This two-week intensive shortcourse was held in Matagalpa, Nicaragua from July 2-15, 2006. The course was a synthesis between the science of Agroecology, the study of fair trade and other innovations towards more socially-just economies, and the Participatory Action-Research approach. Our approach integrated experiential and academic learning through a combination of fieldtrips, lectures, readings and discussions.

The Community Agroecology Network (CAN), Dr. Stephen R. Gliessman’s agroecology research group at the Department of Environmental Studies (UCSC), and the Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) led an organizing committee, which also included active participation from the Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, UNAN-CUR, Matagalpa; Centro para la Economía Social, CES, Nicaragua Universidad Nacional Agraria, UNA, Nicaragua; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, UNAN, León; Servicio de Información Mesoamericana sobre Agricultura Sostenible, SIMAS; Central de Cooperativas Cafetaleras del Norte, CECOCAFEN, Matagalpa; Asesoría e Investigación Interdisciplinaria para el Desarrollo Local y la Conservación,  ASINDEC, El Salvador; Grupo de Promoción de la Agricultura Ecológica, GPAE, Nicaragua.

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