

For doing exercise in many different ways, you can sign up at USG, an

association that offers a lot of disciplines in Copenhagen (www.usg.dk). Be

aware that the courses start at the beginning of September and by then,

the places left will be rear, so is it better if you have a look in August and

decide early if you want to take action in. Another similar possibility is to

sign up with VLI (www.vli.dk). If youre more the gym person, World Fitness

is the option, with a discount if you show your student card. Otherwise, in

spring-summer, all the parks bloom and get green beautifully and you can

do sports yourself enjoying the nature.Bank

If you dont have an Agris Mundus Scholarship (with Danske Bank as the

assigned bank), Nordea Bank is a good option if you want to open an

account, because it is free of charge while in Danske Bank it costs 400

DKK.

Mobile telephony

Many companies offer their services in Denmark with slight fares variation.

You can go for the monthly payments and a contract for 6 mo nths to 2

years, but if you prefer prepaid plans, you can get a Lebara SIM card free

of charge, while in many other companies you need to pay for it.

Shopping

It is impressive how many retail stores you can find in Copenhagen! One

every corner and sometimes one by the side of the other! Anyhow, if you

are watching over your budget, the german supermarkets are the

cheapest ( ALDI and Lidl), you might not find everything on them becausethey are small but they are still good for basic stuff. Then, FAKTA and

Ftex are the next recommendation and only if you want a very fancy

ingredient or you are in the mood to spoil yourself with a luxurious meal,

the most expensive supermarkets are Irma and SuperBrugsen.

A real fact is that since you are coming to Denmark, all the websites are in

Danish, although many of them have a site in English. Anyhow, it is not

that difficult to figure out most of the information because you always can

use your computers translating tool and if not, if you register to the

Mentor program, your mentor will help you.

Well, this is not the whole recipe of how you are going to enjoy and spend

you r ti me in

C o p e n h a g e n

but hopefully it

can give you anidea.

COPENHAGEN

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(Tunisia)The best of Catania by Mohamed Benyedder

CATANIA

M2 Master thesis

NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINE: Pavel

and Firaol

Our two M2 heroes chose Tanzania to deliver their battle for

Knowledge, for Pavel its the Using of weaver ants to control fruit

fly damage in orange orchard on behalf of the research activity

held in the Sokoine University of Agriculture and for Firaol its the

effect of contrasting temperature on the developmental biology ofBemisia. tebaci and on its virus transmission characteristics of the

two main virus groups of Cassava mosaic and Cassava brown

streak virus disease on cassava on behalf of the activity held by

the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture of Tanzania. The 2

topics are linked with the threats to food security in Tanzania in

particular and in east Africa in general. For Pavel the topic is linked

to his former M1 University of Copenhagen on behalf of the Danish

DANIDA program and for Firoal the link is from M2 professors of

Facolt di Agraria di Catania. Both of them agreed that it is a

very rich and nice experience dealing with green house and lab

experiment and with surveys, in Tanzania, and that the real deal is

to step over the bureaucracy related to their establishment there.

As an advice, the best thing is to get prepared in advance, to

define perfectly the subject with the local tutors and to start the

procedure as soon as possible in order to have enough time for

the field work. Best wish of success for them, from friends and

colleagues from Catania, Copenhagen and from the whole Agris

Mundus Students and staff. See you at the defense guys.

For this issue, I would like to present Catania from the students life point of view, trying to give some references to those who will

be there next year, but also trying to remember some interesting things for those who like us were there for one year.

Catania is a wonderful coastal city in Sicily, its wonderful because by the end of summer and the beginning of autumn its still

enough warm to go the beach, my advice here is to take vantage of this aspect to reach by bus the northern rocky beaches of

Ognina, Lungomare, Aci Tressa, Aci Castello, Aci Reale or the very near southern sandy beach of La playa its up to you

to choose if its for a bath of sun, a bath of sea water or simply for a bath of people with friends as the mood is very nice and the

people are very warm.

Next Must is the Etna volcano; to get there you have different bus inside touristic circuit, you could also try the folkloric closed

circuit train of Circum Etnea who will turn around the Etna starting and stopping in Catania and passing by the different villages

established in the valleys down the volcano.

