TALENT MIDTERM WORKSHOP OPENED
CIRAD’s TALENT keeps moving to train Sustainable Managers
Yogyakarta – Dozens of academics, researchers and students from various countries gathered for CIRAD’s TALENT Midterm Workshop in Yogyakarta starting on Wednesday (16 October 2024). The meeting was hosted by INSTIPER Yogyakarta and opened by rector Dr.Ir. Harsawardana, M.Eng.
“We are delighted to see the progress in which TALENT programme has catalysed. INSTIPER hopes that the TALENT program can run smoothly, achieve the targets that have been determined, continue sustainably, also expanding partnership and collaboration. We are looking forward to having more strategic programmes to train future sustainable managers,” said Harsa.
TALENT (Training on Landscape Management) is a strategic program of the French research agency CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement) aiming at raising awareness and to provide training in sustainability for managers of plantations in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia). Various programs and activities have been carried out for the last two years by TALENT Programme to train future sustainable managers. Summer Schools are the backbone and the trademark of TALENT educational activities for sustainable agriculture and forestry. There, students and trainers from diverse nationalities can share their experiences to build together knowledge on the principles of sustainable agriculture and forestry.
Esther Hondre, Project Manager at Agence Française de Développement (AFD) France which supported CIRAD’s TALENT, hailed the Midterm Workshop as an excellent opportunity to celebrate successes, discuss challenges, and plan future programs. “AFD hopes to build stronger partnerships in the region,” she said.
The midterm workshop confirmed the fact TALENT will move forward. Initially it was designed as a 4-year program and now is timely to take reflections from the last two-year project implementation. The workshop hosted by INSTIPER Yogyakarta (16-18 October 2024) aimed to have following outcomes: (i) Aligning together all stakeholders (lecturers, trainers and funders), (ii) Presenting and evaluating activities, (iii) Gaining lessons learned, (iv) Analysing impacts beyond the present program, (v) Generating new ideas for the future, and (vi) Links with other regional /international initiative.
Prof. Alain Rival, CIRAD’s TALENT Project Director conveyed, “It's great to see that the TALENT program has created a habit of having open discussions with the community. In many universities there has been a shift from practical teaching to the issue of sustainability teaching, so that this program is increasingly gaining urgency. Currently, interest and opportunities in the agroindustry are increasingly considered to be shrinking. It takes hard work from all parties to keep the agriculture and forestry sector attractive to the younger generation, because there is a responsibility to produce food, fiber, and energy.” ***