Farming Matters | 29.3 | September 2013

Agricultural biodiversity plays a huge role in maintaining resilient local economies, balanced diets and balanced ecosystems. The rapid disappearance of agricultural biodiversity and the lack of measures to protect it are therefore great causes of concern.

Mainstream agricultural policies, which generally promote monoculture agriculture, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Intellectual Property Rights threaten such agricultural biodiversity, having an impact on agricultural landscapes, species, varieties, breeds, the wild relatives of crops and livestock, pollinators, micro-organisms and genes. These policies and practices lead to the disappearance of plant and animal species, and the knowledge embedded in their management and use.The good news is that in recent years many promising initiatives have been launched around the world that aim to preserve and manage agricultural biodiversity.

Small-scale family farmers often play a central role in these, acting as custodians of biodiversity. But other actors and institutions also play important roles. Producers, public and private institutions and consumers are reconnecting with each other through innovative market arrangements, many of them at local or regional level. Farmers and researchers are taking up joint research initiatives, and farmers’ organisations are engaging in dialogues with policymakers, pushing for policies that enhance agrobiodiversity.

Issue 30.1 of Farming Matters will look at these emerging initiatives and at the insights gained from the efforts to up-scale these experiences. We particularly aim to explore the factors that help breaking the glasshouse that is preventing the expansion and mainstreaming of such ideas and practices.

The topics we will look at will include the revitalisation of local seed systems and indigenous livestock breeds at a large scale; the market mechanisms and policies that support agrobiodiversity; farmers’ innovations and the role of knowledge and information networks. As 2014 will be the International Year of Family Farming this edition will also explore the close interconnection between agricultural biodiversity and family farming.

This issue will be produced in collaboration with agrobiodiversity@knowledged, the Hivos/Oxfam Novib Knowledge Programme. Articles for the March 2014 issue of Farming Matters should be sent to the editors, before December 1st, 2013. E-mail: info@farmingmatters.org

Related content

• Guide for authors

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Suppose we see the world as a place where hundreds of millions of farm families, now and in the foreseeable future, produce varied and healthy foods for a growing population, cater to local and regional markets, work with the ecosystems around them and safeguard beautiful landscapes and cultural values. A world where urban dwellers know where their food comes from and where rural children have a chance to learn about basic agro-ecological processes on their own farms.

That world is possible but we must invest in it now. Education is a key driver of change, of transformation towards a greener and more connected global society. Educational institutions (formal and nonformal) can become places where people learn –in very practical ways– about improving resilience to climate change, about the importance of biodiversity, about the nutritional value of local foods and herbs, and the economics of sustainable agriculture and consumer relations. They can serve as places for validating endogenous agricultural knowledge, observing ecosystems and the behaviour of insects, and studying the characteristics of different seeds. Schools need to be places where students, teachers and farmers re-connect with Agri-Culture making it an attractive proposition for the future, while exploring new approaches and solutions.

As citizens of global society, we need to make choices today; on the future of our food, our landscapes, our culture and the education of our children. The articles in this issue of Farming Matters show that in different parts of the world, and in a wide range of educational settings, there are inspired and visionary educators at work, giving education a new meaning as a driver in rural transformation towards just and sustainable societies. Let us join forces, get inspired and inspire. This is no rocket science, we can all be part of the change we want to see.

Edith van Walsum
director ILEIA

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During the 1980s the process of political liberalisation that took place in Brazil helped strengthen the social movements and organisations working towards an alternative model of agriculture. Groups such as the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST), founded in 1984, have since been lobbying for radical transformations in the field, but also for change in the education system, as Brazilian universities were strongly shaped by the Green Revolution.

Together with MST, the National Federation of Agronomy Students started the Estágio de Vivência (EIV) project in 1989 in the municipality of Dourados, in Mato Grosso. This aimed to address the fragmentation and lack of connection between different science fields that characterises higher education in Brazil, and also to shorten the distance between the university and the reality of family farmers and social movements. Since then, this initiative has been adopted in many other universities, organised by the students themselves, often involving not only future agronomists, but also students of many other disciplines.

The students live for a period of time with family farmers and social movements, working and learning in a rural environment.

The Estágio Interdisciplinar de Vivências

The EIV started in the Federal University of Viçosa in 1996 with the support of the Centre for Alternative Technologies of Zona da Mata (CTA-ZM). With support from MST, the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (Movement of People Affected by Dams, MAB) and many farmers’ unions from across the region, this is now an official extension project of the university. It is not a course, so students cannot get credit points for it, but it can be taken as one of the extracurricular activities which all students are obliged to take.

