The SEADD-VALCOBIO CONSORTIUM
« Sécurisation Alimentaire, Développement Durable, Valorisation et Conservation de la Biodiversité »
This Consortium is composed of the following partner institutions:
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University of Turin (Italy) |
University of Antananarivo (Madagascar) |
University of Mahajanga (Madagascar) |
University of Toamasina (Madagascar) |
University of Comoros (Comoros Union) |
The University of Turin (UniTO) shares with 3rd level Institutions from Madagascar and Comoros an over 20-year cooperation history, resulting in numerous projects and inter-institutional agreements concerning food security, sustainable rural development and biodiversity conservation.
Biodiversity conservation requires not only technical skills, but also the active involvement of the various social and administrative components in a path of sustainable development.
In 2010 UniTO, promoted the construction of the Maromizaha Multipurpose Center, which plays a key role in building local capacities in the protection of biodiversity (training of local and academic guides, reforestation, etc.) and in improving the living conditions of rural communities (start-up of income-generating activities).
Fig.1 The Multipurpose Center, built in the Maromizaha New Protected Area thanks to the support of the Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Parks (https://www.parconaturaviva.it/) and the European Union.
Fig.2 A view on the Maromizaha Forest of the Dragon Trees, declared a New Protected Area from the Malagasy Government in 2015.
All the projects coordinated by UniTO have made it possible to:
1) launch international programs dedicated to the study of biodiversity and sustainable rural development;
2) promote cooperation between higher education institutions on both the north-south and south-south axis;
3) create a multidisciplinary partnership with international and local NGOs, professional organizations, private companies, universities.
The joint actions led to the creation of the New Protected Area of Maromizaha (official decree of 28 April 2015; N ° 2015-783). https://www.environnement.mg/
Thanks to the network created in the target countries of intervention, UniTO has benefited from the support of the European Union in the projects SCORE (Supporting Cooperation for Research and Education; Edulink - ACP RPR 118 # 36), BIRD (Biodiversity Integration And Rural Development; ACP S&T - FED / 2009/217077) and EGALE (Gathering Universities for Quality in Education, Edulink II - FED / 2013 / 320-117)
The Erasmus KA1 Partner Countries (2018-1- IT02-KA107-047844) project with the Comoros is also included on the themes of academic cooperation for the conservation of nature and sustainable rural development.
In 2018 this long-lasting collaboration lead to the signing of an inter-institutional agreement for academic and scientific cooperation through the network "Consortium SEADD-VALCOBIO - Sécurisation Alimentaire, Développement Durable, Valorisation and Conservation de la Biodiversité" who mainly aims at intensifying relations, developing a high quality education and innovative teaching methods, and promoting the mobility of students, researchers, teachers and technical administrative staff.
To encourage international cooperation in the training of PhD students and the harmonization of the training offered in the 3rd cycle, in accordance with the LMD reform (Bologna Process) introduced in the ACP countries to meet the demands of the job market and local priorities, as well as the international quality standard in the scientific fields of food security, sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, the Universities belonging to the network aim to:
- intensify relations between network institutions and carry out joint actions;
- provide high quality training and develop innovative methodologies in doctoral and research activities;
- promote the mobility of students, teachers, researchers, administrative and technical staff between partner universities;
- structuring stable forms of collaboration at the doctoral level;
- exploit all forms of cooperation by jointly submitting proposals to calls for tenders in the identified fields.
The activities promoted by the Consortium include, among others:
- coordination between training offers and the supervision of PhD students;
- exchanges of teachers and administrative and technical staff;
- the internationalization of training, particularly co-tutored programs and/or co-supervised doctoral theses;
- organization and participation in seminars and academic meetings;
- the search for financial aid and public or private scholarships for PhD students; the coordination aimed at signing new partnership agreements with public and/or private research centers.
Fig.3 A series of activities promoted by the Consortium: a) a training session in the Maromizaha NAP with the students of the Faculté des Sciences, de Technologies et de l’Environnement of the Mahajanga University (https://fste.univ-mahajanga.edu.mg/) ; b) an academic meeting organized at the Institut Supérieur de Sciences, Environnement et Développement Durable (https://issedd-univ.mg/issedd/); c) a team from the Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (https://www.disafa.unito.it/do/home.pl), the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology (https://www.dbios.unito.it/do/home.pl) and from the École Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (https://essagro.mg/main/); d) a training session organized by DBIOS at the Faculté des Sciences et Techniques of Comoros University.