The first stage of the evaluation of AGRO is complete
Our self-evaluation of AGRO is finished. Soon a panel of experts from other countries will come to AGRO to assess the department.
For months, AGRO has worked on completing a self-evaluation report. Now it is finished. The next step is to get other pairs of eyes to evaluate the department, assess our strong and weak points, and propose where we can and should have our future focus. All of these inputs can contribute to building AGRO’s strategy for 2021-2025.
The self-evaluation has been prepared on the basis of input from the sections and the management and consists of two parts: a description of the department and a proposal for AGRO’s vision of the future.
You can view the full AGRO self-evaluation report here.
The vision aligns with, among other things, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, especially the ones regarding hunger, clean water, responsible consumption and production, climate, life on land, and partnerships. In addition, the self-evaluation also indicates and gives short descriptions of a series of international megatrends that AGRO can and should address. The megatrends are as follows:
- Digitalisation
- Circular bioeconomy
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Integrated pest management
- Preserving soil as a vital resource
- Agroecology and sustainable intensification
- Microbiomes
- Biotechnology
Four + one flagships
AGRO’s four flagships address future demands but in order to have an even sharper focus each flagship has indicated a ”burning platform” that they would like to highlight. These burning platforms are written into the vision and are as follows:
- Low carbon footprint farming (the flagship Climate-Smart Agri-Food Systems)
- Glyphosate-free farming (the flagship Sustainable Pest Management)
- Zero nutrient emission farming (the flagship Sustainable Nutrient Management)
- Improving and maintaining soil quality (the flagship Soil Functions)
The vision also encompasses a proposal for a fifth flagship, which can act as a sort of umbrella for the four other flagships. The fifth flagship will be ’Digital Agriculture’ and will deal with areas such as sensor technology, robot technology, artificial intelligence and big data analysis, and data collection, storage and management.
Walking the talk
An important aspect of the vision is that we do as we say, i.e. ”walk the talk” and that climate-friendly behaviour becomes an integral part of the department. This includes implementing actions such as acquiring and using low emission transport vehicles, ensuring a shuttlebus between Aarhus and Foulum, introducing and using CO2-offsetting measures, and promoting sustainable food choices in the canteens. The plan is to discuss this aspect of the vision in AGRO in the course of April and thereafter, but the concept is already described as part of the vision in AGRO’s self-evaluation.
Fresh pairs of eyes from abroad
AGRO has now evaluated itself. The next – and exciting – stage will be to get fresh pairs of eyes to help us. This will happen in May when an international panel of experts will come here to have a closer look at us. The panel consists of three professors and a director-general from the UK, Switzerland and Mexico. The panel members have received our self-evaluation report and a tightly packed programme for their three days in the department.
Before the panel arrives, we will prepare various materials about AGRO, including a video about our research facilities. We also need to decide who will present the various subjects in the programme and what the presentations should include. This task has already been set in motion.
You can view the slides regarding the evaluation of AGRO in Erik Steen Kristensen's presentation at the department meetings here. The slides in question are nos. 3-9 and 18-20.