5. Training

Regional Training Workshop on:

TEACHING with TREES in Southern Africa

26-30 January 2004

Zimbabwe

INTRODUCTION

Food insecurity, poverty, environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity have been identified as major problems facing the SADC region. In order to tackle these problems, the World Agroforestry Centre and its partners have developed wide ranges of agroforestry with farmers. These include improved fallows for soil fertility, fodder crops for livestock, woodlots on farms and domestication of indigenous fruit trees. Many farmers are already using these options, and impact is being seen at both household and community levels.

It is essential to facilitate research-education-extension-farmer links so that the potential impact of agroforestry on the livelihoods of small-scale farming households in the region can be accelerated. To achieve impact in advancing scientific research, food security, poverty reduction and environment, different sets of partners are needed. Scientists and development agents have been trained by the World Agroforestry Centre to conduct agroforestry research, education, development and extension in the SADC region. Useful partnerships with farmer organizations, national research and extension systems, universities and colleges, NGOs, private sector and policy makers have been established. There is now a large body of knowledge on agroforestry in the region.

Even though the World Agroforestry Centre and its partners have been active in agroforestry and natural resource management education at the tertiary level (universities and colleges) for many years, the recognition of the need to also strengthen basic education levels is a more recent development. Agroforestry and natural resource management have the potential to be used in schools as an integrating and relevant area of learning which is meaningful to children and youth since it is a fundamental part of their lives at home and as members of their communities.

In response to this need and opportunity, the World Agroforestry Centre has included a ‘Farmers of the Future’ initiative in its capacity building and development activities. This initiative aims at facilitating the integration of agroforestry and natural resource management in basic education. Agroforestry has the potential to impact on food security and basic education at the same time. While contributing to food security, health and nutrition, agroforestry also offers unique opportunities to enhance the quality and relevance of education. Indeed, thanks to the multidisciplinarity of agroforestry, scientific, social, economical, political and cultural aspects can be integrated into different learning subjects and help the integration of disciplines. This can lead to a more effective application of what has been learned and give a practical touch to theory. Teacher-training programmes which enhance the capacity and skills of teachers and teacher trainers to interpret the curriculum and relate it to the local natural resource context are seen as key for the success of this approach.

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

The general purpose of this training workshop was to look at possible interactions between basic education and agroforestry and natural resource management. Specific objectives are:

-          to test how concepts and principles of agroforestry and natural resource management can be made relevant to basic education;

-          to explore the opportunities of contextualization of primary learning and teaching using agroforestry and natural resource management; and

-          to identify opportunities for and constraints to school-community linkages in the areas of agroforestry and natural resource management.

In the long term, this training workshop is expected to contribute to the empowerment of young people by enhancing the effectiveness of education through active, experiential and contextualized learning, while improving their natural resource management knowledge, skills and attitudes.