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.
6. Research
Within the framework of the 'Farmers of the Future' initiative,
the World Agroforestry Centre is implementing a research project
to understand the ways by which relevant basic education can contribute
to achieving food security and sustainable development in rural
areas. This will be achieved by gathering and summarizing information
about basic education initiatives in rural areas which have used
agricultural or environmental experience as a means of making
teaching and learning more relevant to the local situation, and
by assessing the impact of this kind of approach on food security
and sustainable rural development. The project will summarize
lessons learned from strategies and experiences of educational
interventions in rural areas, with a focus on basic learning needs
for rural livelihoods.
This research is carried out in close collaboration with the
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Economics of the
Catholic University of Leuven (K.U.Leuven) and is sponsored by
the European Community's Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Programme
(EC-PREP) .
For
more information on Farmers of the Future project, contact Tom
Vandenbosch, Farmers of the Future Project (t.vandenbosch@cgiar.org).
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), PO Box 30677, 00100 GPO,
Nairobi, Kenya. Telephone: +254 20 7224000 or +1 650 833 6645,
Fax: +254 20 7224023 or +1 650 833 6646.
