June 2017

In the last week of May 2017 the APPEAR Project Strengthening of Higher Education, Research and Community Outreach in Agro-Ecology in the Rwenzori Region in Western Uganda - AER meeting took place in Vienna at BOKU. The meeting was organised by members from BOKU.

Workshop: Qualitative methods in the social sciences / Systems research and analyses

The first three days were used to deepen the understanding and extend the capacities of MMU staff in qualitative social science methods and systems theory and analysis through presentations to introduce the theoretical background and - mainly - by focusing on cases resp. exercises.

In-field visits I: Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg and Upper Austria

AER team went on excursion to visit different Organic farms and institutions in Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg and Upper Austria with the aim to discover and experience the differences and similarities of Organic farmers´ implementing the Organic principles.

Sites visited included a low-land Organic farm with 140ha arable crops (Bruckner, Weiden bei Rechnitz, Burgenland), different types of Organic farms in the mountainous area with agro-tourism (Neusacher Moser, Weissensee, Carinthia), sustainable forestry (Amosergut, Dorfgastein, Salzburg), hay production for pets& production of spirits (Petschnig, Globasnitz, Carinthia) , sheep (Biohof Stranzenhof, Thalgau, Salzburg), pig (conventional farm Sablatnighof, Eberndorf, Carithia), and cattle breeding, dairy farming (Biohof Fürstenhof, Kuchl, Slazburg&Biohof Herzog, Ecking bei Leogang, Salzburg), potatoes and other vegetables (Biohof Schafferbauer, St. Martin bei Lofer, Salzburg) different types of pastures, mountain pastures (Alm) and organic gastronomy (in the mountains as (Naggleralm, Weissensee, Carinthia), well as in the valleys (Biohof Fürstenhof, Kuchl, Salzburg), beekeeping, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture at Lake Weissensee (www.weissenseefisch.at), Organic hotel at Lake Weissensee (Gralhof, Weissensee, Carinthia) , and an agricultural vocational school (Landwirtschaftliche Fachschule als Regionalschule in Bruck/Glocknerstraße, Salzburg) to a small scale agroecological experiment.  

Beside the exploration of the diverse organic farms and institutions, partners from Uganda perceived and enjoyed the diversity of Austrian landscape.

Meeting with APPEAR officials in Vienna

On Monday 29^th in the afternoon AER team visited DI Elke Stinnig, APPEAR coordinator for the project, to get together, update about project progress and to hand in the PhD scholarship proposals.

In the evening AER team attended and contributed to the joint public seminar “Organic, sustainable, happy?” to approach following questions together with Dr. Sonam Tashi (Dean and a senior lecturer at the Royal University of Bhutan College of Natural Resources) and Dr. Richard N. Onwonga (Senior lecturer in the Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology (LARMAT), University of Nairobi): Environmentally sound, socially acceptable, economically feasible - organic agriculture promises much, but can it guarantee food supply? Mitigate climate change? And does it add to a nation’s happiness?

The final steps of the M3 in Vienna were to clarify open organisational issues and to fine-tune the schedule until the next AER Meeting in November.