The Agricultural Sciences Department (AGSC) organized a summer school program about promoting conservation agriculture in the Arab region from September 5 to 17, 2011 at the Agricultural Research and Education Center (AREC).

A highlight of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) events for this year, the summer school brought together about 65 professors and students from the University of Applied Sciences in Triesdorf, Germany, the University of Jordan, the University of Damascus, as well as the AGSC Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Under the theme of “Promoting Conservation Agriculture in the Arab World,” the summer school’s objectives were to strengthen the intercultural dialogue about conservation agriculture among all participants and to promote and a sustainable conservation agriculture program in the arid/Arab region.

Participating students attended daily theoretical lectures in the morning and participated in practical field exercises in the afternoon, as well as several field trips to the ICARDA Research Station in Turbol and Qaroun Lake. In addition, participants were taken on several tours of monuments and archeological sites throughout Lebanon, such as Baalbek, the Jeita Grotto, Byblos, the El Barouk Cedar Reserve and the western Beqa’a Valley.

The summer program, which was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) project, discussed potential methods for practicing profitable and sustainable agricultural systems in the region. Delegates found that conservation agriculture was a “key” for implementing a sustainable agricultural system in this region, enabling them to move towards more ecologically friendly farming systems.

To strengthen the intercultural dialogue, groups were formed from students of different nationalities to research an assigned topic together and present their findings as poster paper to all participants.

An outdoor ceremony was held on the last day of the summer school, during which students received certificates for attending the program.

This program was initiated two years ago, with the support of DAAD, and professors in the AGSC department. During the summer of 2010 ten students, accompanied by two professors from the department spent a two-week training period in Germany. In the summer of 2012, this program will be hosted by the University of Applied Sciences in Triesdorf, Germany for students from AUB, the University of Damascus, and the University of Jordan.