[Abate Bekele]

Dear Moderators,
There are, I believe, other equal significant aspects of the learning networks which we should consider in the developing counties. I am offering here my own observations linked to the learning networks that are subject to debate for an alternative agrarian discourse.
1.Organizing seminar: There is a need to organize regional and country level seminar to impart knowledge gained from international
symposiums, workshops and training on agricultural development issues. For instance, what I have learned from Innovation and Sustainable Development in Agriculture and Food (ISDA 2010) held in Montpelier, France from June 28-30, 2010 and what we learned from “Regional ASTI Training of Trainers Workshop held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from Oct. 26 - 30, 2009.
2.Organizing on- job training: There is a need to organize genuine on-job training for researchers, policymakers, subject matter specialists, extension workers, field workers and farmers on permanent basis. This may help to bring all key actors together.
3.Organizing professional platform: This platform may help to identify problems and to discuss on agricultural burning issues.
4.Selecting effective media-mix:   Employing such media increase knowledge and skill on Agricultural Science, technology and Innovation (ASTI):

• Radio + posters + publications (booklet, folders, etc
• Method demonstration + flash cards + model
• Slides + information folders + photograph
• Result demonstration + field trips +slides +booklet
• Television, teleconference, teletext, vidotext, microcomputers and electronic emails  (these work for developed society)
  

Some of the East Asian countries today started their development effort in the 1950s and took less than half a decade to lift
themselves out of economic backwardness and achieved prosperity. I may thus be worth asking ourselves here what has really changed in ACP countries over this time.
Regards








On 9/28/11, Yvette smith <yvettec...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> National News
>
> A two-day training for young journalists from Africa on parliamentry
> reporting has ended at the Pan-Africa Parliament Midran,South Africa.
>
> The training was organised by the Pan-African Parliament in partnership with
> Napad and GIZ.participants were drawn fron Sierra Leone,Chad,South
> Africa,Egypt,Tunnisia,Uganda and Sudan
>
> According to the Senior Communication Officer for the Pan-African
> Parliament,Khalid Dahab the pan African parliament  was established on March
> 18,2004 by article 17 of the cionstitutive Act of the African Union
> ---
>
> --
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--
Abate Bekele (PhD)
Senior Socio-Economic Researcher
Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center
P.O.Box 32,
Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

--
Abate Bekele (PhD)
Senior Socio-Economic Researcher
Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center
P.O.Box 32,
Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

[Kenneth Masuki]

Dear All

On the issue of learning network I think there are a number of those. I wish that people could share their experience on the issue of social learning. In my case we have using innovation platforms as a tool/approach for social learning. Innovation platform (IP) is organised in the set up of community of Practise (CoP). The IP brings together a cross section of stakeholders (farmers; Extension agents; researchers; development agents - NGOs, CSOs, CBOs, private sector etc; policy/decision makers and donors) in a forum that is designed to discuss, plan and implement issues collectively. This approach help to make all the stakeholders and especially the primary stakeholders i.e. farmers in the centre of discussing issues and solving problems they face on day to day basis. Coupled with this, we at African Highlands Initiative and ICRAF are working with different farmer groups in the highlands of Eastern Africa where by in Mount Elgon area in Uganda we have the innovation platforms and clusters (A cluster is like an IP but at lower level of governance). We also have some IPs in another project around lake Kivu area in Western Uganda, Eastern Congo and North Eastern Rwanda. These platforms are designed to facilitate social learning, adoption of technologies and build capacity of stakeholders in natural resource management (NRM). On the other hand there is another approach that we also advocate as a tool to mobilise local communities who have common problem to come together and think how they can solve their problems collectively. This is Landcare approach that started more than 20 years ago in Australia and now is spreading in other countries. Landcare also promotes social learning. We are implementing it in Uganda - Elgon areas and staring at Masaka, Kenya - Machakos, Tanzania - Korogwe district, we have recently started some activities in Rwanda. Landcare in Africa is so much developed in South Africa. So in Mount Elgon districts of Kapchorwa and Bukwo the IP I mentioned above they are Landcare based.

Regards

Ken

[siti amanah]

Dear Participants, Dear Moderators,

I am sorry for late comment, I've just arrived from remote areas.

The learning network was developed amongst cross sectoral actors in various development program in my country.  For example: in my current research for development program in the last few years,  together with my colleagues at the Bogor Agricultural University-Indonesia have initiated collaboration among cross sectors (academicians, government, business,  and community).  When we conducted capacity building program to support rural communities in enhancing their productivity as well as the quality of their products, at the first stage we strengthened the institutional aspects of the communities (eg. community managed program), and tried to change mindsets in terms of ‘creating value products and services’.  Each sector has learned each other, from the needs, challenges, opportunities to cooperate and networking.  The scale of the networks varied from local into international scales. 

 

The role of the extension and rural advisory services was very crucial in developing the networks, in information delivery, enhancing capacity of the rural community (i.e. in facilitating rural people to create innovative products and services), bridging between sectors involved,  education and training,  and institutionalizing.  The impact of the learning networks on agricultural and rural innovation processes was very high: strengthened cooperation among the sectors, increased competitiveness of the products and services, strengthened community organization as well as extension institution, and improved  households’ income.

 

From year 2009-2010, cyber extension has been introduced as an alternative learning network in the extension services in some areas in Indonesia.  Up to now, this model has been tested and assesed concerning its efficiency and effectiveness in delivery the services to community.  Cyber extension is not intended to replace face to face communication in extension and advisory services.  The challenges in the implementation of cyber extension are access to the internet connection is still limited in remote areas and also there are still  limted numbers of  farmers and extension workers familiar in using the media. Usually high level extension staffs and modern farmers have intensively use cyber media in their daily work.  Needs further supports (include infra structure) to use cyber media as an alternative for the extension and rural advisory services).

 

Policy and strategies in strengthening extension institution, competency of extension workers,  and rural advisory services  are needed to support lifelong learning by farmers and other key actors.  National forum, symposium, and congress have  been used to share  knowledges and experiences with policymakers, development actors, and extension practitioners.  The major knowledge gaps are capacity building of the farmers and extension workers in managing sustainable agriculture, extension in the era of decentralization, gender and development in extension and sustainable agriculture.  The agenda of  research for development in the area of extension and rural advisory services for sustainable agriculture (included the gender perspective on equity and equality).

Kind regards,

Siti Amanah
Bogor Agricultural University

Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

[Lategan, Francois]

Colleagues

 

Is this discussion group still open?

 

Kind regards

 

Francois

 

_________________________________

 

Prof F S Lategan

Associate Professor: Agricultural Economics and Extension

Faculty of Science and Agriculture

University of Fort Hare

Tel:  +27 40 602 2127

Fax: +27 86 628 2452

Mobile: +27 82 314 9083

The University of Fort Hare subscribes to an e-mail disclaimer. Please click on the following URL to read further: http://www.ufh.ac.za/?q=legal-notices

[EGAH Janvier]

I don't know

 

Cordialement,
Janvier EGAH
Ingénieur Agronome, socioéconomiste
Cel: 95 36 78 60/96 37 17 79/68 37 17 79
E-mail: egahj...@yahoo.fr

---

De : "Lategan, Francois" <FLat...@ufh.ac.za>
À : "extension-co...@googlegroups.com" <extension-co...@googlegroups.com>
Envoyé le : Mercredi 14 mars 2012 7h33
Objet : [post-extension-conference-2011] RE: [extension-conference-2011 / round 4]

[Joost Lieshout]

The Google groups functionality is still active.

Best regards,

Joost Lieshout