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Become a Food Preneur!

Together with potential students and employers we want to shape a more sustainable, regenerative Agro Food Business. To achieve this, we created a new study programme with the focus on sustainability, innovation and regeneration. This programme aims at providing you, as future entre-, intra- or commonpreneur, with the necessary competences and perspectives.

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A new study programme

Master (MSc) in
Preneurship for Regenerative
Food Systems (PREFS)

Start: Spring Semester 2022
Application deadline: October 31st

In this study program, you as a student can expand and complement your existing skills and knowledge by individually combining the future-oriented, inter-connected study modules and modern ways to learn.


As intra-, entre- or commonpreneur, you will learn to take on responsibility for a regenerative Agro Food sector and you are able to spark and implement necessary system changes.


During your studies, you and your fellow students will work as a team on your own Agro Food project. Depending on the project, your skills and prior experiences you can choose suitable modules in "Agro Food Technology & Systems", "Regenerative Preneurship" and Individual Skills in an open-curriculum format.


As graduate of the Master of Science, you:
- are a specialist for systemic change processes in the agro food network.
- can develop and implement interdisciplinary solutions for more resilience and regenerative power within Agro Food systems.
- take on responsibility and spark system changes in an established company, in your own start-up or in the context of an NGO or NPO.

The Basis for a regenerative Agro Food sector- a new understanding

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The Problem:
Agro Food Value Chain


The interrelations between the individual elements of the agro food sector are complex, interconnected and often times inseparable.
Depicting value creation as a linear chain does not suffice to identify the ecological, social and economical challenges of this sector, nor does it facilitate finding solutions for a future-oriented Agro Food sector.

The Solution:
Agro Food Value Netzwork

A new understanding of value creation through networks is needed. By acknowledging the Agro Food sector as a network, we want to promote interlinking. We want to empower our students to realize innovation, despite the high complexity of the network, to create a resilient Agro Food sector.

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How do we achieve that?
Preneurship for Regenerative Agro Food Systems

During our study programms, our students are enabled to realize innovations for regenerative Agro Food systmes, despite the high complexity of the sector. They can individually choose their study path, learn from their fellow students and from industry experts, and work on their own innovative Agro Food projects as entre-, intra- oder commonpreneur.

We develop and curate learning journeys while orienting ourselves on a circular approach.

In this collaborative era, learning is a crowdsourcing process. Knowledge is available to all as open source, publicly shared common property. It comes in an interactive and socially developed format.
This circular learning journey is divided into six parts. Each part allows you to obtain the necessary skills, methods and tools to advance innovation and progress for the Agro Food Sector in a sustainable way.


What for?
To support a rapid change in process patterns and to revert to sustainable and regenerative cycles in the Agro Food System.

Deming Wheel: "Shewhart Cycle" altered W. E. Deming; Out of the Crisis; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 1982, ISBN 0-911379-01-0, S. 88.

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PLAN

Recognize your skills and discover your sustainable development perspectives in a dialog with other students and your personal mentor.


Identify a problem and start a project that matches with your personal goals and has a positive impact on the environment and society.


Find partners in agriculture, food production, gastronomy, commerce or the field of infrastructure.


Work in a team and contribute with your competences, generating additional value to solve complex challenges.


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DO

Develop a prototype and internalize the process of «Lean-Start-Up-Culture» with the cycle of «build-measure-learn». «Listen to what the consumer wants, do your best to realize it and do the absolute necessary for this, not more. (Ries, 2011)


This leads to a minimalistic version of a minimal viable product. A product or service needs to be developed, tested and adapted until it reaches approx. 80% of the expected use.

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CHECK

Check possibilities for the integration of your concept in a business model** ready for feedback. Such a business model can be upscaled rapidly to start working in a sustainable and regenerative way.


Find ways to carry out your project with institutional partners in existing companies or investors, supporting and accompanying you as founder.



** a business model or system ready for feedback (after N. Luhmann) can selectively react to occurrences in its environment. Feedback is essential in a dynamic environment.

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ACT

Implement the developed solution as an Intrapreneur in a business or found a start-up with your team. Reach your goals while achieving sustainable and regenerative impact..

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REFLECT

Reflect your actions, the roles in which you act, what supports or impedes you with the goal to develop your personality and find an occupation that fulfills you.


Give and receive feedback in order to strengthen the Agro Food Network for system change. In this way you’ll not only reach your study goals and receive a diploma, you’ll actually set change in motion.

