برچسب‌گذاری زیست‌محیطی(Eco-labeling) برنامه درسی رشته ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی پایدار

Eco-labeling of the curriculum in sustainable agricultural education and extension



Introduction: In the new generations of universities, one of the key issues is the role of the higher education system in responding to the needs of society. The concept of a green university, which focuses on sustainability in education, research, and services, has been proposed in this context. Within this framework, the green curriculum plays a significant role in nurturing a generation that is aware of sustainability issues.

Research Background: In addition to focusing on the physical dimensions of sustainability within the university campus, a green university also emphasizes the nurturing a generation aware of sustainability issuesBased on conducted research, attention to the green curriculum can be considered a key factor in fostering a generation with green thinking, thereby achieving sustainability (Ni et al., 2024).

Literature Review: Many studies conducted in the field of green curriculum in leading countries such as Sweden and China have placed greater emphasis on the green curriculum (Bowman & Anderson, 2013; Xiong et al., 2013). For instance, a study conducted in China revealed that the agriculture discipline has the greenest curriculum compared to other academic disciplines in the country (Xiong et al., 2013). Similar conditions are observed in the agriculture curriculum at the universities of Gothenburg (Bowman & Anderson, 2013) and Novi Sad (in Serbia) (Okanović et al., 2021).

Method: In this research, the curriculum of the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education was examined based on qualitative discourse and using the document analysis method. For this purpose, a set of keywords that have been used in various studies as criteria for the greenness of academic curricula (Sustainability, Supervision, Develop, Stewardship, Planet, Common Good, Environmental, Global, Citizenship, Moral, Social, Equitable, Equity, Responsibility) were used as the basis for analysis. Eco-labelling of curricula is a method developed by Bowman and Anderson in 2013. In this method, those syllabi that have more than 50% content based on the environment and sustainable development are ranked 1, and those syllabi whose content is less than 50% focused on environmental and sustainable development issues are ranked 2. Other syllabi that lack environmental and sustainable development content are ranked 3. Finally, the results of the classification of syllabi allow for eco-labelling. Accordingly, syllabi with rank 1 receive a fully green label, and syllabi with rank 2 receive a relatively green label. Syllabi with rank 3 do not receive an environmental label. To ensure the validity of the labelling method, some of the selected syllabi were given to three researchers, and they were asked to code and extract concepts according to the research objective. To examine the level of agreement among researchers, Fleiss’ kappa coefficient was used; it ranges from -1 to +1, where -1 means no agreement and +1 means complete agreement among researchers (Marchevsky et al., 2020). Since the calculated kappa coefficient in this research was 0.83, acceptable agreement among coders and thus the validity of the tool used was ensured.



Results: The first chapter of the curriculum for the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education is dedicated to the objectives, importance, necessity, number of course units, and the role, abilities, and competencies of graduates. According to the results, the keywords of the green curriculum have been considered by the planners in this chapter. An examination of 10 general courses (mandatory for all fields under the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology at the undergraduate level) showed that two courses, “Philosophy of Ethics” and “Life Skills,” received a completely green label, while the other eight courses received a relatively green label. The review of the basic courses group showed that among the 10 courses offered in this group, only two courses have green content. The highest number of units offered in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education belongs to the main specialized courses group, which includes 73 course units and 26 courses. The syllabi of 10 courses in this group contain the keywords of the green curriculum, and all these 10 courses received a “relatively green” label. Among these, the syllabi of 16 courses contain the keywords of the green curriculum. After choosing one of the seven specializations, including Horticultural Sciences, Animal Sciences, Bio system Mechanics, Soil Sciences, Plant Production and Genetics, Plant Protection, and Environment, students are required to take 14 specialized units related to that specialization. According to the findings, the syllabi of the Horticultural Sciences specialization lack any green content, other specializations have a number of courses with relatively green content, and only the Environment specialization has a completely green label.

Conclusion: Based on the research findings, the use of terms such as environment, public welfare, and sustainability in the initial section of the curriculum for the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education indicates that the planners’ objectives align with the goals of the green curriculum. Only about 20 out of the 42 proposed units for general undergraduate courses contain green content. Although these 20 units cover topics such as ethics and social interactions, responsibility, and citizenship rights, given the recent human pressures on the environment and the intensification of social challenges in this area, it seems that educational systems could make better use of general courses. These courses have significant potential to equip undergraduate students with knowledge and insights related to sustainability. Another noteworthy finding is that among the basic courses, which are common across agricultural fields, none received a completely green label, and only 5 out of 22 specified units received a relatively green label. According to the results, the main specialized courses also lack a completely green label and have 25 units with a relatively green label. Given that the agricultural sector is one of the largest sectors in society and undoubtedly has a significant impact on the environment, it is expected that more attention should be paid to sustainability issues in the basic courses category. Among the seven specializations available in this field, the results showed that some specializations lack any green content, and except for the Environment specialization, none received a completely green label. Therefore, it can be generally concluded that although the title and general framework of the curriculum in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education are based on sustainability, many of the approved syllabi in this field are not focused on sustainability. Considering the importance and impact of university graduates as human capital in the country’s agricultural sector, a fundamental change and transformation in general and basic courses for all agricultural fields, as well as a revision of the approved syllabi in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Extension and Education, are recommended.