What is UNICAM?
UNICAM is an abbreviation of project title on “Implementing quality of education & training of the Young UNIversities in rural area of CAMbodia”. UNICAM is a three-year (2015 – 2018) project, co-funded by the European Union udner the Erasmus+ Programme for the action Capacity-Building in Higher Education (CBHE). The main objective of the project is to enhance higher-education quality and develop human resources, and build university capacity through implementing comprehensive curriculum for Master´s programme in Sustainable Agriculture, and advance training courses at young universities in the rural areas of Cambodia.
The UNICAM project focus on the four public Universities in rural areas of Cambodia, recently established in the Northwest, near the Thai border (University of Battambang (UBB) and Mean Chey University (MCU) and Southeast, near the Vietnamese border (Svay Rieng University (SRU) and Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear (CSUK). They play very important role to develop human resources for agricultural sector at the rural areas. Collaboration with four EU universities, including University of Girona (UdG – Catalonia, Spain), Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse III. (UPS – France), Ghent University (UGent – Belgium), and Università degli Studi dell’Aquila (UNIVAQ – Italy).
Figure shows partners and associated partners of the UNICAM project.
Why was Master of Sustainable Agriculture (MSA) proposed?
In Cambodia, agriculture is the backbone of the country's economy, and it is currently a priority sector of the government policy. The farming systems of rural farmers in this country are known to be complex and subjected to a multitude of exogenous influences. However, there are several higher education instructions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) which have been offering undergraduate and graduate studies related to agriculture. However, master’s programme in sustainable agriculture (MSA) is a new curriculum in the country. The MSA programme is offered by UBB, SRU, CSUK and MCU, to train people with specific and multi-disciplinary skills for designing, decision-making, and managing rural and agricultural development policies, programs and projects for sustainable agricultural development, with supports from the EU partners and associated partners.
Licences of MSA programme issued by MoEYS for UBB, SRU, CSUK and MCU are in Appendix C.
The Goal of MSA Program
The MSA programme offers the opportunity for students and staff to develop a more appropriate methodology and professional skills attuned to the current situations of rural and agriculture in Cambodia, in terms of sustainable agriculture development.
