Review of existing training and education programs and recommendations for further integration of AE in training and education content in North Africa

D7.1 deliverable - Working Package 1. This document represents an analysis of academic and professional career paths in relation to agroecology (AE) and agroecological transition (AET) in the North African countries, partners in the NATAE project (Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia). The first chapter introduces the context and objective of the deliverable, as well as the limits of the study, particularly its time-bound nature due to the ongoing development of training programs in universities and professional training organizations. The second chapter describes the methodology used, which consisted of the project partners on both sides of the Mediterranean gathering information on course units related to AE and AET. This information gathering is followed by an analysis of the syllabi of the various course units in order to identify all the pillars of AE (the FAO's 10 elements) (diversity, synergies, efficiency, resilience, recycling, co-creation and sharing of knowledge, human and social values, food cultures and traditions, responsible governance and the circular and solidarity economy) that are addressed by these units. We have used these principles to make it possible to accurately define whether current teaching approaches are preparing students for the various challenges in terms of sustainability, resilience and food security, while at the same time verifying the relevance of the courses to current social, environmental, political and economic issues. Chapter 3 presents a map of the skills that students in different North African countries can acquire in relation to the ten AE principles. Chapter 4 analyses professional training courses in agroecology in some of the North African countries (Tunisia, Morocco) as well as in France. Analysis of the teaching data shows that there is great variability in agroecology teaching pathways between North African countries. Diversity and resilience were the two AE’ pillars most commonly covered in the various teaching subjects in the countries surveyed. Based on the analyses, deliverable D7.1 proposes a series of general recommendations for the four North African countries with the aim to perfecting the teaching pathways concerning AE, in order to fill the gaps particularly related to the importance of socio-economic, governance and co-creation aspects to accompany AET. Specific guidelines for each country are also proposed, some of which have been inspired by the analysis of courses in European countries (France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands) and South Africa. Deliverable D7.1 also presents a report on non-university training courses in agroecology and proposes strategies to boost these activities in order to contribute to greater and more rapid adoption of and transition to these sustainable production methods. This document paves the way for the development of syllabi for several AE teaching modules specifically designed for each of the countries analyzed and which would capitalize on the LL and RL of the NATAE project. Some of these modules could form the building blocks of a future international master's degree on the Agroecology of Mediterranean agrosystems.