Based on the need to generate applied science of excellence, Yachay Tech has developed an educational, productive and agro-industrial program based on research and practical knowledge, to provide an education of the highest quality. The Food Agroindustry major provides an offer that responds to the need to create added value in agricultural chains, strengthening pillars of knowledge such as food chemistry, food safety, microbiology, food processing, development of new products and applied food science all this with a high scientific rigor aimed at undergraduate students in their initial stage.

The Food Agroindustry major has a duration of 8 semesters or ordinary academic terms. During this period of time, our main objective will be to generate new knowledge and applications that contribute to the development of a “knowledge-based economy” under internationally recognized parameters, contributing to the academic and scientific strengthening of the country, directly influencing the change of the agricultural and agro-industrial productive matrix.

Learning methodologies

• Student-focused teaching method
• Constructivist learning method

Learning methodologies have been proposed focused on the development of a practical theoretical environment, which are carried out from a scientific and productive point of view.

The major emphasizes a theoretical, practical and investigative training, linked to the reality of Ecuador. The curriculum includes both a theoretical and a strong practical component, which will include laboratories for biology, chemistry, food, soil and water, and the “Yachay Modules”, based on the self-sustaining and constructivist model “Learning by Doing.”

• Learning methodologies
• Student-focused teaching method
• Practical learning method “Yachay Modules”.
• Learning Environments
• Practical learning modules.
• Agricultural and livestock production areas.
• Agro-industrial processing plants.
• Trading areas in real markets.
• Classrooms
• Laboratories

Theoretical investigative component

This component is based on the growth of students’ academic capacities and is established with the basic sciences necessary for the development of knowledge within the agro-industrial field.

Practical academic component

The practical academic environment comprehends 50% of the course workload and is carried out under the principles of the “Learning by doing” methodology. These components are known as “Yachay Modules”.

The “Yachay Modules” contemplate a comprehensive practice of the activities carried out in the agri-food chain with great emphasis on the industrial transformation of products, from the basic agricultural production, livestock production, agroindustry, administration and market management.

Integration of knowledge and research

Yachay Tech’s Food Agroindustry major has generated an implementation plan for lines of research that will be gradually developed. The three main areas of knowledge are detailed below:

Agribusiness Food, Safety and Nutrition

• Research and development of non-traditional protein sources
• Optimization of production processes
• Design, implementation, validation of HACCP systems and support programs for food safety
• Design of food processing plants and selection of equipment
• Design and development of new food products
• Added value, nutrition and innovation of food products
• Micronutrient deficiency and food fortification
• Postharvest, processing and storage of grains and seeds
• Management of productive resources
• Postharvest losses and losses in agro-industrial plants
• Postharvest and processing of fruits and vegetables
• Evaluation of minimally processed products
• Analysis of the chemical composition of raw materials
• Management of horticultural waste
• Development of functional and nutraceutical dairy products
• Development of new packaging technologies for food products
• Economic analysis of agro-industrial projects
• Development of food products and optimization of agro-industrial processes
• Grain, root and tuber technology
• Thermoplastic extrusion
• Use of seeds and other materials of plant and animal origin for the development of biofuels
• Development and characterization of biodegradable or active bioplastics for use in agricultural products

Agribusiness Socioeconomic Development and Environment

• Analysis of vulnerability to food insecurity
• Climate change analysis, mitigation strategies and effect on agricultural production
• Agricultural diversification
• Agricultural value chains
• Agricultural policies
• Rural development
• Cost management in agriculture
• Agro-export strategies
• Statistics and data science for agriculture
• Management of agricultural sales
• Risk analysis in agricultural operations
• Evaluation of determining factors in the adoption of technologies
• Environmental impact of agricultural, livestock and agro-industrial production
• Agricultural extension
• Climate-smart family farming
• Alternatives for water adaptation in the face of climate variability and change
• Rural tourism
• Community forestry
• Community development
• Ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes
• Watershed management
• Agroecology
• Silviculture of natural forest and forest plantations
• Economics of forest management
• Value of environmental goods and services
• Compensation mechanisms for ecosystem services

Agricultural and Livestock Science and Production

• Land use using remote sensing and GIS
• Identification of the adaptation of agricultural varieties in different ecosystems
• Development of organic products for application in agricultural crops
• Development of internal and external organic dewormers for application in production animals
• Feasibility of the use of organic pesticides in short-cycle crops
• Physico-chemical analysis of water sources for agriculture
• Identification of underground aquifers for use in irrigation of crops of interest in semi-desert areas through the use of remote sensors and GIS.
• Nutrition, reproduction, health and livestock management.
• Gut health and animal welfare
• Alternative control of pests, diseases and weeds in crops
• Preventive control of diseases in crops
• Conventional and alternative identification of pathogens in agriculture
• Grafts in agricultural crops
• Hormones and substrates for the propagation of plants
• Management, adaptation and conservation of agricultural soils
• Precision farming
• Production of substrates and horticultural amendments
• Strategic supplementation
• Pastures and forages
• Monitoring, entomological diagnosis
• Reproductive livestock biotechnologies
• Aquaculture

The major has been planned with the following objective for the training and pre-professional development of students:

To train professionals with the ability to make use of science and technology to transform raw materials into agro-industrial products with a high nutritional, industrial and commercial value; guaranteeing its safety and promoting scientific research, business leadership and innovation with social and environmental responsibility; and thus, turn Yachay Tech into a national and international benchmark in the agro-industrial field.

Specifically, the following objectives have been set:

To train professionals capable of developing agro-industrial food products that comply with national and international quality standards.

To train professionals aware of the national reality in the agricultural, food safety, and environmental fields; that propose ethical and comprehensive solutions that contribute to the socio-economic development of Ecuador and the sustainable management of natural resources.

To promote investigative and problem-solving capacities in students so that they are capable of innovating agro-industrial processes and products through the use of technological tools and effective communication of results.

To train professionals with the ability to create and lead competitive agro-industrial companies, taking into account the dynamics of national and international economic markets and applicable government policies.