Two decades of agroforestry training, education and research at Université Laval, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Following recommendations from studies on land-use issues in the tropics that were carried out by professors of the faculty of agriculture and food sciences, and of the faculty of forestry, geography and geomatics, Universite Laval, Canada, a Master’s program in agroforestry was created in 1993 and implemented in 1996. This program of 45 credits leading to a Master’s degree in agroforestry offers two training types: Master of Science (M.Sc.) with thesis and M.Sc. with essay. The M.Sc. with thesis encompasses 21 course-based credits including 6 compulsory credits of internship where the student learns the biophysical, socioeconomic and cultural environments of agroforestry, and 24 research-based credits. The M.Sc. with essay consists of 33 course-based credits including the same 6 compulsory credits of internship, and 12 essay-based credits. Two professors are directly involved in this program, and 35 theses and 19 M.Sc. essays were completed during the period extending from 1996 to February 2014. Fourteen essays and 18 theses investigated biophysical aspects of agroforestry, whereas 5 essays and 17 theses focused on socioeconomic aspects, respectively. Of the 54 thesis and essays that were completed, 61.11 % focused on tropical countries, and 38.89 % on temperate countries. The program also published over 55 peer-reviewed articles, two book chapters and one textbook. The program is expanding in tropical French speaking countries through international projects on training in management of natural resources, and with the use of digital learning tools to reach out more students on-line.