Distance learning course in organic matter management

In developing countries, organic matter is often the main input used in agricultural production systems. It is mainly of domestic (urban refuse), agricultural (harvest residues, manure, etc) or agroindustrial origin. To cope with increased demand for agricultural products and save on fertilizers, farmers have increasingly been recycling raw or processed organic matter and various types of residues since the 1970s. However, such recycling has to guarantee both the quality of the end products and the preservation of natural resources: soil, atmosphere and water, since such products are potential sources of pollution in some zones, although they have always been used in less intensively farmed areas.

CIRAD now offers a range of teaching resources on this topic, in the form of a structured course. The module is intended for researchers and teacher-researchers, environmentalists and waste treatment operatives. It is supervised by nationally and internationally recognized specialists in organic matter and agronomy, from a CIRAD research unit, Environmental Risks of Recycling, and also from organizations in both North and South working with CIRAD. The resources are available on line through the Université virtuelle environnement & développement durable (UVED) website.

UVED was founded in 2005, and is one of seven thematic digital universities (TDUs) supported by the French Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research.
As part of a national drive to pool resources, these universities are in charge of promoting, generating, and disseminating digital teaching resources validated by scientists, and making them widely available to students and teachers.
UVED currently involves 45 higher education and research establishments, including CIRAD.

To access the course

Impact agronomique et environnement de la gestion de matières organiques

Partners

• CIRAD

• Institut d’économie rurale, Mali

• INRA

• IRD

• Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal