Maria Elena Aradas Diaz

María Elena Aradas Díaz is an agricultural engineer and holds a Master’s Degree in Development and Territorial Management from the National University of Rosario, Argentina. In 2021, she completed her Doctorate at the University of A Coruña, Spain. She currently works at the Catholic University of Rosario, as an Executive Director of the Franciscan Centre for Regional Studies and Development and teaches in the Environmental Engineering Programme and the Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development. She has worked with teams from the National University of Rosario, Buenos Aires and La Plata in Argentina. He also works at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, INTA.

The project

Title:Transformation of the skills of agricultural engineers in France in the face of socio-environmental problems. Comparison with another agro-exporting country in a non-European context, Argentina.

This project, carried out with the support of the FMSH and the Institut Agro Montepellier, in the framework of the Agriterris network and the ARFAGRI program, explores the perceptions of agronomy students in France and Argentina about their training and their future professional challenges. A survey and qualitative interviews were conducted to analyze their competencies, aspirations and personal and social influences, incorporating a gender perspective and socio-environmental issues. The data were enriched with participatory workshops and field visits that illustrated local and sustainable agricultural models. The results show convergences and divergences in students' perceptions, as well as new needs in terms of competencies. The project has also contributed to strengthening academic links between the two countries and suggesting avenues for the development of public policies in the field of agronomy. The prospects are the dissemination of the results, the extension of the surveys and the development of collaborative projects for training adapted to socio-environmental challenges.

Hosting institution : L’Institut Agro-Montpellier (UMR GRED) and school of agronomy (SUPAGRO-Montpellier)

Selective Bibliography

Articles, chapters and contributions to collective volumes (selection)

• Aradas Díaz, María Elena (2023). El periurbano como sistema alimentario local en el sur de Santa Fe (Argentina), TERRA. Revista de Desarrollo Local, (12), pp. 100-125. DOI 10.7203/terra.12.25482 https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/TERRA/article/view/25482

• Aradas Díaz, María Elena. Factores de la sostenibilidad involucrados en la dinámica de la producción agropecuaria del periurbano en el sur de Santa Fe, Argentina. Tesis doctoral dirigida por el Dr. A. García-Tomillo. A Coruña: Universidade da Coruña, 2021, 186 p. Disponible en: http://hdl.handle.net/2183/28987

• De Nicola, M.; Aradas Díaz, M. E.; Lazzari, J.;  Aseguinolaza, B.;  Pascuale, A.; Farias A., Pepino A. (2020). “Políticas públicas para la producción de alimentos en áreas periurbanas”. Revista Americana de Emprendedorismo e Innovación. V2, n.1, mar/2020. ISSN: 2674-7170. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339697405_POLITICAS_PUBLICAS_PARA_LA_PRODUCCION_DE_ALIMENTOS_EN_AREAS_PERIURBANAS

• De Nicola, M.; Aradas Diaz, M.E.; Pascualle, A.; Questa, M. (2019) “El modelo de producción-distribución-consumo (p-d-c) agroecológico en el territorio”. Revista A Face Multidisciplinar das Ciências Agrárias 4 ISBN: 978-85-7247-494-8. Ed. Atena. Disponible en: e-book A face multidisciplinar das ciencias agrárias 4(1).pdf

• De Nicola, M., Aradas Diaz, M. E., Pascuale, A.,  Farias A., Lázzari,  J.,  Aseguinolaza,  B. (2019). “Características del consumo en el modelo de producción-distribución-consumo agroecológico en Rosario / Características do consumo no modelo agroecológico produção-distribuição-consumo em Rosário , Volumen5, n⁰7. Brazilian Journal of Development ISSN: 2525-8761. Disponible en: http://brazilianjournals.com/index.php/BRJD/article/viewFile/2247/2271