II International Summer School «Achievements and applications of environmental and life sciences for sustainable development» has successfully accomplished its goals

      On Saturday, July 30, 2016 the activities of the II International Summer School "Achievements and applications of environmental and life sciences for sustainable development" were brought to a successful conclusion. The participant of the Ukrainian delegation returned home, a bit tired of the numerous strenuous sessions and the 1,000 km trip from Wroclaw to Kyiv, but happy and full of new knowledge, experiences and acquaintances. Here is a summary of the Polish part of the II International Summer School under the motto "Sustainable Development for life safety." Everyone interested in the activities of our Summer School could surely join our group in Face book (https://goo.gl/9FgWy3), and follow our progress on-line, or visit the website of the Centre for professional personnel development (http://science-education.com.ua/) and view the photo sessions of daily events, presentations and the learning materials of the summer school.
     However, those photos alone cannot convey the full context of our activities, so here we would like to share our experiences, make long-term conclusions and draw up prospects.
     So, here is the kaleidoscope of events in the Polish part of the Summer School. Like in the Ukrainian part of the program, the participants attended lectures, workshops and field trips. The lectures were given by scholars of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences and National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine. In particular, Professor Piotr Nowakowski gave a lecture "Changes in the agricultural sector in Poland under the influence of Common European Agricultural policy" (note: prof. P. Nowakowski has been a member of the EU working group on the formation of European policies on sheep and goat breeding since 2004). 

      In his lecture prof. Nowakowski focused on the analysis of the current situation in the agricultural sector of the EU, the peculiarities of its operation in Poland where the majority of farms possess an average land area of 11 hectares, and where farmers are subsidized by the EU that aims at motivating farmers to keep their lands in harmony with environment. An owner of a small farm in Europe receives public funds to preserve land resources in good condition and maintain land quality rather than increase agricultural production.
     All analytical data in prof. Nowakowski’s lectures were based on the statistics of the EU economic situation which are constantly updated online www.fadn.pl. 

      In response to our question about his recommendations for Ukraine, Professor replied with a smile that Ukraine has such a strong agricultural potential that after joining the EU all European farmers would lose their jobs. Speaking seriously, a remedy for Ukraine is public policy on conservation of small farms in rural areas, providing them with subsidies and support. "The future lies in the social and ecological agriculture. In developed countries, only wealthy people can afford smooth pace of rural and the society that values the respect towards people and the environment takes the leading position in economic development. A very important point in the development of the economic component in the agricultural sector is to develop social culture and patriotism in the consumption of domestic products. The money should remain in the hands of local community for the development and enrichment of their population. Then the villagers will not leave their small and big Motherland for the city "- summarized prof. Nowakowski. 

      An interesting and informative lecture was given by Dr. M. Ozemblovski who focused on "Basic Aspects of population genetics, epigenetics and food skills of the population." 

      The latest molecular studies undertaken at the Faculty of Food Technology of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences and the leading universities of Scandinavia, Benelux, France, Spain, Italy, Israel etc. demonstrate a significant dependence of the genotype of the population on the food habits transferred from generation to generation in the family. "The unity of the concepts " people – food stuff - health" became the leitmotif of the last powerful research project" OVOCURA, "implemented under the leadership of Professor T.Tchishka (Rector-elect of Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences ). At present, the project is being implemented in the industry, and the results will encourage the Polish and European government to change the state policy towards food production of high quality with strong medicinal properties "- said Dr. M.Ozemblovski with pride. (Note: thanks to the initiative of the scientists of the department of human nutrition and dietology of Wroclaw University, the Polish government prohibited the sale of sweet carbonated drinks, other sugar-containing products as well as chips, crackers, salted nuts and other similar products in schools since September 1, 2015. 

      The workshops of Dr. J. Markowski provided participants with up-to-date information in the field of hydroecology. 

      Summer school participants learned about a computer program HEC-RAS 4.1.0 for construction and operation of dams and other water objects and enjoyed applying the knowledge acquired.

     The lecture of prof. Vasyl Yukhnovsky from NUBiP of Ukraine on "Ecological land use in the context of agroforestry" arose lively interest.

     Prof. V.Yuhnovskyy reported on the experience of Ukraine and other European countries in the use of forests to preserve the quality of land resources; described the features of forest plantations as absorbents of dust, noise, and moisture; explained their role to provide temperature control and comfort for people.

Evidently, the participants of the summer school were most excited about on-site classes. We began our field trips by visiting the educational farms of Wroclaw University situated in the picturesque highlands near Radomezh, about 100 km westward from Wroclaw. 

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      Here, the herd of meat cattle of French Charolaise breed is kept in free grazing conditions. Over the past few years of hard work the university scientists succeeded in obtaining a clear breeding line. 

      From March to December the herd is grazed on the pastures surrounded by hilly meadows and fields, and is protected only by electric shepherd. Every day the farmers bring water and change the location of the cattle. The main revenue - from the sale of thoroughbred half-year-old calves. "We have regular customers from Italy and Switzerland who are already waiting in line for our calves" - boasts Agnieszka, the manager of Radomezh farm, former graduate of zoo engineering faculty of Wroclaw University, who lives here on the farm with her husband and two sons. Actually, the family are the only workers looking after the cattle. Reference: The daily growth of young animals is 1.8 kg per day. During the stay in the free grazing the cattle is not given any additional fodder. In winter, the herd is taken to the renovated barns where the process of calving takes place. The price of a six-month calf is $1,000. 

      In fact, during the whole the students and academics from the university visit the farm. The farm is fully self-sufficient, and all the revenue is used to purchase the necessary equipment and to ensure adequate living conditions for visitors. 

      The next halt on out route is a multifunctional agro tourism farm "Kovalevi skaly” (“Smith’s rocks"). 

      The farm keeps long-fleece sheep, goats and deer, chickens and geese, rabbits and even hairy pig.
     Besides enjoying the mountain air, contact with pets and eating regional dishes here on the farm, the hostess held a workshop for students, teachers and visitors wishing to learn about the secrets of spinning wool. Unfortunately, the rainy weather prevented us from going around the whole farm. 

      The culmination of the summer school program was presentation of group projects in which the international teams developed strategies for sustainable development of farms of all sizes and lines of production. There were four projects submitted for consideration - a company producing vegetables, a goat farm, a dairy company and a greenhouse complex. 

      What ever suggestions did we hear - development of applications for mobile phones to order products from home, an educational farm to promote farming, a special device to collect water from the air, biomass processing, and the eco service system on a big agro enterprise - those were just a few ideas generated by our participants. They enthusiastically shared and defended his or her point of view. A true platform for further development and implementation of their own startups! All presentations can be viewed online http://science-education.com.ua/.
     In conclusion, all participants were awarded certificates and souvenirs. But most importantly, everyone who took part in the summer school program got invaluable experience of team working, opening new horizons. Everyone got convinced that in order to succeed and make progress, one should constantly improve, seek ways and make efforts for their implementation. 

      Thus, the II International Summer School is over. However, this means that we are open for suggestions and ideas for the next Third International Summer School. We always look forward to those active and caring people, willing to work together to implement new interesting projects and develop the brand "National University of life and environmental sciences of Ukraine".

Natalia Demeshkant,
head of Center for personnel professional development, coordinator of the International Summer School
Liudmyla Dankevych,
senior lecturer, department of English philology