In the cityyou will have the central place of Piazza Duomo in front of the Cathedral of Saint Agatha. Up you have the castle of

CastellUrsino and his museum, the archeological Teatro Greco Romano, the Museo Belliniano dedicated to Vincenzo

Bellini, his life and his music. The other interesting place is the meeting point of Piazza Stesicoro in center, there you will find

roman ruins, old cathedrals, and the town administrative and commercial center of Corso Sicilia ending by the bus station of

Piazza della Repubblica leading to town central station. Behind the place, you will have the market of the Fiera where you will

find absolutely everything on sale as first or second hand for good prices. In the upper part, all long Via Etnea you will also find

the Villa Bellini: the central city park of Catania, where you could spend some time traveling through the centuries from the

Barocco to the Rinascimento art and style, in the middle of the fountains, the sculptures, the trees Also very close behind

Piazza Stesicoro you have, Piazza Teatro Massimo Bellini with bars, cafs, restaurants, ice cream shops, and obviously the

theater.

For your moving, the city provided lately with a fast bus, running through few strategic station who will lead until the university

campus of Santa Sofia from city center in a closed circuit, its also expected that the metro will be functional in 2014 with few butvery strategic station. Along the hill of Santa Sofia there is also the CUS dedicated to sportive activities especially for campus

students. The old section of Facolt di Agraria di Catania where part the course will also be held is in Via Valdisavoia, not very

far from city center. For the housing, the international section of Universt Degli Studi di Catania will do their best to find good

arrangement, generally in city center where its more interesting and very close.

It would be very pretentious to summarize the beauty of the city in few lines, but the place is to enjoy, also is the island of Sicily,

with cities, towns and villages like, Palermo, Messina, Marsala, Trapani, Siracusa, Agrigento, Enna, Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli,

Galati Mammertino, Taormina, Troina, Nicosiathe list is endless and every place is reachable by bus, in few minutes or hours with

good prices and it will be very pleasant to discover on each of them some of the singular monuments, buildings, ruins or simply the

local habits, feasts, cuisine or traditions that make the cultural and historical richness of this part of Mediterranean.

In the end I will advice again to enjoy and with all thispleasedont forget to study.

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8/11[8]

MEET... THE AGTRAIN-ERS!I am Niharika Rahman from Bangladesh. I have joinedas Agtrain fellow at University of Copenhagen in 2012,

while my second institute is Wageningen. The topic of

my PhD project is Environmental Efficiencies and

Controversies: Yield Intensification in smallholders Oil

Palm Production Systems of South-east Asia. I will do

my fieldwork in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Back home I have rather a small family, my parents and

a younger brother. My parents are my continuous source

of inspiration. It was always my dream that I will do PhD in my field someday.

Anyway here I am, I am very grateful to Agtrain for giving me this fantastic

opportunity. I would like to engage myself with sustainable agriculture which

is very relevant with my research direction. After finishing this PhD, my plan is

to join International Organizations of the United Nations in the future.

Interested in a thesis-subject? Meet them at the annual meeting or ask their contact to the editor/through LinkedIn!

...The profiles of Anna, Enrique and Mechthild can be found on the next page!

Hi, my name is Rufielyn Sungcaya Gravador, I am

from the Philippines. I am doing the project on: Plant

secondary compounds in small ruminant feeding: an

alternative to drugs for improving animal metabolic

state and product quality in low input farming

systems, at Catania and Copenhagen. I believe that

AgTraIn could help me make more significant

contributions to the developments and innovations

of animal production practices and its commodities, and expertise on the

processes from farm to fork, by applying the various fields of sciences,which in turn would help to further uplift the status of agriculture in the

economy. Outside the academia, I prefer to be involved in community

services, to cook and to travel.

Hi, my name is Abebe Nigussie Nigatu from Ethiopia. I am the

second batch of AgTrain Erasmus Mundus PhD programme. I

studied my M.Sc in soil science in Haramaya University,

Ethiopia. I have been working in Jimma University as lecturer

since 2009.

Currently, I am working my PhD with Prof.

Andreas de Neergaard (Copenhagen) and

Lijbert Brussaard (Wageningen). My

project i s about improv ing the

bioavailability of nutrients in compost andr e d u c e s G H G e m i s s i o n u s i n g

commercially and locally available

biofectors. I choose this project because I

am very much interested in soil biochemical processes and

recycling of wastes.

My name is Andnet Bayleyegn Abtew. My research project

(SupAgro-Catania) focuses on a study of the behavior,

ecology and control of legume flower thrips in Cowpea

towards the development of an integrated pest management

program in Kenya.