The whole process is guided by three principles. One of them is partnership, as the social organisations involved contribute to the activities of the project, helping to establish linkages between students and farmers. Another important principle is interdisciplinarity. The rural reality and its relationship with students and social movements is a complex issue that goes beyond the scope of any one discipline.

Students’ experiences are richer when people from different fields are brought together to share ideas and points of view, in an attempt to establish a common understanding based on a holistic approach. The third principle is non-intervention. We find it important to reinforce the idea of a horizontal relationship. This means that students respect the customs and traditions of their hosts, and do not try to change these during their short stay in the farm. The EIV aims at raising awareness and facilitating the exchange of ideas and information, and is not a technical intervention aimed at solving a particular problem.

Structure and logistics

The EIV usually takes place in March, at the end of the summer holidays, just before the academic year starts. But its organisation starts much earlier and involves different activities. A set of open seminars during the year, involving students, lecturers and the main partners of the project, helps define the specific topics to be addressed. The first of these meetings is also a moment to evaluate the previous year of the project and re-affirm (or adjust) the principles, values and goals for the present year.

Another important part is the initial preparation of the students. Four different workshops are organised every year, which focus on the broader context. These workshops provide a space for discussions not normally held during courses or university seminars. At the same time, the families who will receive interns in their farms are selected and prepared. These families are usually chosen by the social movements, using several selection criteria involving the farm’s productive and social aspects.

The EIV involves approximately 25 participants every year, and lasts slightly more than three weeks, divided in three major phases:

• (a) preparation,
• (b) the farm experience and
• (c) a collective evaluation.

During the first phase all the students get together for a five-day series of lectures covering a range of topics that includes agro-ecology, gender issues, agrarian reform, extension and communication. This is also a moment to discuss the principles of the project and for students to plan how they will approach and communicate with the farmers. Immediately after this, the students all go to live on a different small-scale farm for thirteen days. The time spent with a rural farming family helps them understand the family’s reality, identify their problems and threats, and also see their strengths and the possibilities they have.

After this, the students get together again for a general evaluation which lasts for four days, and provides the interns with the chance to experiences, discuss that they have learned and produce collective outcomes. The students discuss the importance of social organisations and also reflect on how this learning process differs from their regular courses, and how it has contributed to their personal and professional growth. Afterwards, each of them prepares a report describing the farm, paying attention to social, environmental, cultural, economical and political aspects.

A later meeting between the interns and the organisational team adds to this collective assessment, and also helps to bring in new students and start the preparations for the coming year. Those who completed the previous EIV are invited to help organise the next one. Each farmer family is also visited for the evaluation, an opportunity for them to share their impressions of the presence of the students on their farms.

Many results

More than 400 students have followed the Zona da Mata EIV internship and many are now working with NGOs, social movements, universities and/or the local or the federal government – strengthening family farming and supporting a transition towards agro-ecology. Some students have gone on to high ranking positions. To name only a few, Glauco Régis is now the executive director of CTA; Alexandre Leandro Santos de Abreu works with MST; Davi Fantuzzi works at the Permacultural Institute of Bahia (Instituto de Permacultura da Bahia); Clara Teixeira Ferrari works for FUNAI (the Brazilian National Indigenous Foundation); Erineu Coop is the marketing co-ordinator at the State Government of Minas Gerais.

While the EIV was only a small part of their university experience, they all acknowledge its importance, and how it helped them bring their studies (and the university itself) closer to the rural reality of the country and to the social needs of family farmers and rural workers. As one of the students stated, “the EIV gave me a lot of information that was missing at the university. It sharpened my desire to know, ask and discuss. I learned how to work better and share my opinions in a group. And mainly, I could understand the feelings and needs of rural workers, with whom I will probably have contact for the rest of my life.”

We have no doubt of the benefits for students, but do the farmers benefit too? It is difficult to see a short-term effect, as the students go only to learn and experience rural life and do not intervene or try to change it. However, we have seen that many students go back to the communities involved on the EIV, to develop extension or research projects. Many ex-students now work at a national level, bringing indirect results, such as more appropriate public policies for family farmers. And several farmers involved in the project now have a much closer relationship with the university.

Joao Donizete, for example, has attended several of the university’s extension courses, on homeopathy, apiculture and medicinal plants, something he probably wouldn’t otherwise have done. “Before we had a different image of the university, as only a place for the elite. The EIV has brought us closer.”

