The Genetics, Breeding and Biochemistry of Brassica Crops group takes part on the recently approved Erasmus+ project “Botanic program of participatory varietal selection in the E.U.”

Educational innovation

Officially approved the Erasmus + project “Botanic program of participatory varietal selection in the E.U.” between Galway, Spain and Azores islands.

The Erasmus+ Spanish agency SEPIE approved today the project “Botanic program of participatory varietal selection in the E.U.” framed in action KA201 for educational innovation with a budget of 353,195.00 Euros for the period September 2020 and September 2023, three school years.

The research in the three countries and climates will be led by the CPI Mosteiro-Meis under the scientific direction of the Biological Mission of Galicia, CSIC and has as partners the school Coláiste Iognáid and Department of Botany and Plant Science of the National University of Galway, in the Republic of Ireland and the secondary school Armando Côrtes-Rodrigues and the Agrarian Development Service at the city of Vila Franca do Campo , São Miguel island, Azores in Portugal.

The 135 participating students (15 per country and school in the next 3 years) and the panel of selected teachers will study and research the growth of plant species of the genus Brassica sown and from the three countries in order to produce new varieties more resistant to Climate stress and Climate Change. To do this, the three schools will enable in their respective villages an innovative Botanical Garden as a laboratory with specimens from the three countries where the project will be executed by students, teachers and scientists.

Also, this R+D studies will produce an innovative Educational Manual that will be officially published becoming the handbook of a new subject “Economic Botany” with a module of agricultural practices facilitated by the Councils and local farmers. The new subject will preserve the Botanical Garden, thus consolidating the production of new plant species indefinitely and this way generating a new source of resources and employment at the local level.

The scientific entities of the project, Biological Mission of Galicia, CSIC; Agrarian Development Service and the Department of Botany and Plant Science at the National University of Ireland in Galway will supervise the school activities and garden in their respective villages; will travel with students and teachers and will publish the project findings in a scientific article to be disseminated throughout international media specializing in the field of botany.

Alone with the weekly activities at the school, the students, teachers and scientist will enjoy three research trips a year to Galicia-Spain; Azores-Portugal and Galway-Ireland and the overall project will be filmed by audiovisual specialists and broadcast on the public television channels TVG and TVE (Spain), TG4 (Ireland) and RTP (Portugal).

The project is a joint initiative of the Antón Losada Diéguez Foundation that coordinates as part of its social work for the promotion of Galician culture.

2 Comments