Agricola Summer and Winter Schools

Are you eager to expand your understanding of sustainable development? Our annual Summer and Winter Schools bring together global experts, students, and professionals for a dynamic learning experience precisely designed for this purpose. You can immerse yourself in interactive workshops led by top specialists, participate in discussions, join sailing trips in the Wadden region, meet local organizations, solve challenges with your peers and establish lasting networks. Whether you're a student or a professional, join us for an impactful journey to deepen your knowledge and contribute to shaping the future of our planet!

Check out this year's Summer and Winter Schools

Taking place in July:

Islands as Laboratories for Sustainability (ISLAs)

Methodologically and scientifically, islands serve as lighthouses, illuminating the intricate interplay of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Their island conditions, such as size, relative remoteness, and specific political contexts, make them key sites for examining how communities adapt to environmental and socio-economic transitions. During the summer school, participants will explore key topics around marine and land planning on islands, with a focus on socio-economic adaptations, environmental sustainability, and cultural resilience.

Financial Inclusion and Sustainable Growth

In recent years, many low-income countries and emerging economies have implemented major financial reforms, yet many households and businesses, particularly in Africa, remain excluded from the financial sector. This summer school, organized by Stellenbosch Business School, Laval University, and the University of Groningen, explored key research on financial inclusion, including microfinance, and examined how it can support sustainable economic growth in low-income economies, with special attention to Africa.

Corporate Governance and the Effectiveness of Boards

What do boards do? What factors influence what they do and how they do it? How do they perform and contribute to the overall performance of the company they represent? This summer school aims to answer these questions taking a multi-disciplinary approach, discussing research from economics, finance, management and sociology and psychology. During this Summer School, participants will also discuss datasets and methodologies, and will be invited to present their own research (ideas) in the field of board effectiveness. The Summer School is open to research master students, PhD students, postdoc, academics and practitioner with clear interest in academic research.

Women and Girls, Education and Work in Uganda's Complex Context

The summer school at African Rural University (ARU), a women-only institution in Uganda, invites participants to explore community action research, rural development, and sustainable change. Through workshops, visits, and discussions, they will engage with students, lecturers, and rural families to understand ARU’s approach to empowering women as change agents. Themes include rural entrepreneurship, climate change, and action research. Participants will develop ideas and lead workshops with community members on the final day. The program offers a unique blend of theory and practice, fostering collaboration and learning in a dynamic rural setting.

Taking place in August:

Discourses of Sustainability Transitions

Over the course of this summer school, participants will study the relationship between discourse, worldview, ontology and ethics, particularly in regard to questions of just sustainability transitions (in particular just water / food / energy nexus transitions). How are arguments for more sustainable ways to live on this planet being mediated to audiences? Who is doing the mediating, and how does the message change, depending on the speaker and audience?