Exploring agriculturally-based environmental learning in southern Africa

1. Exploring agriculturally-based environmental learning in southern Africa Nikki Köhly Borlaug LEAP fellow Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program n.kohly@ru.ac.za 12 September 2006 304 Fernow Hall, Cornell University 3.30pm

2. Poverty, hunger, health, environment issues Borlaug LEAP funding agriculturally related research sub-Saharan Africa CGIAR mobilising science research to promote sustainable development Environmental education research Context of Study

3. Environment & Social Justice The mainstream environmental movement has not sufficiently addressed the fact that social inequality and imbalances of power are at the heart of environmental degradation, resource depletion, pollution and even overpopulation... The environmental crisis cannot be solved effectively without social justice. (Bullard 1993, in Gruenewald, 2003)

4. Educational Context • The environmental crisis requires the transformation of education and a corresponding alignment of cultural patterns with the sustaining capacities of natural ecological systems. (Bowers, 1993; O'Sullivan, 1999; Orr, 1992 – in Gruenewald, 2003) • There is a close relationship between poverty, lack of food, health and absence of education. (Vandenbosch et al. 2002)

5. Environmental Education (EE) • EE recognises the relationship between environmental issues, risks, human rights & social justice. • EE a socio-ecological movement, embracing ecological knowledge & understanding, total people-environment relationships, ethics, politics, culture, sociology & public participation in decision-making. (Irwin, 2002)

6. Economy Society ESD Environment Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) ESD a strategy to address social, economic & environmental issues by empowering youth & adults to make informed choices & promote sustainability. (IUCN 2003) Information & communication technologies Rural transformation Cultural diversity Overcoming poverty Intercultural understanding & peace Sustainable production & consumption Human rights Health

7. Framework for Research Children in schools losing contact with community knowledge (Shava 2000) School-community links Economy Society Environment EE/ ESD Environmental learning & action Agriculture Most ESD programmes contain important elements of sustainable agriculture (Vandenbosch et al 2002) Agriculturally-based activities

8. Research goals Q: Exploring the role of agriculturally based school-community links in facilitating environmentallearning and action. • What fosters school community links • Perceptions of agriculturally-based activities • Sources of knowledge & expertise • Promotion of environmental learning • Relationship between agriculture and ESD

9. Research Methodology What my experiences mean to me… • Holistic / pragmatic research integrates observable phenomena, behaviour & social structures with intentionality & cultural contexts • Qualitative data with empirical base • Interpretive approach for in-depth understanding • Emergent theory My view…

10. Study Sites • USA • Malawi • South Africa

11. Health Promoting Schools: government initiative to promote healthy school environment in collaboration with local communities. Food garden requisite. Eco-Schools: curriculum-linked FEE programme to promote sustainable environmental management at a local level through schools. Since 1994. UNEP support. South Africa

12. Farmers of the Future: ICRAF* initiative to incorporate agroforestry into school curriculum & promote sustainable agriculture in communities. Since 2002. Community Based Organisation: community initiative to adopt sustainable agriculture, conserve environment & improve socioeconomic conditions. Malawi * International Centre for Research in Agroforestry / World Agroforestry Centre

13. USA • Garden Mosaics: NSF funded project since 2001, using community gardens for science learning, inter-generational mentoring, multicultural understanding, community action. American Community Garden Association project since 2006. • Community gardens: community initiatives to create alternative sites for socialising & growing food plants.

14. Research Methods • Observations • Semi-structured interviews • Collection / photographic recording of learning support materials & activities • Journal • Correspondence • Collated in data log

15. Initial Findings & Impressions

16. South Africa Makana Public Primary School Umthathi project Dept of Health, Dept of Agriculture, Dept of Education (Health Promoting Schools) Eco-Schools School-community gardens Malawi ICRAF Chitedze Agricultural Research Station, Lilongwe ICRAF Makoka Agriculture Research Station, Zomba Malawi College of Forestry Thondwe Primary school St Anthony Girls school Thondwe Village Polytechnic Casa Perugia, Italy Mapanga CBO, Thyolo district Nangombe Secondary school Mozambique / Zimbabwe ICRAF Southern Africa Regional Programme (Caroline Jacquet de Haveskercke & Joyce Mitti) Zambia ICRAF, Chipata Manje Basic school, Chadiza Mwala Basic school, Chadiza South Africa, Malawi & Zambia The plot thickens!

