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REDCAPA
- Network of Institutions Dedicated to Teaching Agricultural
and Rural Development Policies for Latin America and the Caribbean |
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REDCAPA presented
REDCAPA is a non-profit Association of Latin
American and overseas universities and research institutions
concerned with teaching Agricultural Economics and Policies
and Rural Sustainable Development. The network promotes South-
South cooperation, produces a scientific magazine and two electronic
information bulletins distributed to more than 10.000 professionals,
runs a virtual library and data bases, redistributes scientific
publications between its members and publishes teaching material.
REDCAPA supports the exchange of lecturers and the preparation
and execution of international joint research projects.
The network offers a complete platform for distance education
through the internet that is used by its member institutions
to offer courses throughout the region on a variety of themes.
The network secretariat supplies a server and a virtual campus,
announces the courses to a great number of e-mail contacts and
on the web, administrates the courses, organizes a presential
exam in more than 100 cities of the region and certifies the
courses through its member institutions. Most courses at graduate
and post-graduate level are of short extension, but MBA's and
a PhD are offered too.
REDCAPA aims at contributing to the improvement of teaching
and research in Agricultural Economics, Rural Development, the
Environment and Agricultural Information, support institution
building and improving national and international cooperation
between its members. To this end, REDCAPA supports the permanent
evaluation of education programmes formulation, supporting and
the introduction of new methodologies, interchange of lecturers
and students and the organization of joint seminars and workshops.
REDCAPA executes joint international research. While constituting
a network of organizations, REDCAPA focuses on supporting lecturers
and research staff.
REDCAPA was officially established in 1993, when its statutes
and rules were signed by 18 founding organizations including
13 universities, 3 governmental institutes, one NGO, and one
international organization (FAO), representing 11 Latin American
countries and the Caribbean region. The network has since experienced
growth, and now includes many member institutions amongst which
several european universities as well as institutions from the
US.
The organic structure of REDCAPA is based on equality between
its members. Any institution dedicated to studying and teaching
the themes of REDCAPA may join in wherever it is based in the
world. More than one centre of an institution may obtain membership
as can several institutions from the same country. The internal
organization of REDCAPA stimulates an executive spirit while
assuring democratic monitoring; communication procedures are
designed to strike a balance between formality and agility.
The Council, where all members are represented, meets every
three years to decide on policy matters, incorporate new members
and choose network authorities. The Board of Directors joins
representatives from five different latin american countries
and monitors the Executive Secretariat in between Council meetings.
The International Director -appointed for five years and responsible
for the preparation and execution of workplans and the general
administration of the network- manages the Executive Secretariat
and represents the Association. The Executive Secretariat is
currently hosted by the CPDA (Postgraduate Course in Development,
Agriculture and Society) of the UFRuralRJ (Rural Federal University
of Rio de Janeiro). The Association is officially registered
in Brazil.
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