Where next?

After many years of the EIV, several farmers started to talk about the need to organise a bottom-up EIV, which is now being referred to as “vivéncias educativas” (educative experiences). The idea is to bring their sons and daughters for a “living experience” at the university, where they can participate in different activities and lessons organised by a group of students and lecturers. The idea –again– is to break the barriers between university and society, in an effort to build a more popular and democratic university.

And while we are all working so as to improve these efforts even further, we are also proud to see that the EIV is also gaining international scope, with a similar course now being developed at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. As a joint effort of students and several partner organisations, the Farm Experience Internship started in August 2013. We are sure that it will see equally positive results!

Heitor Mancini Teixeira, Isabela Fabiana da Silva Ladeira and Lucas Reis Bittencourt

Heitor Mancini Teixeira, Isabela Fabiana da Silva Ladeira and Lucas Reis Bittencourt are undergraduate students at the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil. E-mail: heitorteixeira_5@hotmail.com

Further reading

Freitas, A.L, C.T. Ferrari, M.G. Silva and F.V. Zanelli, 2009. Analise dos principios e metodologias no Estagio Interdisciplinar de Vivencia – EIV. V Simposio Nacional de Geografia Agraria, Niteroi.

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Four out of every five people in the Sahel depend on agriculture. Over 70% of them are illiterate, and the majority of them are women. This is especially shocking, considering the fact that agriculture is a major engine of development. In Burkina Faso, agriculture makes up about 40% of the GDP.

The UN’s decade of education for sustainable development (2005-2014) has brought few benefits for the rural population in the Sahel. Most of the region’s education programmes are inadequate, discriminating against girls and not taking into account the differing social, cultural and economic contexts. They draw rural youth into urban centres that are ill-prepared for an influx of people lacking technical skills. As a result, the ranks of the unemployed get larger every day.

Obviously, education is important to inspire behavioural change in agriculture. Literate and educated farmers are more inclined to adopt agricultural innovations and better able to access information that can strengthen their farming systems. But how can it be best done? Here, I present three examples of innovative education strategies that we use in Burkina Faso.

Study tours to rural areas. During these tours, elementary school pupils and their teachers learn about integrated soil fertility management, including the establishment of contour bunds, manure pits and composting. They then raise their parents’ awareness. Many of these former pupils are now agents of change in their communities. Similar environmental education tours can be used to help farmers learn about the effects of climate change on their production and their livelihoods and possible adaptation measures.

Bilingual education programmes. These programmes teach in French and in the children’s mother tongue, involving the whole community. Themes include animal husbandry, gardening, community organisation and socio-economic innovations. This way of educating strengthens endogenous knowledge. It also raises awareness in the communities about the need to train young people in production techniques in order to reduce their exodus to the cities. And it makes students more aware of the importance of natural resources.

Training of farmers by farmers is an effective strategy to increase farmers’ access to information and technical knowledge. Farmers are more readily convinced by information and knowledge provided by peers who live in the same environment and face similar challenges. A review of this strategy has confirmed its relevance and effectiveness in scaling up agricultural practices that increase food security and farming system resilience. I believe these experiences can provide us with some valuable inspiration!

Fatou Batta

Fatou Batta is the Groundswell International Co-coordinator for West Africa and also the director of Association Nourrir sans Détruire, ANSD.
E-mail: fbatta@groundswellinternational.org

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Agriculture is the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy, and is dominated by smallholders who mostly grow wheat, barley, fruits and nuts. Approximately half of the country is also used as seasonal rangelands for livestock, especially small ruminants.

However, more than thirty years of war and instability have had serious consequences on these activities, on farm infrastructure and on the institutions that support agriculture. This situation has also led to a loss and failure to renew the knowledge and skills needed to produce, innovate and adapt to changes.

One of the priorities of the Afghan government is to rebuild the agricultural education system throughout the country to ensure that young people not only get access to education, but to drive innovation in the agricultural sector as a whole. The Agricultural Technical Vocational Education Training (ATVET) project forms part of the response to this need.

Agricultural education

Afghanistan has seen the number of agricultural high schools grow from 30 in 2011 to almost 100 throughout in 2013. To support this development, the National Agriculture Education College (NAEC) was established in Kabul in 2011, providing a two-year teacher training programme for people going on to work at the agricultural high schools. NAEC has a faculty of 30 teachers, 6 of whom are women. Now in its second year, the training college has 275 students coming from 23 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. This year, the student body includes a group of 19 female students hoping to become teachers.

