Sustainability, Education and the Management of Change (SEMCIT) is a multi-year project co-convened by the Salzburg Seminar and EARTH University, in collaboration with Noragric (Center for International Environment and Development Studies at the Agricultural University of Norway), to explore the potential of innovative educational models to foster sustainable development in the tropics.

The fifth and final session of SEMCIT will take place in Oslo, Norway from September 2 to 5, 2003. Through its previous sessions and workshops, SEMCIT has provided a venue and a context to move forward the agenda for change in agricultural higher education in the tropics. The first four SEMCIT sessions were successful in providing the many stakeholders an opportunity to share their experiences and analyze tangible solutions to problems of sustainability and education in the tropics. The main objective of this final session is to discuss how policies and institutions can be effective in supporting poverty alleviation and sustainability-focused rural development. This final session will also provide the opportunity to report on the outcomes and findings of this five-year project.

To date, participants have agreed on the following action strategies: 1) transforming existing institutions; 2) creating new regional institutions in Africa and Asia to serve as incubators or catalysts of change in the regions; and 3) maintaining and broadening the SEMCIT network.

For more information on the project, please visit http://www.changetropics.org