Dear ISHS-CMET-followers
First of all, you have to realize that education and training in horticulture is a strategic area for ISHS, and the CMET is not the only group where people think and experiment about it. In particular, Errol Hewett produced an interesting paper entitled “Horticultural science in crisis: where are the graduates required to assure its future?” in Chronica Horticulturae 55(2) (2015), whereas Paolo Inglese organized in May 2016 the first European Conference of Post-graduate Horticultural Scientists (ECPHS). The involvement of the CMET towards some specific Sections or Commissions of ISHS (e.g. on organic postharvest management, on urban horticulture, on the use of biodiversity) could not always match with the budget or the administrative constraints. The participation in Asia (III Asia Pacific Symposium on Postharvest Research, Education and Extension – APS2014 in Vietnam) was disappointing in term of training impcmeact (no scientific writing training session due to time constraint), whereas it is expected to be more successful in Africa (III All Africa Horticultural Congress – AAHC 2016 in Nigeria, International Symposium on Survey of Uses of Plant Genetic Resources to the Benefit of Local Populations in 2017, Madagascar). In Europe, the ECPHS was an opportunity for some reflections on higher education in horticulture (Silvana Nicola: “Horticultural science, scientists, people: loop or link?”; Jens Wünsche: “ISHS and young minds – a future-oriented relationship”; Mark Rieger: “Study abroad from the perspective of US institutions”). The CMET was strongly absent from this event, although some interesting contributions at the IHC2014 would have been relevant to follow up.
One more reason to release and disseminate this report. The last reason is to anticipate the XXX International Horticultural Congress – IHC2018 in Istanbul and what the CMET could/should organize in order to influence the ISHS strategy and move forward with some achievements in an action plan. In such a prospective, I have already sent the following message to the participants of the CMET business meeting and workshop at Brisbane:
“Almost 2 years after, I am pleased (and ashamed) to submit to your approval the report on the two meetings we had together at the IHC2014 in Brisbane, under the ISHS-CMET (business meeting and workshop on education and training in horticulture). I had in mind to report much faster and earlier on this, and to attach some ideas to start implementing some work in common (setting up a questionnaire to survey the various curricula, programs and resources available for training in horticulture, collecting data and experience about new education tools and ways to teach horticulture around the world, and to attract the youth back to horticulture). A four year period to report on these surveys would have been ideal: can we do it within 2 years, continent by continent, also using the regional meetings (AAHC 2016, II Asian Horticultural Congress – AHC2016, International Symposia on Tropical and Temperate Horticulture in 2016, Australia, III International Symposium on Horticulture in Europe – SHE2016) this year to launch it? This is my first question.
My second message to you is a suggestion to organize the CMET activities in an innovative way at the next IHC2018, first because Education and Training is not a scientific topic to be presented through classic papers or posters, second because it is a cross cutting issue that should capture interest of a large audience, provided it is open to discussion rather than made of formal presentations. Therefore, I have made a suggestion to the IHC2018 organizers:
- We could maintain a symposium on Education and Training, call for papers under some topics and commission 3-4 keynote speakers for 15 minutes presentation of a topic to debate. We could also imagine that among the abstracts submitted, the scientific committee of this symposium selects 4-5 panelists per topic, who will have 5 minutes to present their case study and debate with the other panelists and the floor. They can prepare a poster in addition, and their paper will be published in Acta Horticulturae. Would it be attractive enough?
- The Scientific Committee of this symposium would have a strong responsibility for preparing the debating sessions, for moderating each of them, and for capturing the essence of the debate.
- The role of ISHS could be a final debating topic, to give rise to a strategy and an action plan: it is not only something under the CMET or the ISHS Board, it is about what each ISHS member can do along a common framework, so that these individual actions make a coherent and influencive power.
As participants of the 2014 CMET meetings, I would like to submit these ideas and would be much interested to read your thoughts, ideas and offers in the perspective of the IHC2018 and the next Symposium on Education and training in horticulture.”
Best regards,
Remi