Quality in International Horticultural Production Chains 2006

April 3th - April 14th 2006 Warsaw, Poland

Introduction

Modern horticulture has evolved from localized production near end-user markets towards complicated global production chains. Locations for breeding, propagation, production, processing, and consumption within one production chain might be spread all over the world. Most of the horticultural products are fresh and possess a limited life-time. Organizations of production chains, knowledge of product quality within these chains and quality aspects of the production processes are all important to meet the high quality standards of the consumer market today.

The course

Students learn how to handle complicated multidisciplinary problems related to international horticultural production chains. A group professors from several participating universities in Europe will teach a broad range of topics (e.g. pre- and post harvest quality, modern production techniques, biotechnology and quality assessment, consumer behavior) and students will intensively work in international teams on case studies about specific problems occurring in international production chains. Excursions to horticultural relevant sites in Poland are also part of the IP

The course (6 ECTS) can be broken down into 3 parts:

a preparation period at home (free to plan; deadline March 14th), when students prepare a poster and oral presentation (1.5 ECTS),
an Intensive Program at Warsaw Agricultural University ( www.sggw.waw.pl ) in Poland (3 ECTS)
an exam project (1.5 ECTS), which starts in Warsaw but must be finalized working together on distance using modern communication media on the internet (to be finalized May 31st).

Organizers and Participants

The course is organized for students specializing in Horticulture in the last phase of their MSc (or study-program equivalent). There is a limited number of positions available, open for students from the 9 partner Universities (see list below). The partner universities will select the students. English will be the language of communication and examination. The ability to communicate well in English is a pre-requisite for acceptance. The EU only subsidizes travel and housing costs of students from the partners Universities outside Poland (IP in Warsaw).

How to Apply:

Contact your local teacher as soon as possible for selection and register online

List of local responsibles

Participants:

Sweden (SLU), Denmark (KVL), Finland (Helsinki), Poland (SGGW), Germany (Hannover), Netherlands (WU), Belgium (Leuven), France (INH Anger), Portugal (UTAD)

QMHortChains is coordinated by Wageningen University, Netherlands (info: www.wur.nl ) and sponsored by the EU Socrates/Erasmus program.