Changes in the agricultural sectors of OECD member countries relevant to higher education in agriculture Kuba F. in

Changes in the agricultural sectors of OECD member countries relevant to higher education in agriculture

Kuba F.

in

Hervieu B. (ed.).

Agronomic training in countries of the Mediterranean region Montpellier : CIHEAM

Options Méditerranéennes : Série Etudes; n. 1988-II 1988

pages 197-203

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Changes in the

Agricultural Sectors of OECD Member Countries

Relevant to Hiaher

Education in Agritulture

Ferdinand KUBA ( 1 )

Directorate for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries

'The word 'change' has been over-used qnd abused. We tend therefore to overlook its

meaning and implications and we rarely take the trouble to project into the future t h e consequences i n the field of learning. This is due first of all to our learning systems which are g e a r e d t o w a r d s m a i n t e n a n c e a n d p a t t e r n

reproduction and are not at ease with dynamic processes''(2)

to point out that

what is new about change is its rapid rate which has greatly reduced the t i m e a l l o w ë d f o r

a d a p t a t i o n t o q u a n t i t a t i v e a s w e l l a s t o qualitative changes.

The task of

in the past essentially linked to the d i s s e m i n a t i o n of

and supply of food - a t a s k w h i c h i t

a

of

of

is by the

the past few

socio-economic, technological and poiitical changes have

challenge and calling of

Although the a of

be no doubt about each t o

and also show some

can be singled out in which dynamic changes took place

new conditions by the following:

-

198

-changes in society, values, and in

- of

new technologies.

a on the

of on its

objectives will new

methods of

discipline.

- New economic and market situations

At the beginning of decade,

s i g n s of of

i n

on

is no to expect any On

is a

is basically due to the fact that of

have not sufficiently adjusted to stagnating (3).

have now of the

of will have to

of to

of

be account the

that.have shaped the by the

conditions which by

so t h a t they can look

complexity of

is leading to a s y s t e m s a technique will have to

and decision making.

of which is the ability to analyse

i n

is to as effective and low cost as possible i n to be competitive. To

in these fields a of

will become a task institutions

of

not

of this

of the total cost to the

of food so

need to be widened to include on the efficiency

of of

view of attention needs to

be given as plant

of to fish and to list only a few examples.

- Changes in society, values and the rural countryside

in v a l u e s a n d a t t i t u d e s m i g h t b e t h e m o s t

which is going to develop. We might, so much the

of new technologies but could be value-biased.

2.1. Changing attitudes of society towards agriculture

-

few a

of

to a of

logic of is being seen as one of the most

of

of food a n d its effect on health. Animal has also become a n issue discussed by

the public of

establishing minimum conditions keeping

a s p e c t s of

a e t h i c a l i s s u e s a t

W i t h i n a pollution of

of becam'e one of

the to

(4). new

of Community, example, has set a limit of 50

mg of of a limit

which is

!

~

of

pesticides as in the past, some

to on

discussion in the United States $20 is

dimension of the

is being called

upon to of t h e

of making the best possible use of available soil

of

into the sub-soil. of

of

m a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m s , a s w e l l a s t h e

dissemination of on less

of

would of

new Such concepts would aim at

optimum being defined as the best use of all a

within biological and economic

would the indefinite maintenance of the of

ecosystem ecology is

economics. is not

a b o u t h e a l t h y e a t i n g h a b i t s . T h e o u t p u t p o t e n t i a l of

of

of these human consumption and attention

of such

options

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

200

a t

on use.

view of these developments, it would seem to be a mistake if institutions of do not

could be

of

food constantly.

2.2. C h a n g e s in the

have a on economic and social

become

of l i m i t e d in

on the new jobs with the aim of people income possibilities and of

new people

t o j u s t i f y t h e m a i n t e n a n c e of a d e q u a t e

a of

of

sale of food to the is being

on a

become a of additional income.

of t h e including such issues a s the maintenance of the beauty of the landscape a n d t h e v a l u e of

foundation of

should not be seen only as of

is that of

of s o m e of

undoubtedly land

population is no

will need to

of to: a social

and economic

(2)

of

economy; and (3) the new of competition of l a n d a n d

qualifications the planning and

development

knowledge as,

e x a m p l e , i n s t i t u t i o n b u i l d i n g a n d

communal planning at its wide-

a widening of scope for

a t i m e of faculties.

- Scientific progress and the evolution of new technologies

of education have been adapting to scientific

of sciences.

had been developing slowly and

to a of

of

a institutions had

to new

application. What has changed and is new today is n o t o n l y t h e s p e e d b u t a l s o t h e dimension of

about mainly by

of the food must be seen as a

on 3.1. Biotechnology

1950s of

- a

biotechnology. took 20

'

then, and since gene-splicing techniques have

of genes of

plants,

i s of of of of of new by making

it to to manipulate plants in

of s i n g l e c e l l s w h i c h c a n b e of biotechnology

e.g., the use of

using monoclonal antibodies of stable effective

technology technologies of

becoming common

a food sciences. New food on biotechnology

3.2. E l e c t r o n i c ^. i n f o r m a t i o n a n d communication systems

moved into an age of

value of in decision-making and

substitution of for

of of economic and financial implications of input

a s t h e t o o l t h a t f a c i l i t a t e s t h e of

of

is the education of on how to efficiently use

a management tool. is no

technology t h a t to

of a

people

with knowledge so as to

evaluate and apply this new technology. The of d e v e l o p m e n t of

is

a wide of equipment based on this technology.

be used as a n a i d to is opening up new

is is a

a on self-

paced of

students

the possibilities of s t u d y i n g o n i n d i v i d u a l a videotex system.

202

- Conclusions

The implication of the developments

a of

to be kept in mind

when of all,

is a

s p e c i f i c a t i o n of

objectives to the political, social and

economic local, national and

to be maintained,

new contents have to to

the on-going socio-economic and scientific developments

fields notably in food a n d bio-technology. A is

to be

of all is

which could be used

to s m a l l i n s t i t u t i o n a l e n t i t i e s a n d h e n c e

of

a of

seems to to

of which

food

a successful complete amalgamation of As a consequence of such

is a

of which, in

m o t i v a t e d b y p o t e n t i a l e d u c a t i o n a l

of subject and a

is not only aimed a t

in the field of advanced technologies. The scope and complexity, of biotechnology of developments in this field

as no individual facets of this high technology.

efficiently is in the

to a t some

of excellence on specific subjects. Some positive

As

which they obtain in at one

so

that a complete

of

of the systems and

h

to be adjusted to the specific needs of this stage of

by On

basic

knowledge can be equally well communicated by

the student to home and using the is

applicable to and includes

of

options

of the

of

Consequently, institutions of will have to technology should facilitate

will of

of

Notes

F.

of Economic and

his own and do not to those ofthe

at o n

( 2 )

by the Committee the Outlook 1987.

( 4 ) by a n d

1986