Multidisciplinary project with organized agrarian communities seeking to improve rural life quality. Universidad Javeriana Cali - Asociación de Caficultores Orgánicos de Colombia. (ACOC)

Eduardo Ruiz AnzolaJaime A. Aguilar Z.

California, May 21st, 2007

Outline

General information Project location Javeriana University, Cali, Colombia

The multidisciplinary project The problem and the actors The strategy and multidisciplinary team

Results First phase of project Comercial and productive component of the

project

Conclusions

Project location

Javeriana University, Cali, Colombia

University

Engineering Faculty

Student’sAffairs Office

Cooperative

RuralFamilies

Teachers Students Cultivation Process Trade

Organic Coffee

Community with weak welfare conditions

The problem and the actors

Establishing interaction objectives

Defining initial projects

Carrying out political and Social workshops

Executing the projects

Reporting results

The strategy and multidisciplinary team

University and Cooperative Directors, Engineering Faculty

professors

Representatives of cooperative andUniversity research groups

Engineering Faculty Professors and students, Sociologist, political scientist

and professional communicator

Engineering Faculty Professors and students, zone farmers

Cooperative directors board, Student Affairs directors, Engineering Faculty representatives

First phase of Project

 

Commercial and productive component of the project

Industrial component

Conclusions

The project has strengthened the interaction of students and professors with rural communities applying the scientific knowledge in the solution of their needs.

The project puts in evidence two aspects: the first one, the multidimensional nature of the project and the second one, the need of multidisciplinarity in order to act effectively in the environment.

Conclusions

The training of the future engineers has been fortified.

The third function of the university: the service to the community, has been evidenced.

It has been verified the advantage to have communities organized to have greater incidence in the work that is carried out by the University.