AN ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURE SKILLS GAPS -The Case of Zambia – Nelly Nyirenda

1. AN ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURE SKILLS GAPS -The Case of Zambia – Nelly Nyirenda REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE -MALAWI & ZAMBIA HELP A CHILD TVET AVET CONFERENCE KAMPALA, UGANDA 03RD TO 5TH OCTOBER, 2012

2. CONTENT OF PRESENTATION • Current Situation • Agriculture Training in Zambia • Skill Gaps in Agriculture Training • Challenges in Agriculture in General • Recommendations • Role of Stakeholders • Conclusion

3. CURRENT SITUATION • The current agricultural policy (2005-2015) recognizes that achievement of agricultural education and training targets requires strengthening of both formal and non-formal education modes because the formal education system alone cannot meet national training needs. • The Government has expressed a strong political will to support open and distance learning (ODL) through education policies that recognize ODL as a complementary mode of education, and an information and communications technology (ICT) policy that seeks to integrate ICT in agricultural education and training.

4. CURRENT SITUATION Agricultural reforms in Zambia have created an enormous need to develop and re-train human resources to meet diverse needs of the agricultural sector. Unfortunately, a predominantly traditional formal educational system cannot meet the human resource needs of a dynamic social and economic development system. Similarly, agricultural education and training has traditionally depended mainly on formal training delivery systems, which have limited capacity to cope with the increasing training needs of sub-sectors in the industry Even with an influx of donor funding, Zambia cannot meet training needs of the changing agricultural landscape using the traditional educational and training methods.

5. Levels of Agriculture Training in Zambia • Formal University and College Education in Agriculture • Continuing Professional Agriculture Training in Zambia • Life-long Learning for Framing Communities • Agriculture training for Primary and Secondary education

6. SKILL GAPS • The agriculture staff are not re-trained to meet the new production techniques. Some staff received training five to even more than ten years ago but new production methods have evolved over the years and these officers are out-dated. As a result out-dated methods are still being applied especially by small farmers

7. SKILL GAPS CONTINUED • New livestock production methods and management are not known to the veterinary staff and farmers at large, hence the animal population has reduced to the lowest levels in many areas of the country.

8. SKILL GAPS CONTNUED • Extension Officers not trained in agriculture as a business; • Where entrepreneurship is taught, it is theoretical; • Inadequate skills in Post Harvest Handling; • No training for new varieties which demand continuous training; • Orientation still towards maize , no proper skill on other cash crops; • Inadequate skills to deal with diseases in animals and plants;

9. SKILLS GAPS CONTINUED • Agriculture training Curricula` does not include small holder farmers but commercial farmers; • Link between research branch and Extension officers is poor; • Indigenous Knowledge is not tapped into and promoted -e.g. How to manage Finger Millet, Sorghum etc. • Agro processing • Training does not prepare trainees for signing of International treaties

10. SKILLS GAPS • Most University Students go into research at Mt Makulu • Land management skills lacking

11. CHALLENGES • The agriculture sector is biased towards promoting maize products at the expense of other crops and livestock. • The agriculture sector is politicised, Technocrats are not respected to • use their skill as expected. • Zambia not allowed to do any research on GMOs –No equipment, Knowledge and capacity to address GMOs

12. CHALLENGES CONTINUED • Students not motivated to study agriculture ( Very few women) • Zambian agriculture sector do not plan what to produce at what period.

13. CHALLENGES CONTINUED • The market component has a lot of gaps; there is no match between production and market of crops. E.g. maize is bought at K65, 000.00 ($13) per 50kg bag from the farmers and sold at K45, 000.00 ($9)to the millers, other countries and the public.

14. CHALLENGES CONTINUED • Agriculture taught as a theoretical subject in Primary and Secondary schools • More educated far from farmer , Less educated close to farmer • Good number of skilled workers taken away from Ministries ( NGO Heads) • Technology transfer is compromised by the agriculture staff (agriculture extension officers). They do not pass the correct information and training to farmers.

15. RECCOMENDATIONS • Need to increase access by developing distance learning programmes in agriculture • Promote ICT . Develop agricultural research, education and extension sub-sectors which greatly depend on sound ICT and distance educational policies. • Improve demand-responsiveness of TVET/AVET • Improve quality of TVET/AVET • Improve access to TVET/AVET • Provide increased learning opportunities

16. RECCOMENDATIONS CONTD Use of Short and customer-focused courses should be promoted; Application of Flexible curricula; Place Emphasis on practical Entrepreneurial and Business skills; Training must relate to “what people do” and not “what training providers offer”;

17. Roles of Stakeholders

18. CONCLUSIONS There are a lot of Skill Gaps in agriculture, there is therefore need to come up with ways of bridging the gaps in order to develop a lucrative and robust agriculture sector in Zambia.

19. END Thank You