Students undergo a rigorous entrance examination. NAEC staff is finding that Afghanistan’s education system has lagged behind – not only in terms of students missing important practical skills in agriculture, but also in terms of teaching methodologies. Formal education still is mainly based around a system of learning by rote, and the learning materials are largely theoretical, based on textbooks rather than on practical farming and field exercises. The result is that if students have not grown up on a farm, they lack experience in literally “getting their hands dirty”, and find it difficult to encourage others to do the same when they become teachers.

Practical skills

A key didactic strategy in the NAEC curriculum is to develop a hands-on training process that also stimulates the future teachers to use more creative teaching methods. The school grounds contain 5 jeribs, the equivalent of one hectare of land, and include a permaculture garden and greenhouse. Students are encouraged to experiment with what they have learnt, and to compare different farming approaches, including sustainable processes like mulching and composting. Muhammad Ayaz, a current second year student at NAEC, is pleased with this approach: “At the Agriculture High Schools we studied different agriculture concepts but only theoretically. However, here at NAEC, we are ‘learning by doing’, practising pruning, grafting, growing vegetables inside and outside the greenhouse, and more. I am very happy that I can now tell people that I know about these practices.”

At the beginning of 2013, 21 of NAEC’s faculty received training in participatory teaching methods (e.g. more interactive teaching, role play, debates, field visits etc.) at the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in the Philippines. NAEC’s Education and Training Advisor, Michelle Glenn, sees clear benefits in how the teachers carry these new methods into their own classrooms: “This is the first time the students at NAEC have been taught in this way: they are very enthusiastic once they get over their initial shyness in participating. In fact, our second year students are demanding even more interaction now.”

More female students

In Afghanistan, women are involved in most farming activities, including poultry and dairy production. Nevertheless, agriculture is, in general, a male domain. At present, only a few girls attend agricultural education institutions, though more and more are becoming interested in improving their knowledge and skills. Afghan society currently prefers that girls are taught by female teachers, and teaching is one of the few accepted public roles for women. To encourage higher attendance at these agricultural high schools, it is important to train more girls to become teachers at them.

Besides the problem of few female AHS graduates, other barriers stop female candidates from applying to the NAEC. One important factor is that students’ families do not want their daughters to live away from home in a dormitory. NAEC is tackling these kinds of issues in a stepwise fashion. A first decision was to focus on female candidates from the Kabul area only, so that they could still live at home. It was then decided to arrange daily transportation to the college. Another step was to create an agricultural preparatory course for the female candidates, to allow them to catch up on basic agricultural knowledge. Lastly, the group of female students are taught in classes separate from the males.

All of these efforts are paying off. After the prep course, the girls were given the same entrance exam as the rest of the student body. They ended up scoring very highly, with the lowest score being 75%, while the entry requirement was 50%. They gained a lot of respect from the rest of the students through this achievement. The group of 19 female students is very motivated. The college hopes that once these girls have shown how successful they can be, the rest of the barriers can be removed one by one. One idea for example, is to establish a female dormitory so that girls can come from other areas of the country.

These are still early days for the NAEC and the agricultural high schools. Setting up new institutions and changing societal attitudes in such an unstable and uncertain environment is fraught with challenges. Slowly but surely, a positive and remarkable change in the Afghan agricultural education system will come.

Mundie Salm and Ayesha Sabri

Ayesha Sabri is the Training and Education Director at NAEC, Kabul.
E-mail: sabri.ayesha@yahoo.com.

Mundie Salm is curriculum developer for the same project, based in Wageningen.
E-mail: mundie.salm@wur.nl

More information on this project: Improving agricultural education in Afghanistan

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Planned and organised by a group of governmental and non-governmental agencies in Kenya and co-ordinated by Prolinnova–Kenya and the AgriProFocus (APF) AgriHub, EAFIF was also the launching pad for an international workshop on Agricultural Innovation Systems in Africa (AISA), which had an explicit focus on recognising smallholders as sources of innovation.

In AISA, several initiatives –including Prolinnova, CCAFS, JOLISAA (Joint Learning in Innovation Systems in African Agriculture) and AusAID’s Food System Innovation for Food Security project– tried to gain a better understanding of agricultural innovation processes, focusing on the role of smallholders.