I graduated from my master in Horticulture from Hawassa

University in 2010. Afterwards, I have been working for a

Dutch owned flower farm company as an agronomist and

farm manager. There I learned the practical challenge thatfarmers face to control pests. The Pest management problem

is even more challenging in the case of small scale farmers as compared with a big

business company; and this leads my interest to contribute something by formulating

or adding some value on pest management practice for small scale farmers; which will

support African farmers to achieve food security by minimizing the pest damage on

cultivated crops. I am married and a father of one Son. After finishing my study I will

engage myself on agribusiness, research and development of plant based pesticide.

Anika Totojani. I come from Tirana,

Albania.Im in the second AgTraIN

batch. I study at the University of

Copenhagen, Department of Food and

Resource Economic, and am affiliated

at the SupAgro, Dpartement Sciences

Economiques, Sociales et de Gestion

(SESG),UMR-MOISA. My PhD study is

focused on Agribusiness Incubators in

Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Imworking in close collaboration with the Danish International

Development Agency which is implementing 6 agribusiness

incubators in 5 African countries.

In 2011, Ive obtained my Agris Mundus masters degree (track

Copenhagen-MOQUAS Montpellier). Im interested in research,

entrepreneurship, small and medium enterprises, agribusiness

development of transition and developing countries.

Hi all, my name is Eduardo Fuentes. I am Peruvian and I am part of the first AgtraIn

batch. I am doing my doctorate studies at Montpellier and Cork.

Currently, I am conducting a research-intervention work based

on the improvement of milk quality management of a dairy

supply chain in the highlands of Peru (Mantaro Valley), with the

aim of strengthening small-scale dairy farmers against

economic shocks.

I earned a Bsc. in Animal Science and a Masters in Nutrition

and Rural Development. I'm very talkative by nature but

sometimes I can be very serious. My favorite activities are going

out with friends, reading books, hiking and playing soccer. After I graduate I would like

to work for a government agency, in the field of agriculture sustainable development,

transferring all the knowledge I learned about social,

animal, environmental and agricultural sciences.

Hi, my name is Uta and I am from Germany. For my PhD (Wageningen-Cork). I am looking for potato yield improvement and

virus reduction by applying new potato seed technologies for small-scale farmers in Uganda. I will go the first time to Uganda

in August/September 2013 and truly I am excited about! I did my Master in Integrated Natural Resource Management at the

Humboldt University Berlin. My Master thesis conducted the control of the potato beetle in organic farming. I really enjoyed

my potato work and I am very happy to be back in potato research. Besides the challenging tasks as a Phd Candidate in

the City of Life Science, I enjoy to meet all the different nationalities here in Wageningen. I like to go abroad and to explorenature. As I have to collect lots of data in the field and also for the sociological study, then please do not hesitate to contact

me: [email protected]

!I am Sanjeeb Bhattarai from Nepal. I am enrolled in Montpellier and Wageningen. I have Masters degrees in Agroforestryand Agricultural Development. I like to relate academic learning to real world practices as far as possible, and so far I think

have been lucky to have few years of experience in between my academic endeavors. My experience so far includes my

work in various organizations - ranging from government through university research to NGOs - both in technical as well as

managerial duties, and mostly related to natural resource management. For my PhD Project (CIRAD, CATIE in Costa Rica) I

am applying both sociological and empirical tools and techniques, the topic is related to exploring opportunities for

ecological intensification of coffee production systems. Decreasing global coffee price, increasing input costs, pest and

diseases infection, and sustainable production are the key issues in the communities where I am collecting data, therefore if

any MSc student is searching for opportunity to carry out field work in related topics, feel free to get in touch. There is a lot to learn related to these and

related issues here and visits to nearby picturesque tropical beaches, forests, volcanoes, mountains and valleys will be additional unforgettable and

uniquepura vidaexperience.

Section realized thanks to Anna Snider (US), AgTrain representative

7/27/2019 Agris Mundus Magazine Issue 3

9/11[9]

Branding of the AgTraIn

programme by Anna Snider andEnrique Uribe Leitz

Dear AgTraIn-ers,What makes AgTraIn so special?

... well a few of your will have a long list of

good arguments to answer my question,

some others (as Ive discovered), dont find

the program is as special as it could be

Either way I respect your opinion BUT: I really

think that we need to better exploit the whole

program setup and shape it into something

that works for us. For me, the best way of

doing this is by creating a strong and publicly

recognized brand out of the AgTraIn.

