🌱 Newclim Workshop: Climate Change & Perennial Fruit Crops
Alnarp, Sweden | June 24–27, 2024
🚀 About the Workshop
The Newclim Workshop brought together 16 PhD and Master’s students from Sweden, France, Germany, and Chile to tackle the urgent issue of climate change and its impact on perennial fruit crops such as grapevines and apples. Hosted at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, this event marked the first phase—Engage—of a Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) journey.
🎯 Objectives
Participants explored climate-related challenges in fruit agriculture using the CBL methodology. The goal was to identify meaningful challenges by:
- Framing essential questions around climate change.
- Engaging with local stakeholders through interviews and site visits.
- Developing collaborative research questions tailored to Swedish contexts.
🧠 What Students Gained
Students developed competencies across four key areas:
- Scientific Knowledge on climate change and fruit crop systems.
- Understanding CBL, a framework that combines learning with real-world problem-solving.
- Stakeholder Engagement, learning how to build communication bridges between science, policy, and practice.
- Transversal Skills, including intercultural teamwork, communication, and interdisciplinary thinking.
🌍 Activities & Highlights
- CBL Orientation: Introduction to the Engage phase and formation of project groups.
- Lightning Talks: Students shared their research topics in 3-minute presentations.
- Field Visits: Real-world exposure to vineyards, orchards, and an agricultural fair.
- Stakeholder Interviews: Students designed and conducted interviews to understand practical challenges.
- Challenge Formulation: Based on insights gained, students co-created four key climate challenges for Sweden.
🔑 Key Challenges Identified
- Adapting to extreme weather variability.
- Addressing the emergence of new pests.
- Developing cold-climate viticulture expertise.
- Creating more effective communication channels between producers, policymakers, and the public.
🌐 Beyond the Workshop
This event planted the seeds for a growing international community of climate-aware researchers. Students continued their collaboration in a follow-up online Bar Camp exploring the contexts in France, Germany, and Chile. These efforts will lead into the next CBL phases—Investigate and Act—in future Newclim Summer Schools.
📣 Community Building
- A dedicated LinkedIn page and Newclim online platform were launched to foster ongoing collaboration.
- Educational resources, challenge scenarios, and stakeholder contacts will be shared online.
