Botanic program of participatory varietal selection in the E.U. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Botanic program of participatory varietal selection in the E.U.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Research and innovation; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions

Project Summary

Project focused on the introduction of a new transversal activity in the 3 participating schools supervised by 3 public scientific entities whose presence as partners and contractual parties is justified by the 3 objectives pursued:

– Obtaining new varieties of Brassica plant species. Registration and publication of scientific results in the journal 1 / Natural Sciences Education (NSE), 2 / Bordón, 3 / The Journal of Experimental Education, 4 / Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 5 / The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 6 / HORIZON (official science publication of the European Union) and finally EDUGA (official publication of the Xunta de Galicia).

– Introduction of a new optional subject in the applicants’ curriculum after the end of the subsidized period. Such a subject will preserve the botanical garden created during this Erasmus + action, continuing with Research & Development now already inserted in a specific subject for obtaining new plant varieties on a permanent. In this new subject, together with field work in the garden, a specific course on local agrarian insertion will be taught, which will include practices facilitated by the associated municipalities. Special emphasis will be placed on aid for Young Farmers from the U.E. – Income Aid from the U.E. and Rural Development Funds.

– Promote agricultural work in these three towns strongly rooted in such economic activity, thus contributing from our respective educational centers to the fight against unemployment, emigration and denaturation of the residents of Meis, Vila Franca and Galway.

This new activity called “Botanical Participatory Selection and Improvement Program at the U.E.” It will be taught during the school period for the students, extending to the summer times for the compilation and analysis of data by the scientific supervisors, reaching a total duration of 36 months, from September 2020 to September 2023. The need for a project of this duration is predetermined by the schedule of activities designed by the participating scientific entities that have established a minimum of 3 years to reach the intended scientific conclusions after a previous analysis. Likewise and from an educational point of view, the 3 schools understand that 3 academic years are necessary for establishing a permanent bond and obtaining the resulting pedagogical method with which we intend to implement the new subject beyond the Erasmus + period.
In order to achieve the objectives pursued, the new activity will be inserted in the following departments and school subjects:

CPI Mosteiro-Meis. Biology (Sciences); Computing and Plastic Education.

– Coláiste Iognáid: Geography and History, Gaelic Language, Spanish and English Language and Biology (Sciences).

– EBS Armando Cortes-Rodrigues: Mathematics, Portuguese and French Language and Physics and Chemistry (Sciences).

In this way, an Innovative Educational Methodology will be implemented both in the Evaluation of the Acquired Knowledge and in the Sources and Object of Study where the scientific supervisors provide the species and set the objectives, the selection and improvement practices that will be carried out and the analytical-scientific purpose pursued. The evaluation will be Continuous, valuing the involvement and individual effort of each selected student, but also group, that is, we will value teamwork and coordination for the effective achievement of the goal pursued in September 2023.

Year 1:
to. choice of plant material (September).
b. planting of plant material (October 2020).
c. field experiment management and data collection (October 2020-June 2021).
d. compilation and data analysis (July-September 2021).

Year 2:
a. planting the selected plant material in each country from the previous harvest (October 2021).
b. field experiment management and data collection (October 2021-June 2022).
c. data compilation and analysis (July-October 2022).

Year 3:
a. documentation and research work (October 2022-June 2023).
b. presentation of results and preparation of joint conclusions with all project partners (February-April 2023)
c. dissemination of the results obtained in the project (May-September 2023)
d. transfer of materials obtained (September 2023)
e. publication of Article and Manual (May 2023)

In order to fulfill the requirements of Open Licenses and ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the investment granted as a structural priority of this project, we have established a Broadcasting strategy where, together with free digital access for the general public, we introduce broadcasting on television channels on June 2021, 2022 and 2023; press and radio from the three participating countries.

Continuity Agreement after 2023 attached.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 353195 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTRO PÚBLICO INTEGRADO MOSTEIRO-MEIS & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Escola Básica e Secundária Armando Côrtes-Rodrigues
• colaiste iognaid
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
• Serviço de Desemvolvimento Agrário de São Miguel
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND GALWAY