Master in Agroecology

The purpose of agroecology is to develop safe, sustainable, and fair systems of food production, by integrating ecological and social perspectives into the basics of farming.

This is a new paradigm in the way we think, innovate, and organise in the context of farming and food systems, in order to respond to the various crises (climatic, economic, environmental, energetic, social, and health-related) that lead us to question the sustainability of current food systems.

This model requires interdisciplinary approaches in order to fully understand the complexity of farming systems and broader food systems.

A change of this magnitude will require a huge number of professionals such as technical advisors, researchers, or trainers, who can help throughout the agroecological transition process.

Upon graduation, students will be able to conduct both qualitative and quantitative analyses of complex and dynamic agro-ecosystems. They will be able to provide a holistic description of farming socio-ecosystems, using a multidisciplinary approach.

The programme's content includes:

• insight into the environmental, social, and economic challenges of agro-ecosystems in a European and tropical setting;

• in-depth knowledge of the structures and the biological and ecological processes involved in agro-ecosystems, taking into account factors related to the soil, plants, animals, and climate;

• analysing agroecological transition processes and understanding the co-evolution trajectories of the various players involved, the obstacles in play, the degree of change, socio-technical innovations, and issues of governance.

• a diverse portfolio of strategies, experiences, and case studies that are relevant to agroecology.

Courses are designed to confront students with conditions that are similar to those that exist in farming and in agroecological research, through projects, case studies, field visits, and real-world applications.

Many of the teaching activities include both personal and group assignments. Students learn actively, which promotes one of the programme's main goals: train graduates who are active agents of change.

The culmination of this active learning process arte the internship and final project, both of which let students discover the professional world of agroecologists.

Finally, a number of courses are given in English, in order to immerse students in an international linguistic context that will help their career in the future.

The goal of the Master in Agroecology is to train professionals who implement the agroecological transition in temperate or tropical environments.

The final project covers a specific research topic that the student wishes to look into, in relation with their own professional project.

The inter-university Master in Agroecology is offered jointly by three institutions, and spread out across four campuses. Classes given at ULB are already part of the programme of the Interfaculty Bioengineering School (EIB) and that of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FSSP). With this Master programme, ULB can be a comprehensive university in Europe's capital.