Women and men farmers from the four eastern African countries gave their messages to the AISA participants during the opening session of the workshop, held on the final afternoon of the EAFIF. In this way, smallholders’ voices guided the deliberations on how research, practice and policy can strengthen innovation processes in smallholder farming. The interaction during the EAFIF and the opening session of the AISA workshop was meant to stimulate a social learning process that will link different types of knowledge and lead to joint action.

The AISA participants –mainly scientists and academics– gained insights into how innovation happens in smallholder settings. They recognised the farmers as “creative, innovative and courageous” and wanted to “nurture farmer capacities to do research”. The farmers invited the scientists to collaborate in improving local innovations.

Many participants now want to hold similar events in their home countries. However, it is quite expensive and time-consuming to organise such farmer innovation fairs, and it is not always easy for farmers to take part in them. This raises a number of questions. Are such innovation fairs worth it? Do they really broaden social learning? Are there more effective and less costly ways of stimulating learning among farmers and drawing in other ARD actors in ways that respect farmers’ knowledge and creativity – while also stimulating farmers to value the knowledge of formal scientists?

What other experiences and insights do you have about this? Please write to Ann Waters-Bayer of Prolinnova (waters-bayer@web.de) or to Jorge Chavez-Tafur at ILEIA (j.chavez-tafur@ileia.org). For blogs, photos and videos from the EAFIF, see http://aisa2013.wikispaces.com/farmer+fair

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2013. Pilgrim and J. Pretty (eds.), 2013. Routledge, Oxon. 368 pages.

That biodiversity and cultural diversity form the basis of resilience, that they are both in decline, and that something must be done about it, is all well recognised. Cultural diversity and biodiversity are, however, often seen as two distinct entities, and efforts to tackle their loss are only directed at one or the other. According to this book, this division is rooted in the common disciplinary divide between the natural and the social sciences and in the modernist tendency to subject nature to human control. The authors argue that an approach is needed that (re)integrates cultural diversity and biodiversity. A start is made in sections on science, landscapes, hunting and agriculture.

Diversifying food and diets: Using agricultural biodiversity to improve nutrition and health

2013. Fanzo, D. Hunter, T. Borelli and F. Mattei, 2013. Routledge, Oxon. 275 pages.

With 868 million food insecure people, 2 billion suffering from micronutrient deficiency and 1.4 billion overweight, something is not quite right with our global food system. Agriculture, this book argues, needs to play a new role. One that will improve dietary diversity and create value chains that are more nutrition-sensitive. Agrobiodiversity plays a key role here as it can improve dietary diversity, provide a safeguard against hunger and strengthen local food systems. The first part of the book looks at approaches that provide stronger links between agriculture, biodiversity and nutrition. The second looks at creating an enabling environment to mobilise agrobiodiversity for improved food and nutritional security. This is complemented by a third section which presents successful case studies.

Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security: A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security

HLPE, 2013. Rome. 110 pages.

The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security is back with another publication. Upon request of the Committee on World Food Security, this report seeks to identify the constraints to investment in smallholder agriculture and ways to overcome them. The report elaborates on some essential but often overlooked issues. This includes the delicate task of defining smallholder agriculture, understanding what it covers and what the scope and purpose of investments should be. The report shows the many obstacles that make it difficult for farmers to access assets, markets and institutions. It also elaborates on strategies that have proved effective in overcoming these obstacles and provides a set of policy recommendations.

Restoring the soil: A guide for using green manure/cover crops to improve the food security of smallholder farmers

2013. Bunch, 2013. Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Winnipeg. 94 pages.

Green manures and cover crops are back in favour, but the challenge for farmers is to pick the right ones: this is no easy task. More than a hundred different cover crops and hundreds of cover-cropping systems are currently used by farmers. Cover crops are used for different purposes including fertilisation, weed control and as a source of food. Many factors must be taken into account to select an appropriate crop, from the existing cropping system to land ownership patterns. This book is a guide to selecting the appropriate cover crop and is based on the rich and diverse practices of smallholder farmers around the world.

Organic agriculture: African experiences in resilience and sustainability

2013. Auerbach, G. Rundgren and N. El-Hage Scialabba, 2013. FAO, Rome. 200 pages.

There are plenty of organic agriculture success stories in Africa and this book contains some of them. It expands on the research presented at the “Mainstreaming organic agriculture in the African development agenda” conference held in Lusaka. The book shows that success lies in whole farm management, healthy soils and effective nutrient cycling. It argues that the focus of organic agriculture should not be on substituting chemical inputs with external organic ones. Instead, natural processes should be enhanced and complex plant and animal interactions managed to reduce the need for external inputs. This can only be achieved by building on traditional community knowledge. The book contains sections on community-based livestock systems, eco-functional intensification and smallholder knowledge.

