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A Global Perspective on Agricultural Skills Development. David Acker College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Iowa State University, USA. October 4, 2012. Presentation Order. A: 6 g lobal m ega trends B: Link: Learning and food s ecurity C: 9 c urrent c hallenges of rural AVET/SD
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A Global Perspective on Agricultural Skills Development David Acker College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Iowa State University, USA October 4, 2012
Presentation Order A: 6 global mega trends B: Link: Learning and food security C: 9 current challenges of rural AVET/SD D: Opportunities for AVET/SD E: Supply side: Example of good practice F: 10 questions we need to address
My Background • Taught at AVET institutions in Greece and Tanzania for 8 years • Professor of agricultural education 24 years • Ph.D. in Vocational Education • education that prepares trainees for jobs
AVET / SD ?? Agricultural Vocational Education & Training Skills Development
A 6 Global Mega Trends Impacting Agriculture Sustainability
Factor # 1 PopulationGrowth Today: 7,041,455,295 2025: 8,000,000,000
Factor # 2Demand for Food Today: 1 billion hungry 2025: Demand will double
Food and Fuel • Will energy demand compete with our ability to produce enough food?
Climate Change • 1 billion people at risk of increased water stress
Factor # 6Political Stability • Never been a famine in a democracy • Politically destabilizing food price spikes could come at any time
B Link: Learning and Food Security
Education for Rural People The role of Education, Training and Capacity Building in Poverty Reduction and Food Security Co-Authored with Dr. LaviniaGasperini, FAO
AVET/SD Contributes to MDGs Especially: • MDG 1: Eradicating extreme poverty & hunger • MDG 2: Education for all • MDG 3: Gender equity, empowering women • MDG 7: Ensuring environmental sustainability
Most of us believe we need to invest in education: Prerequisite to reducing poverty, increasing food security, growing rural jobs
What research supports this belief? “Rural primary education was by far the best predictor of rural food security.” de Muro & Burchi, 2007
Agricultural Efficiency • 4 years of education contributing, on average, an 8.7 %productivity gain over those with no formal education Carnoy, 1992
C 9 Current Challenges of AVET/SD in Rural Areas
Urban Bias Challenge # 1 70% of the world’s poor live in rural areas Public expenditures favor urban populations
Access to AVET/SD Challenge # 2 • Obstacles: • Fees • Transport/Distance to school or training site • Government and donor funding
Quality of AVET/SD Quality depends on: relevance facilities trainers materials evaluation leadership curriculum community links Challenge # 3
More than Farming Rural Space: Farming Ag-related businesses Transport Telecom Trading Construction Water Challenge # 4
Constrained information flow reduces efficiency of the training–to–employment continuum Challenge # 5 Weak Market Signals • Enabling Environment: • Government policies that favor economic development • Access to capital • Needed: • Job specific technical skills • Generic life skills • Socialization • Empowerment/Confidence • Entrepreneurship • Basic Citizenship • Numeracy • Key Ingredients: • Employer needs • Job info available • Job placement • Employer/applicant contact
Gender Responsive Learning Environments Girl/women friendly schools, training centers Safe accommodations for girls/women Flexible timetables Take-home food for girls Challenge # 6
Accommodating Non-traditional Learners refugees and displaced persons people in inaccessible, remote areas nomadic and pastoral communities out-of-school youth disabled persons ethnic minorities retired child soldiers working children Challenge # 7
Recruitment and Retention of AVET/SD Staff in Rural Areas Challenge # 8
Effective Pro-Rural Policies Motivating major changes in policy and resource allocation to favor rural citizens Challenge # 9
D Opportunities for AVET/SD
Emerging Opportunities for AVET ICT: Digital/mobile devices
ICT – Online Video Resources (100+ Online Units) “Identify and mark livestock” (India): “Paddy seedling transplantation” “How to milk a cow by hand”
Double food production To achieve sustainable food security we must: • double the quantity of food produced • do so in a doubly green manner • Green technologies • Opening new lands to production • Sustainable intensification on existing land
Doubly Green Revolution • Conservation agriculture • Agroforestry – Trees for Food Security • Integrated pest management • Urban farming • Reduce harmful chemicals • Alternative fuels for farm equipment
How can we help rural people respond to these opportunities? • Rural people are involved in agriculture + more • Skills development programs must respond to agricultural opportunities, as well as other employment options in the rural space.
Demand-based skills development for farm and non-farm enterprises • Need to make farming more productive, profitable, sustainable, resilient • Technical job skills • Life Skills • Ability to analyze • Ability to contextualize Heinemann (2011)
Enterprise training, particularly for women • “Integrating agricultural training with enterprise training can help women smallholders to manage and market their farm production more effectively. “ (Collet and Gail, 2009)
E Supply SideCase Example of Good Practice: Primary Schools Engaged in AVET/SD
Primary Schools - Shortcomings • Attitudes • Manual labor on school farms used as punishment • Agriculture is the occupation of last resort
Primary School: Short Comings • Curriculum • Nationally standardized curricula focuses on those students who are expected to continue their education at the secondary school level • Lack of agriculture in curriculum • Lack of practical agriculture skills
Primary Schools - Shortcomings • “Pressure to achieve Universal Primary Education goals regardless of its practical meaning for rural communities.” Source: FAO Workshop on Education for Rural People, Addis Ababa
Primary School - Shortcomings • “Education alienates young people from agriculture: school leavers desire white collar jobs; can end up back home with nothing.” Source: FAO Workshop on Education for Rural People, Addis Ababa
Future Farmers and Leaders • Primary school students are future farmers and future rural community leaders • This is a key audience to reach early
UGANDAVEDCOMakerere University Iowa State University Good Practice: • Agriculture is part of national primary school curriculum in Uganda • Enhancement: School gardening program teaches: • Agriculture skills • Nutrition skills • Small business skills
Uganda School Gardens • Students eat the garden produce • University students & professors as role models • Lends new prestige to agriculture careers
Agriculture Skills Development • Agriculture in the classroom and field • Learning in science, economics, management, technology, responsibility