Dr. Carlos Alberto Faerron Guzman, Academic Director of the Organization for Tropical Studies of Costa Rica, served as course lecturer.
The five-day course provided the participants an overview of planetary health focusing on the effects of environmental changes on human health and on the political, economic, and social systems that govern those effects. The participants were immersed into a holistic learning experience through a mix of lectures, exercises, and a field visit to the 5th class municipality of Rizal, Laguna, a predominantly agriculture community, which is making waves for its commendable materials recovery facility (MRF) and ecotourism destinations. The group was welcomed and briefed by Mayor Antonino A. Aurelio.
During the closing program, the participants expressed their gratitude to SEARCA as the course would definitely help them in their current and future research endeavors. Likewise, Dr. Faerron was very pleased for this opportunity and was looking forward to more collaborations with SEARCA.
The course is partially-funded by the Food Security Center (FSC) based at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. SEARCA is a strategic partner of FSC, one of five EXCEED Centers funded by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).