Alternative crops for drylands: Proactively adapting to climate change and water shortages

S. O’Bar 2013, Amaigabe press, Santa Barbara. 324 pages.

This book describes an extensive number of alternative dryland crops around the world. These are important because they require little water and are edible, medicinal or have some other use. Most are trees that are resilient to drought, give relatively high yields and require little maintenance. Some of the plants described have been used by indigenous communities for generations but are disappearing due to the spread of modern agriculture. The book contains information ranging from botanical features to culinary uses and ethno-botanical features. A reference list allows the reader to find plants with specific characteristics, including nitrogen fixing properties, and shade tolerant and salt tolerant species.

More on education

The assumed superiority of scientific knowledge is coming under increasing scrutiny and the importance of other forms of knowledge and learning is being increasingly recognised. In “The university at a crossroads”, Boaventura de Sousa Santos (2012) explores whether the university as we know it has a future in producing knowledge that is relevant to society. The website of the Paulo Freire Institute presents tools and approaches that use people’s knowledge and life experiences as the raw materials for education. In “Learning for sustainability in times of accelerating change” (A. Wals and P.B. Corcoran, eds., 2012), the authors explore the possibilities for designing and facilitating learning-based change.

Articulating these plural forms of knowledge requires new approaches to education and research. The Excluded Voices Initiative challenges the often narrow interests of agricultural research. It aims to make the voices of small-scale producers and other excluded citizens heard, and count, in the governance and process of agricultural research. The website contains several resources, including the workshop report “Democratising the governance of food systems: citizens rethinking food and agricultural research for the public good”. A similar perspective is taken in the publications: “Democratising agricultural research for food sovereignty in West Africa” (M. Pimbert et al. 2011) and “Participatory research and on-farm management of agricultural biodiversity in Europe” (M. Pimbert, 2011). (LvdB)

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For decades, Latin American agro-ecologists have advocated a radical transformation of the world’s agricultural systems, looking not only at the agronomic aspects but also at the social, political, cultural and economic forces that drive agricultural development. Rural movements such as Via Campesina have long argued that farmers need land to produce food for their own communities, and for this reason they advocate genuine access to and control over land, water and agrobiodiversity. SOCLA is convinced that the changes promoted by farmers and their organisations need to be complemented by a similar revolt within academic and research institutions.

SOCLA believes that incorporating the principles of agro-ecology (from plant health and soil ecology to land politics and food sovereignty) into the educational process is one way to correct the current agricultural educational deficiencies in our institutions. By focusing on the interface between agriculture, the social system and the global environment, agro-ecological thought can help design a more creative and integrated curriculum. This, in turn, can help students to develop new capacities, making them better prepared to face future challenges and to guide agriculture through a path that sustains productivity while conserving natural resources and biodiversity, in socially equitable, culturally plural and economically viable ways.

“There is no doubt that we need professionals who will look at yields and outputs, but in relation to the lack of opportunities in rural areas, equity and power issues, pollution and health, or land grabs. A programme like this one enormously helps us to reflect on what we know, and what we need to know, in order to improve agricultural production. We urgently need to develop new ways of ‘doing science’.
 
“I was first invited to join the group of lecturers in 2010, and every year I have presented what we have done and achieved in Cuba. I especially appreciate that all the students have a rich experience, and that we can work together on the basis of that experience. Every group is a new challenge, and every time I have enjoyed the discussions and the ideas that come from the groups. What I have liked most, however, is that working together gives me new insights and ideas. I am growing together with all the students.”
 
Fernando Funes Mozote lectures in both Medellin and Managua. Previously a researcher at Cuba’s Pasture and Forage Research Institute, he is, since December 2011, a farmer.

Ideas for new curricula

SOCLA’s doctoral programmes are made up of three modules, held in Medellin or Managua, each lasting a month, covering the scientific basis of agro-ecology (biodiversity, resiliency, etc.), sustainable rural development (traditional knowledge systems, rural movements, land reform) and research methods (indicators, experimental design). Training includes lectures by researchers such as Peter Rosset, Steve Gliessman and Eric Holt-Giménez, complemented with readings and group discussions, and presentations of written and oral reports. As it focuses on an “action learning” approach, the programme also involves farm internships. The internships are planed during term time, when all the students are together, but take place in the students’ home areas, where they work with local farmers and organisations. In preparation for their research, students are expected to carry out a thorough diagnosis, considering indicators for sustainability or resilience, and propose changes that will enhance farm stability in the face of external shocks. Research for a doctoral thesis must be conducted in the student’s country of origin and always involves looking at possible solutions to the key problems affecting rural livelihoods.

