Ecuador 2021

Scope

The workshop was carried out in order to contribute to the main research objectives, to discuss the current work plan and plan further project activities. Additionally, teaching activities and excursions were carried out at different places in Ecuador.

Organizers and Participants

• Universidad Regional de Amazonía (IKIAM), Tena, Ecuador
• University of Rostock, Germany
• Further universities in Ecuador (Loja and Cuenca),
• Ecuadorian organizations and farmers

From the German site the following colleagues participated at the workshop:

• Prof. Bettina Eichler-Löbermann (Project leader, Agronomy)
• Dr. Mareike Kavka (Agronomy)
• Dr. Gert Morscheck (Waste Management)
• Dr. Görres Grenzdoerffer (Geo-Informatics)

Workshop themes

1. Management of agrobiodiversity in different ecosystems
2. Teaching materials and methods
3. Project regions and management options
4. Planning further project activities
5. Planning future cooperation activities between the partners and further institutions in Germany and Latin America

Field trips

• Diversity in the region Baeza Project region “Puyo/Malanga“
• Project region “Palora“
• Botanical garden Loja
• Experimental station Loja (Universidad Nacional de Loja)

Detailed schedule and activities

03 Dec Arrival in Quito

04 Dec Travel to the region Baeza
Vegetation in the mountains / subtropical highland

05 Dec Preparatory meeting in Tena
Planning of the workshop at IKIAM with Roldán Torres (Vice-Rector IKIAM) and Sayaro Guana

06 Dec Workshop part I at IKIAM
09.00 -12.00: Analyses of environmental samples

Contents:

• Analytical approaches for environmental monitoring and biochemical analyses,
• Visits of the laboratories at IKIAM

13.30 – 16.30: Biodiversity in home gardens and Chagra-Systems

Contents:

• Management options for home gardens as a special form of agroforestry,
• Evaluation of soil functions in home gardens,
• Analytical options to describe the soil microbiome,
• Planning upcoming activities, project support option via GIZ - example Biovalor

Number of participants: 16 (Names and position – see list of participants)

09.00 – 16.00: Teaching activities I - parallel to the workshop

• Gene expression analysis (Mareike Kavka), about 30 students*
• Drones for agriculture (Görres Grenzdörffer), about 20 students
• Waste management and landscape protection (Gert Morscheck), about 20 students

*students who delivered a homework on: I) Gene Expression Analysis - Database and Literature Research, II) Primer Design received a certificate.

07 Dec Workshop part II at IKIAM
09.00 – 12.00: Project activities

Contents:

• Project regions and student exchange
• Criteria to evaluate biodiversity in the project regions
• Research activities in the project regions
• Project mobility activities – planning for 2022

13.30 – 16.00: Meetings with representatives of the University Ikiam on invitation of the rector María Reyes and the vice-rector Roldán Torres

Contents:

• Erasmus+ program and teaching activities
• Planning of a MSc study program on Climate Change
• Planning of future research and project activities

Number of participants: 16 (Names and position – see list of participants) + participation of further scientists via a virtual meeting tool

09.00 – 16.00: Teaching activities II - parallel to the workshop

• Primer design, PCR (Mareike Kavka), about 30 students*
• Multispectral drone mapping and Legal aspects (Görres Grenzdörffer), about 20 students
• Biological waste treatment (Gert Morscheck), about 10 students

*students who delivered a homework on: I) Gene Expression Analysis - Database and Literature Research, II) Primer Design received a certificate.

08 Dec Puyo and visit of the Project region Puyo/Malanga“
10.00 – 11.30: Visit at the University Puyo (Universidad Estatal Amazónica) and meeting with the dean of Investigation Reinaldo Alemán

Contents:

• Organization of the academic stay of three Cuban scientist in Ikiam in cooperation with the University of Puyo January/February 2022
• Development of teaching material
• Cooperation agreements between University of Ikiam and Puyo

14.00 – 16.00: Field trip to the project region Puyo/Malanga and discussion with the farmers and local people

09 Dec Visit of the Project region “Palora” and Workshop part III at the experimental station of the University of Loja
09.00 – 11.00: Field trip at the project region “Palora” and discussion with the farmers
11.00 – 12.00: Visit at the municipality of Palora with farmers and representatives*

Contents:

• Sustainable production of dragon fruits and biotechnology
• Natural ecosystems vs. agronomic activities
• Requirements of labor and environmental laws

*see list of participants

15.00 – 19.00 Workshop at the experimental station of the University of Loja

Contents:

• Ecological restauration of degraded sites
• Agroforestry as an approach of soil protection, biodiversity and carbon sequestration
• Traditional knowledge of Shuar communities
• Crop diversity and local communities

Number of participants: 14 (Names and position – see list of participants)

10 Dec Workshop part IV at the Botanical garden of the University of Loja and at meeting the University of Cuenca
08.30 – 11.30: Workshop Botanical Garden Loja

Contents:

• Meeting with rector of the Univ. of Loja and further representatives and scientists
• Introduction of the research activities of the departments
• Occurrence and description of local wild, agricultural and medicinal plants

Number of participants: 9 (Names and position – see list of participants)

16.00 – 18.00: Meeting at the University of Cuenca

Contents:

• Meeting with Vice-rector for Investigation of the Univ. of Cuenca and the head for International relations
• Planning of a virtual meeting with Univ. of Cuenca and Univ. of Rostock (was carried out at 17 Jan 2022)
• Planning of the next project workshop 2022

Number of participants: 7 (Names and position – see list of participants)

Contact

Bettina Eichler-Löbermann
Faculty for Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
University of Rostock

Email: bettina.eichleruni-rostockde
Phone: +49 381 498 3064

Roldán Torres Gutiérrez
Vice rector
Universidad Estatal Amazónica
Email: rtorresuea.eduec
Phone: +593 03 289 2118, +593 09 6027 9854