What I mean is a common face of all AgTraIn-

ers towards the outside world, for example

through social media, networking and most

importantly when we publish in the academic

world. Until now, all people I know are publiclystating (Facebook, LinkedIn, email signatures,

etc) that they are part of one or two

universities but there is almost- no mention

of the program, and that is a missed

opportunity to educate people about AgTraIn.

If we are able to create a strong and

consistent look that unifies and identifies us

as AgTraIn-ers, we will be able to give a

special edge to our work. For example this

may be by means of a basic identity

package consisting of a template for email

signatures, business cards, slide headers, a

consistent look for public presentations.

Especially when we start publishing in

scientific events and journals, this could

develop into a sort of added value from which

we could all profit -provided we all create

high-quality work! (Im positive and assume

and hope!- we will all deliver high quality).

At the end, if we make something special out

of the AgTraIn program and sell it as such to

the outside world, we will be able to get a

distinction over all other programs out thereotherwise we will only be just another PhD

program.

All this is of course only possible, if we all

work together and it will take some time. We

are invested in the program at least a few

more years, right? So, why dont make the

best out of it? Heres why I think its worth the

effort.

The more people know about what makes our

program special, the more people will be

interested in our work. Through time, we

could be able to create a body of high-qualityinternational work, which will reward all of us

and anywhere: people staying in academia,

industry or the private sector.

WE -the first generations- have an important

role to play in establishing a strong brand.

This is very important from the beginning on,

since there are at least 4 more generations

coming behind us which will only strengthen

our image and hopefully in the future open

more possibilities for us through

internationally public recognition. Its in our

hands to create what will be our onlydistinction upon graduation: a strong, special

and unique program (mainly

because of its students) and not just a PhD as

any other!

For the realization of our objective, we

propose to create a branding and image

committee that should take the lead in the

coordination of this joint effort. This

committee shall be working together with the

elected student representatives and the

AgTraIn secretariat.

Therefore, we invite any of you to join this

committee, especially if you have some

marketing background and/or if your PhD is

somehow related to this or related areas.

Please contact us (see emails below) if you

are willing to help.

The committees first step will be to determine

the needs/wants of the AgTraIn group. It will

then determine what we as students are able

to do on our own and what we need the

AgTraIn secretariats help with. We hope thatthe committee will be able to present its ideas

and progress to Andreas and the whole

AgTraIn group at our November meeting in the

Netherlands.

Finally, we would like to remind you that this is

not just your PhD but OUR program and WE

(all AgTrain-ers) are expected to make the

best of it, so please show some initiative/

cooperation!

Cheers,

Enrique and Anna

I am Enrique, born and raised in Mexico.

After my high school, I went to Germany for

some intense party, work and back-packing. I

liked it a lot there so I ended up studying

Agriculture at the University of Bonn.

After that I worked at GLOBALG.A.P. (a

standard setting organization). It was a great

time and an opportunity which gave me lot of

the needed knowledge required for writing my AgTraIn application/proposal.

My study is focusing on the impacts of certification schemes (such asRainforest Alliance, Fair Trade or UTZ Certified) on the value chain of cocoa.

What are the costs involved? What are the benefits? Who is profiting from

the certification business?

Finally, I would like to invite any AgrisMundus students, who are looking for

a thesis subject and might be interested in the cocoa-world to contact me

for exploring cooperation possibilities, there are many exciting topics to be

explored by any of you!

My name isAnna Snider and Im an Ag

TraIn batch 2 student from the United States

from the state of Wisconsin. My two

universities are Montpellier SupAgro and

Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and my

field work is in Costa Rica. I will be moving

to Madrid in September of this year, so if

you are there at the same time, please let

me know!

I am studying the role of cooperatives in sustainable coffee certificationssuch as Fair Trade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance, the changes that

these certifications make in the cooperatives and the incentives that

cooperatives use to convince farmers to change their farming practices.

When Im not climbing mountains to interview coffee farmers, Im

usually dancing, doing yoga, blogging or reading. The most influential

book I ever read was The Introvert Advantage, but these days I mostly

read journal articles and textbooks.

I am Mechthild from Germany, having an Agtrain 2nd batch fellowship, and studying in Montpellier SupAgro and Wageningen

UR. My research is focused on territorial marketing in the North of Morocco, in Chefchaouen.