After graduation, students are expected to possess a strong theoretical background, with methodological, analytical and practical skills. We aim at graduates with the skills to decipher complex interactions and to design, manage and evaluate agro-ecosystems that are diverse and resilient. Graduates are expected to acknowledge the benefits of traditional forms of agriculture, and to be able to mobilise local skills, technologies and resources for endogenous development. An equally important aim is to develop skills to empower social groups, to propose enabling policies, and to systematise and evaluate local development experiences in order to set a scaling up process in motion.

Students and graduates

While the course in Nicaragua only started this year, a total of 45 students are part of the programme in Colombia, from 8 different countries. Most of them lecture at different universities, so it is expected that they will promote curricular changes in their own programmes by creating courses on agro-ecology and research along agro-ecological lines. Ph.D. students working in research institutions are expected to implement a research agenda that is tailored to the needs and circumstances of small-scale farmers, and that leads to alternatives to the industrial agriculture movement. Graduates from SOCLA’s agro-ecology doctorate will be active promoters of food sovereignty and the welfare of family farmers.

References

Altieri, M.A. and C.I. Nicholls, 2012. Agroecology: Scaling up for food sovereignty and resilience. Sustainable Agriculture Reviews 11: 23-37

Francis, C.A., 2008. Education in agroecology and integrated systems. Journal of Crop Improvement, 11: 21-43

Leon, T. and M.A. Altieri, 2010. Enseñanza, investigación y extensión en agroecología: La creación de un programa de doctorado latinoamericano de agroecología. In: Vertientes del pensamiento agroecológico. T. Leon and M.Altieri (eds). Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá.

Miguel A. Altieri serves as President of the Sociedad Científica LatinoAmericana de Agroecología (SOCLA). Clara I. Nicholls is the co-ordinator of the Latin American Doctoral Programme at Colombia’s Universidad de Antioquia. E-mail: agroeco3@berkeley.edu

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Peru: Young entrepreneurs

In Satipo, a town in eastern Peru, a group of young students gets together at school. But this is not a typical algebra, chemistry or history lesson – it’s all about coffee. Supported by SOS Faim and VECO Andino, three local coffee co-operatives are now working with the new generation of coffee producers.

To help this next generation to see farming as a viable alternative, the co-operatives are working with three secondary schools to include subjects related to coffee production in the curriculum, including commercialisation and business planning. Hands-on projects, workshops and presentations enable the students to develop the skills needed to improve their coffee production and to take up a role as future leaders of their organisations.

The co-operatives have recognised that teaching the students to see their farm as a business enterprise will help them to understand that running the family farm is a better option than migrating. The independence gained by running their own farm is an important factor in such decisions as it is more attractive than being employed by big companies or becoming one of the many under- or unemployed people in the cities. The association has formed a Youth Committee, where youth are encouraged to participate and voice their opinion, thus already contributing to their cooperative and to their families’ wellbeing.

For more information contact VECO Andino.
E-mail: vecoandino2@veco-andino.org

Palestine: Sharing knowledge

The West Bank enjoys a varied climate and ecosystem, which translates into year-round crop production. Yet, Palestinian farmers constantly struggle to reap benefits from the land. Climate change is tangible in the recurrent droughts and floods, and the imposed security measures and restrictions have cut farmers’ access to their land and precious water resources. Palestinian farmers have discovered that the key to finding solutions lies in sharing their innovations.

ANERA, a non-profit organisation, is supporting this process by producing and distributing short video clips. The first fifteen videos have been uploaded on a special Facebook page which, having been seen by hundreds of visitors, has led to an exchange of opinions and ideas and the creation of an informal “network of practitioners”. The videos –covering both mistakes and successes– focus on the two key challenges faced by Palestinian farmers: land restoration and water conservation. Recognising that sharing knowledge plays an important role in meeting these challenges, ANERA is now working with the Ministry of Agriculture and eight NGOs so that their officials will join these efforts and encourage even more farmers to participate.

