"Great job - workshops and meetings like this are so necessary, and I think you're offering a real service to ecologically minded agrarians worldwide. Thank you for your hard work, hospitality, and kindness."

"Everything was great, especially the meals!!!"

"This course exceeded my expectations. The networking aspect of being here at PICA and in this course was also fantastic. The contacts and relationships that were created are valuable."

"The grace with which the organizers/contributors of this shortcourse grew with us, the participants, was inspiring and an indicator of sustainability. Many principles are at work within this human academic - living environment that have taught by example and continue to be dynamic, resilient, flexible and innovative - a true metaphor for Agroecology as a "Practice", not just a "Science"."

                                                                                     --From evaluations by 2003 shortcourse participants

 

The International Shortcourse on Agroecology held in Santa Cruz, California July 13-25, 2003, was a great success, having 20 participants from 10 countries and regions worldwide. This year's course focused on the interactions between human and ecological communities in rural landscapes. Besides Dr. Stephen R. Gliessman’s agroecology research group at the Department of Environmental Studies (UCSC), this course was jointly organized by the Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) and the Community and Agroecology Network (CAN).

During the two-week short course, lectures and activites addressed the ecological basis for sustainable agriculture, sustainable resource management, agroecological structure and function, social dimensions in agroecology, advanced concepts and principles of agroecology, and case studies of interdisciplinary agroecological research. This year an emphasis was placed on providing local, organic foods at all meals throughout the course.

 

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