Brief description:
This experiential learning tour customized to your academic program and interests will give you the opportunity to explore the themes of agriculture, food, environment, food culture and social life in Mexico.
Eligibility:
Priority will be given to Undergraduate students with interests and backgrounds in agriculture, food, economics, business or science. Applications from MSc students will be considered conditional pending availability. The ALES Mexico Tour has a total capacity of 16 participants.
NEW in 2020!
ALES 391 – ALES Mexico Tour. In 2020 the Mexico Tour is also offered as an optional *3 course to qualifying students. Participation in ALES 391 will involve compulsory pre-departure meetings and assignments (30%) prepare you for the Mexico Tour in terms of facts and background knowledge about Mexican agriculture, Mexico-Canada agri-food trade relations, different food production systems, and socio-economic trends in Mexico that affect agri-food markets and consumers. Students in ALES 391 will also support the tour group with handouts (30%) that prepare individual visits. A final individual tour report summarizing experiences learned concepts and sector-specific facts constitutes the final grade component for this course (40%).
Overview:
This weeklong tour will offer you with numerous opportunities to connect your classroom knowledge and interests with real-world issues and the people engaged in them, adding international context that is significant to Alberta and Canada. Visits ranging from farm operations, agri-food processors, research centers, wholesale and retail markets, and other activities provide many opportunities for discussion. Asking the questions you have will give you a chance to identify and better understand the complexities and challenges of managing agriculture and food businesses under rapidly changing environmental and market conditions, and in a social context that different from our Canadian standards.
Opportunity Details:
Join the ALES Mexico Tour with Dr. Sven Anders! This experiential learning tour will give you unique insights and the opportunity to explore the themes of agriculture, food, environment, food culture and social life in Mexico. You will travel to the city of Guadalajara and places throughout the state of Jalisco to experience farms, food processing operations with trade linkages to Canada and Alberta. Visits to farmers, wholesale and retail markets provide insights not only into the diversity of foods and marketing channels, but also showcase Mexican cuisine and food culture, plus many places of heritage and Mexican social life.
The tour will offer you many opportunities to connect your classroom knowledge to real-world issues and the people engaged in them, adding international context to your knowledge. Our themed visits focus on time for your questions and discussion to give you a chance to identify and better understand the complexities and challenges of faced by agriculture and food businesses in a rapidly changing environment and social conditions in Mexico that are different from Canadian standards. We will have daily interactions with different people ranging from entrepreneurs to managers, workers, and students like yourself. Spending time together during visits, over lunch or dinner will allow you to bounce off ideas and have real conversations about your experience or the many differences and common challenges Mexico and Canada share.
Tour highlights include:
- National Center of Genetic Resources for the preservation of genetic biodiversity. Let’s talk about the challenge of losing species, habitats and what that means for our future food security.
- Pick your own raspberries and blueberries while learning about Mexican berry and fruit production and the beauty of having fresh fruit during the Canadian winter.
- Where do all the avocados come from? Visit avocado orchards, a top-notch packaging facility and learn why avocado oil is really good for you.
- Do you like Mangos, Papayas Pineapple or Coconuts? Then come learn about Mexican tropical fruits production and trade while sitting under coconut palms. How about a mango eating competition right on the grounds of Guadalajara’s produce wholesale market?
Get involved and help design this year’s trip based on activities that are relevant to your studies and interests.
Date: To Be Determined
Cost:
$3500 all-inclusive. This “all-inclusive” price includes: airfare, insurance, hotel accommodation (double occupancy), all meals and beverages, and ground transportation in Mexico. Note: Tuition fees (for students taking this experience for-credit only) would also apply.
ALES students will additionally be eligible for the Scotiabank Grant of up to $1000 to support this tour.
The Faculty of ALES has made extra efforts to make the Mexico tour available for more students to apply through the generous gift of a donor. Successful applicants will be funded another $500 in addition to the Scotiabank Grant.
How to Apply:
Learn more by emailing Sven.Anders@ualberta.ca
Application Deadlines:
To Be Determined
Contact Email
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