Student Excursions

From 25 February to 12 March 2023, a student excursion on agroecosystems in Malawi took place. The excursion focused on opportunities and conflicts related to agricultural systems in the context of land use, food systems and the environment.

The excursion was open to Master students of the AgriTropics and AgEcon programs as well as students from other programs who had completed a Bachelor degree and had a particular interest in agricultural sciences in the tropics. The number of participants was limited to a maximum of 20 students from the University of Hohenheim. Students contributed approximately 1,000 euros to the costs of the excursion.

Malawi is strongly dependent on agriculture, with more than 80 percent of the population directly working in the agricultural sector. Market dynamics and population growth have led to a strong spatial expansion of agricultural systems, with consequences for food systems and the environment. In addition, increasing energy demand has contributed to a reduction of natural forest resources.

In cooperation with LUANAR University in Lilongwe, the excursion program introduced different agroecosystems in Malawi and addressed challenges related to sustainable land use, nature conservation, food security and global change. Participation in the excursion required enrollment in the module 4907-490 “Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics” during the winter semester 2022/2023.

In 2020, a student excursion to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam took place within the framework of the module 4907-490 “Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics” during the winter semester 2019/2020.

The excursion was open to Master students of the AgriTropics and AgEcon programs as well as students from other programs who had completed a Bachelor degree and had a particular interest in agricultural sciences in the tropics. The number of participants was limited to a maximum of 20 students from the University of Hohenheim. Students contributed 800 euros, corresponding to about one third of the total cost per participant.

The excursion aimed to complement theoretical knowledge from lectures with guided on site experiences in a tropical country. The Mekong Delta was selected as the study region due to its importance as a major food production area in South East Asia and the significant environmental and economic changes it has undergone in recent decades.

Topics addressed during the excursion included sea level rise and salt intrusion affecting rice production systems, as well as the expansion of aquaculture driven by global market dynamics and its implications for food markets and the environment. The excursion provided an opportunity to discuss land use systems under conditions of global change.

In cooperation with Kien Giang University, issues related to tropical agro ecosystems, geo sciences, animal production systems including aquaculture, socio economical dynamics and value chains, rural development and natural resource management across the Mekong Delta were addressed.

Participation in the excursion required enrollment in the module 4907-490 “Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics” during the winter semester 2019/2020.

35 students from Hohenheim and La Molina University/Lima experienced land use systems of Peru during a two week excursion crossing the Andes from deserts to highlands and into the rainforest.The „Excursion to the Tropics and Subtropics“ provides students a guided on-site experience in tropical countries and offers the opportunity to complement theoretical knowledge obtained during lectures with field experiences. The 2018 excursion to Peru was combined with a DAAD funded Summer-School for 15 Peruvian students from the Agricultural University La Molina in Lima. The student group was accompanied by scientists from Hohenheim and by partners of different institutions from Peru.Peru is an ideal location to demonstrate and discuss issues related to tropical agro-ecosystems, geo-sciences, tropical agriculture/horticulture, processing and marketing of tropical crops, rural development, and natural resource management.The group was visiting different land use systems, agricultural production and processing units, research and training institutes as well as natural ecosystems along a West-East gradient crossing the Andes. The interdisciplinary exchange provided profound insights into the complexity of rural development issues. Thanks to the DAAD funded Summer-School, and the financial support of the Ehrmann-Stiftung, the foundation fiat panis, the Unibund Hohenheim and PROMOS we experienced two impressive intercultural and informative weeks in Peru.