The Chemical Training of Agrarian Specialists: From the Chemicalization of Agriculture to Green Technologies

Abstract

The impact of agricultural production on the ecological condition of vast territories is of concern to the entire world community. Therefore, the concept of sustainable development should become the basis for the training of agricultural specialists. This article examines the transformation of the system of chemical training of agricultural students in Russia, taking into account the transition to the concept of sustainable development. The study of the history of the development of chemical training of agricultural specialists in Russia helped us to see the causes of the current crisis and highlights what should be preserved. The analysis of the modern needs of the agro-industrial complex made it possible to identify ways to modernize the system of teaching chemical disciplines in agricultural universities. As a result, the main trends of modernization of chemical training of future agricultural specialists in the context of the concept of sustainable development are identified. The chemical competencies of specialists of the agro-industrial sector working in the field of production, processing, and quality control of agricultural products are differentiated. The conditions of their formation are determined, and the effectiveness of the application of the principles of green chemistry for the formation of selected competencies is shown. The theoretical significance of the research is the development of the concept of ecological chemical education (green chemistry) for agricultural education. The practical significance of this work lies in the development of practical examples of the application of the principles of green chemistry in the educational process of an agrarian university. The originality of this research lies in determining the pedagogical conditions for the formation of chemical competencies of agricultural specialists in the context of orientation to the concept of sustainable development.