Date: March 8-13, 2015
Location: Columbia University, Jerome Greene Annex
Download the 2015 Executive Training Brochure here.
To apply for admission to the 2015 Executive Training, click here.
Increased investment in agriculture can accelerate sustainable development and help to meet growing food security needs at domestic, regional, and global levels. Yet, if not structured equitably or regulated carefully, investments can also lead to social and environmental degradation. These risks have only heightened as investments in land for agriculture have become increasingly attractive to foreign investors and host countries alike.
Countries concerned about sustainable development confront multiple challenges in managing foreign direct investment in agriculture, including land-based investments. These challenges include developing robust legal and fiscal frameworks; negotiating equitable deals with investors; leveraging investments for greater sustainable development outcomes; and mitigating environmental impacts while protecting human rights.
The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) has developed an executive training program on international investments in agriculture. This program, which is based on CCSI’s successful Executive Training on Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development, will be held at Columbia University in New York City on March 8-13, 2015. The program fee for the six-day training, inclusive of accommodation in New York, is USD $2,975. (For participants who organize their own accommodation, the fee is $2,100). The program provides an interdisciplinary approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities of agricultural investments.
The program is designed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to address some of the key challenges posed by international investments in agriculture, and to encourage a rich dialogue about best practices from around the globe. By working through real case studies and with practitioners and experts in the field, participants will focus on how to use analytical tools and frameworks to harness agricultural investments for sustainable development.
For more information about the program, please download our Executive Training Program brochure here.
Who should attend?
This interdisciplinary program is designed for mid-level public sector officials and civil society representatives from developing countries, whose responsibilities relate to investments, agriculture, land or rural development. A select number of representatives from development agencies and the private sector may also be admitted.
Faculty
The course draws primarily from among faculty and experts at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, led by Professor Jeffrey Sachs. Other experts will teach specific topics related to their expertise. Select faculty include:
- Ward Anseeuw, Research Fellow, CIRAD
- Karol Boudreaux, Land Tenure & Resource Rights Practice Lead, Cloudburst Group
- Lorenzo Cotula, Principal Researcher – Law and Sustainable Development, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
- Jessica Fanzo, Assistant Professor of Nutrition, Columbia University
- Josh Fisher, Research Scientist, Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity, Earth Institute, Columbia University
- Michael Jarvis, Team Leader, Governance for Extractive Industries & Open Contracting, World Bank Group
- Bruce Kahn, Sustainable Insight Capital Management
- Cynthia E. Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University, and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon
- Senior legal, economics, and technical staff of CCSI
Applying to the Executive Training Program
If you are interested in applying for the 2015 Executive Training Program on Sustainable Investments in Agriculture, please complete the online application form, available here. Applications for admission to the training will be evaluated on a rolling basis, and only complete applications received by December 15, 2014 will be considered for admission. If you have any questions about the program or if you would be interested in sponsoring participants in the program, please contact us at ccsi@law.columbia.edu.
We look forward to seeing you in New York!