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SHARE

Share your experiences with people in your network so that perspectives for the necessary change can grow. Through these interactions with other people you will constantly evolve.

 

We are hungry for Change

Food production and food consumption globally are facing big challenges. On the one hand, there is a lack of food and too much hunger, on the other hand, food related illnesses have become a major issue. Increased food production burdens the environment and is a main driver of climate change.

An adaptation of the Agro Food Network is inevitable – from agriculture to food production, including consumers.

To facilitate this transformation we count on the entrepreneurial power and creativity of people who want to change the current situation.

Wir sind hungrig nach Veränderung

Die Lebensmittelproduktion und der Lebensmittelkonsum stehen weltweit vor grossen Herausforderungen. Einerseits bestimmen Mangel und Hunger das Leben, andererseits sind ernährungsbedingte Krankheiten zum Problem geworden. Die steigende Lebensmittelproduktion belastet die Umwelt zunehmend, sie ist wesentlicher Treiber der Klimaänderung.

Eine Anpassung des Agro Food Wertschöpfungsnetzwerks – von der Landwirtschaft über die Verarbeitung bis hin zum Konsumenten – ist unumgänglich.

Um diese Transformation zu ermöglichen, setzen wir auf die unternehmerische Kraft und Kreativität der Menschen, die etwas verändern wollen.

Whoever wants to face the challenges of this transformation process needs the according competences. In the age of computers and against the backdrop of the so called system of „Industrial Internet of Things“, risks need to be recognized and changes need to be discovered.

With the competence to question and analyze Big Data, new ways of understanding and solutions for other questions can be found. This is a prerequisite to gain back confidence in the people involved in the network and to grow new trust.

The goal is to empower people to provoke system innovation. Together with all involved parties we want to realize the conditions necessary to implement adaptive and resilient business systems in the Agro Food Network.

We transform knowledge and create resilient Agro Food Systems

Wir transformieren Wissen und schaffen resiliente Agro Food Systeme

Wer sich den Herausforderungen dieses Transformationsprozesses stellen will, braucht entsprechende Kompetenzen. Im Computerzeitalter und vor dem Hintergrund des als «Industrial Internet of Things» bezeichneten Systems gilt es, Risiken zu erkennen und Chancen zu entdecken.

Durch die Kompetenz, Big Data zu hinterfragen und zu analysieren, werden Wege zum Verständnis und zur Übertragung neuer Lösungen auf andere Fragestellungen gefunden. Dies ist die Voraussetzung, um Vertrauen in die Netzwerkbeteiligten zurückzugewinnen und neues Vertrauen aufzubauen.

Ziel ist es, Menschen zur Systeminnovation zu befähigen und gemeinsam mit allen erforderlichen Bedarfsgruppen die Voraussetzungen zur Implementierung adaptierter resilienter d.h. widerstandsfähiger Businesssysteme im Agro Food Netzwerk gemeinsam zu realisieren.

Team

Core Team

Maya Wiestner

Facilitator

« The question is not if but how we will create a more sustainable Agro Food Sector. I can imagine barely anything more meaningful than being part of this creation process. Additionally addressing major future topics and new educational concepts makes this project even more relevant and interesting. »

Sandra Burri

Education Expert

« I am fascinated by the possibility of co-creating new education formats in an interdisciplinary team with future students and potential employers – additionally developing flexible and personalized study programs that encourage competences and skills to sustainably advance innovation and progress in the Agro Food Sector. »

Tanja Hänsli

Business Expert

« Sustainability in the Agro Food Sector has been my main focus for several years already. To enable a sustainable development in this sector I believe a big range of skills are necessary. That’s why I love to be part of co-creating new educational programms, where people can develop the skills they need for a sustainable food future. »

Patrick Lütolf

Business Expert

« The current economic systems are based mainly on profit and maximizing revenue. Unlimited growth on a limited planet will not work in the long run and leads to imbalances. It is important to me to think up innovative and new systems with others, prioritizing humans and public welfare. »

Tilo Hühn

Lateral Thinker

« The necessary change in process patterns in the field of Agro Food can only be achieved by shifting away from thinking in value chains and starting to think in value networks – from isolated sequences to an interlinked system. »

Thomas Bratschi

Crosslinker

« I want to enable people and ideas on the foundation of creative entrepreneurial thinking and acting. Through collective creation processes at eye level, motivating and meaningful concepts and environments emerge. »

CONTACT: agrofoodbusiness@zhaw.ch

A PROJECT OF ZHAW