After my master studies in German, French and Spanish Philology, I have done a 2 year MBA for international marketing at

Reutlingen University. Thereafter, I have been working in the Netherlands for several years, first in an internationally oriented

language institute for professionals from the private and public sector, and later in a medium-sized food company. I aminterested in learning other languages, literature and music (playing violin), as well as in international cooperation and

sustainable development initiatives. After my graduation, I would like to work for an international research or development

organization within the agricultural and food sector.

AGTRAIN ... OPEN LETTER

7/27/2019 Agris Mundus Magazine Issue 3

10/11[10]

REFLECTING BACK...Mariola about her AgrisMundus experience

Mariola Acosta Francs

(Spain)

It seems only yesterday when we, the 6th batch, started the AgrisMundus Masters Program and were in Prague at the

Orientation week. After almost two years of amazing experiences, both personal and academic, I am arriving at the end of a

fantastic chapter in my life. Back in 2011, I remember having some doubts about joining AgrisMundus and quitting my job in

Barcelona. Now I can firmly say that it was one of the best decisions Ive made in my life. Coming from an engineering mindset,

AgrisMundus has provided me with another way of looking into agriculture, another way to study and understand farming systems

and rural livelihoods beyond increasing productivity (the king of spanish engineerings). The program has also given me the

opportunity to meet, talk and learn from farmers across four different continents, which I find absolutely priceless. We have done

multidisciplinary field work in Borneo (Malaysia) with the Sluse program from University of Copenhagen, have learned how to carry

out an agrarian diagnostic in the Pyrenees with Montpellier SupAgro- and in Doukkala (Morocco) we were able interview

smallholder farmes about their constraints for beetroot production, also part of the program in Montpellier. All in all, a very

enriching fieldwork experience!

I am now in Cauca (Colombia), working as a visiting researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

on a Gender and Climate Change project for my Masters thesis research. So far, this is also been

a challenging and fantastic learning experience. The field conditions we are having here are stiff,

mostly because of the long walking distances between households (sometimes more than one

hour!) and the steep slopes of the Andes. Also, the different sites where we are conducting the

research have been historically characterized by land tenure conflicts between the campesino and

indigenous communities together with the unstabilities that the guerrilla presence brings to the

Cauca Department. The issue of land tenure becomes a huge constraint that farmers face to

access credit and implement new farming practices and technologies. This is even truer for the

majority of the women, who are more vulnerable to tenure insecurity and are often not directly

involved in the agricultural projects that are being implemented in the area. With still two more

months of research to come, I am sure that this experience in Colombia together with the field courses and the inspiring classes

weve had, will be very useful and enriching for my forthcoming professional life.

However, the best part of AgrisMundus is not the opportunities and professional training that it

brings, but the amazing people that one meets along the way. Its been a true pleasure having met

my AgrisMundus mates, who I now consider as an extended part of my family. I dont know how the

AgrisMundus direction does it, but they definitely select exceptional people from all over the world to

join this program. So, if there is one thing I will miss from AgrisMundus, it is definitely the people.

7/27/2019 Agris Mundus Magazine Issue 3

11/11

Check out the Agris Mundus blog on:

! http://agrismundus.tumblr.com

Deadline next issue: To be set!

Comments? Suggestions? Inspiration?

Write to the editor:[email protected]

Thanks to Anna, Mariola, Mohamed, Amanda, Felix, Cllia, Aline, Paula,

Anna Sarah, Annabel, Gustavo, Harriet and Gabriela, Sanjeeb, Anika,

Mechthild, Enrique, Uta, Rufielyn, Andnet, Eduardo, Abebe and Niharika

for their contributions! And to all of you who helped out!

Good luck to the graduating M2s for their thesis and future projects!

Poll results?

Due to incomplete data the results of the Agris Mundus poll have not been included in the

magazine. However, a message from your global representatives:

Dear Agris Mundus students,

A big thank you again to all who participated Agris Mundus Course Evaluation Survey, giving theircomments and ideas.

Apologies for the long wait....It turned out that in order to evaluate the results properly, we hadto manually enter the data for each student in each city, which meant a lot of spreadsheet-action-fun!

The full results will be available to our course director Didier Pillot and posted on our AMfacebook group. If you would like to receive the results by email, don't hesitate to contact usdirectly. You will be able to see the course ratings by student (anonymous), by city, and averageratings for each city. We hope the survey will be interesting for all!

Your Global Representatives,

Annabel and Gustavo