For more information contact Naser Qadous, Agricultural Projects Manager at ANERA.
E-mail: naser@anera-jwg.org

Indonesia: Groups versus individuals

Photo: SHEEP Indonesia FoundationFocusing on many of the issues related to farming, extension programmes commonly provide a complement to schools and other formal education activities in many parts of the world. Not surprisingly, one of the issues that they often address is climate change. A common feature of programmes that show successful results in promoting adaptation to change is a focus on the community as a whole, and not just on individual farmers.

Adaptation depends on co-operation among farmers, which is based on shared information and ideas. This has been seen in the Juwana watershed in Indonesia, where farmers’ groups pump up water for irrigation from the river during dryer periods. This initiative was reported at one of the regional workshops of the CATALYST project. This project is implemented by a consortium of organisations and seeks to reduce disaster risk under climate change through networking and capacity building. Its work also shows that groups can have more influence on authorities than individual efforts.

For example, farmers in Juwana have been able to convince the district authority to change the dam water distribution schedule and to start a dredging programme in order to reduce the likelihood of harvest failure. While community action is more effective, the interaction between communities also helps spread successful practices.

For more information contact Jos Timmerman at the Alterra Wageningen Research Institute (jos.timmeman@wur.nl) or visit the project website: www.catalyst-project.eu

Laos: Developing inclusive education

Although gender equity is promoted in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, women’s access to formal education in agriculture and forestry, as in many other countries, remains difficult. The same can be said of children and young adults from the country’s many different ethnic groups. Interested in reforming its education and extension strategies, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry started the SURAFCO project in 2009, first piloting it at the Northern Agriculture and Forestry College (NAFC) in the province of Luang Prabang. Its activities started with an analysis of current access possibilities to higher education, focusing on the roles that remoteness, gender and ethnicity play.

Results showed that the most important factor is remoteness. This, however, was also seen to be linked to cultural norms: girls in remoter areas do not go to school as they support their families from an early age. Parents from ethnic groups perceive the social values and practical work they can learn at home as more important, and rarely see the value of sending their children to school.

Ethnic and gender inclusiveness is now part of the curriculum, both in terms of contents (knowledge, attitude) and teaching methods (skills, attitude). Another important factor is paying attention to the composition of the staff and ensuring that there are female teachers to serve as role models.

For more information contact Maria Klossner at the Bern University of Applied Sciences (maria.klossner@bfh.ch) or visit the NAFC website: www.nafclao.org

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Recognising that education is vital for development, one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is to achieve universal primary education, with all boys and girls attending school by 2015. Looking at the rural areas of developing countries this will certainly make for a significant improvement, improving the skills base and the potential of local communities. But will it be enough to strengthen and expand agriculture?

In industrialised countries only a small percentage of the primary school students will make a future living in agriculture. Urbanisation is also a strong trend in developing countries. Still, farming is and will remain a reality and a suitable mode of living for hundreds of millions around the world. Many young people will follow in their parents’ footsteps, becoming growers or herders and entrepreneurs alike. How can we prepare these pupils best for their future agricultural careers? Is the uniform national primary education system sufficiently geared to their realities? And what about the education rights of middle-aged women and men who missed out on primary education in the past but are able and eager to learn, and in their best years to exploit their land and resources in a sustainable way?

Agriculture is not foot-loose. Production depends on the context and available resources, including the quality of the land, the local climate, and the quality of the services provided by third parties. But most of all, it depends on the knowledge and skills of the men and women working on the farms. The best way to increase agricultural productivity is to support the continuous development of their knowledge and skills on the spot: learning on the field and learning from the field.

Field-based education can be relatively low-cost and yield rapid improvements in production when the focus is on group learning and innovation, and building on what participants know and wish to learn and apply. Farmer Field Schools (FFS) have shown such positive results, and are an exemplary model to follow. Tried in many countries and in different contexts, FFS support groups of farmers in a real-life setting. FFS enhance the observation, analysis and learning skills of participants while focusing on the real challenges they face.

Governments, communities and donors are called upon to invest in today’s and tomorrow’s farmers with Farmer Field School-based approaches, to help increase production, to reduce poverty and to strengthen farming communities. There is no better way to strengthen agriculture and the rural areas than by investing in the human capacity that sustains it.

Peter Ton

Peter Ton works as a consultant on sustainable agriculture, value chains and corporate social responsibility. He has been involved in evaluation of FFS programs in West, Central and East Africa, and in the 2012 FAO Global Review of FFS experiences.
E-mail: peterton@xs4all.nl

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