17. South Africa, Malawi & Zambia • School community links • Knowledge & skills (a) Sources (b) Sharing • Support and resources • Environmental learning • Perceptions of agricultural activities • Evidence of action / change

18. 1. School community links • Fostered by positive interactions In the holidays, the parents are looking after this garden (Teacher, SA) The parents cook food at school for the children (Teachers, SA, Zam) The CBO pays school fees for some of the pupils who are orphans (Teacher, MW)

19. School community links • Impacted by negative interactions A parent’s cows are walking through the school garden (Teacher, Zam) People steal & vandalise (Teacher, SA) Some parents sell junk food at the school gates (Teacher, SA)

20. School community links • Not always fostered Community members won’t do volunteer teaching about cultural practices as they don’t get paid for it (Teacher, MW) Teachers and farmers make extra money through this paprika project but do not involve the learners(Teacher, MW)

21. 2a. Knowledge & skills - Sources • Outside expertise & community A Filipino taught us how to make organic plant growth hormones (Coordinator, MW) People recognise traditional fruits … it’s similar to agroforestry (Teacher, Zam) Uapaca kirkiana

22. Knowledge & skills – Sources • Outside expertise & community These old people who were cultivating pigeon peas together with maize, or growing Tephrosia candida – as a poison to catch fish – they didn’t know that they were already practicing agroforestry. They didn’t know they were doing something very important(Coordinator, MW)

23. 2b. Knowledge & skills - Sharing • Both ways between schools & communities In Zimbabwe, parents do agroforestry because children teach their parents (Coordinators, MW & Zam) My parents taught me about trees(Pupil, Zam)

24. Knowledge & skills – Sharing • Not shared, or delayed Not all children can to teach their parents, they are considered too young. Maybe only at 20 years will the parents take them seriously(Volunteer orphan care teacher, MW) My family has not learned yet about making fruits to juice. I’m planning to teach them(Pupil, MW)

25. 3. Support and resources • Access to opportunities and resources for education arelimited in some study sites in South Africa • More limited in study sites in Malawi & Zambia

26. Support and resources • Factors to consider The problem with donors is that they just give you what they think, without first finding out what you need (Coordinator, MW) People are used to handouts, they are clever with beautiful words, & sit down and wait for delivery. I don’t know where the delivery will come from if you do not start doing something for yourself!(Teacher, SA)

27. 4. Environmental learning • Linked to the curriculum Farmers of the Future aims to integrate agroforestry & natural resource management into basic education(Coordinator, MW) The only teachers who make curriculum links are those in Eco-Schools (Facilitator, SA) It sounds similar to the 4H programme in the USA (Coordinator, USA)

28. Environmental learning • Spontaneous For Health Promoting Schools, there is a general focus on environment, but it is not linked to the curriculum (Facilitator, SA) I only link food gardening to the curriculum so all students gain the knowledge (Teacher, SA)

29. Environmental learning • Uncertain The theme for the rally is “The sustainable use of wild birds, and HIV/AIDS awareness” (Coordinator, MW) It is important to retain some of the indigenous trees, but they cut them all down to make way for orange trees (Extensionist, Zam)

30. 5. Perceptions of agricultural activities • Beneficial The programme has business potential, we can generate extra income for the school (Teachers, SA, MW, Zam) To augment diet & strengthen the immune system(Teachers, SA, MW, Zam) We can have fruit products even when the fruit is out of season (Teacher, MW)

31. Perceptions of agricultural activities • Factors to consider The garden needs to be very productive, so that excess can be sold in order to buy other things (Teacher SA) Not all the children like to go to the food garden (Teacher, SA)

32. 6. Evidence of action / change • Success stories Farmer demonstrations work the best (Student, MW) We stopped buying maize about three years ago. We even provide maize to the orphan care now(Teacher, MW) For successful extension, we work with traditional chiefs (Student, MW)

33. Evidence of action / change • Intentions & possibilities We hope the School Governing Bodies will take responsibility for the gardens – so that they keep producing for the soup kitchens or for income generation (Coordinator, SA) After I have graduated, I’ll go back to my home and practice all this on my farm(Student, MW)

34. Where to now? What do I do? The world isn’t the same anymore … as I grow up. The environment needs us to make change, I want to make it happen(Pupil, Zam)

35. Concluding remarks Initial findings on agriculturally based school-community links in facilitating environmentallearning and action: • Links are fostered through sharing of knowledge and skills • Links are fostered through provision of support & resources • Adoption of beneficial agricultural practices is incentive driven • Can adoption of sustainable agricultural practices be linked to deeper environmental understanding? Economy Society ESD Environment

36. Ideas to explore • Can adoption of beneficial agricultural practices be linked to ethics? • Do school community links promote empowerment of youth & adults to make informed choices? • Can schools community links help align cultural patterns with ecologically sustainable practices? • Critical interrogation of links between environment, culture & education

37. Acknowledgements United States Agency for International Development & Borlaug LEAP Dr Marianne Krasny, USA project mentor Dr Festus Akinnifesi, Malawi CGIAR mentor Prof Pat Irwin, South Africa MEd supervisor

38. Thank you