Agroecology emerges as the paradigm to address critical challenges in both industrial and family agriculture, and its impact is further enhanced by integrating traditional knowledge and biocultural resources with scientific understanding, promoting collaboration among all stakeholders through Participatory Action Research (PAR).
This synergy not only improves productivity, resilience, and the capacity to adapt to socioeconomic and climatic changes, but also highlights the importance of Biocultural Agroecology, which merges the science and practice of agroecology with social, cultural, and economic dimensions, recognizing that agriculture is deeply rooted in the cultures of communities and advocating for agricultural systems that are sustainable, productive, equitable, and resilient.
The curriculum design of the Doctorate in Biocultural Agroecology (DABio) primarily aims to contribute to various areas of sustainable development. Accordingly, it emphasizes the priority of conserving and restoring biotic resources, as well as the preservation and strengthening of traditional knowledge that sustains community life. In this way, optimizing productive processes emerges as a direct means to improve livelihoods in rural areas, with positive implications for reducing poverty and inequality.
Our students will be capable of designing, implementing, and evaluating projects and policies that promote sustainable livelihoods based on the agroecological and forestry management of their biocultural resources. They will be able to collaborate with agricultural producers, smallholder farmers, and rural and indigenous communities within the framework of PAR, and they will possess the capacity to convey their knowledge, expertise, and experiences to a diverse range of governmental, civil, academic, and business stakeholders.
