LEARNING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR AGRICULTURE TO IMPROVE RURAL - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

LEARNING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR AGRICULTURE TO IMPROVE RURAL LIVELIHOODS PRESEN TA TIO N O F SY N THESIS REPO RT

‘WORKING IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR MAKES ME HAPPY BECAUSE I CAN MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND HAVE A LOT OF FUN’ ( YOUNG WOMAN IN POPIS, CAMBODIA ) • Diminishing a c c e ss to pro duc tive la nd a nd o the r na tura l re so urc e s • Stro ng linka g e s b e twe e n o n- a nd o ff-fa rm e mplo yme nt • Cha ng ing va lue s a nd life style s influe nc ing a ttitude s to wa rds fa mily fa rming • Gre a te r a c c e ss to sc ho o ling b ut re a l o b sta c le s fo r the po o re st yo ung pe o ple

‘I WISH I OWN EVEN ONE QARAT. I WOULD BE IN HEAVEN AND FILL THE HOUSE WITH ITS FOOD AND BLESSINGS’ (YOUNG WOMAN IN GEMI, EGYPT) • F a rming a s a ‘ g ive n’ a mo ng st o the r live liho o ds whic h yo ung pe o ple a lso e ng a g e d in • L o o king fo r a se c ure inc o me , b ut mo ne y wa s no t the o nly c o nside ra tio n (so c ia l e nviro nme nt, se nse o f fulfilme nt, inde pe nde nc e ) • L a c k o f a c c e ss to la nd a nd suppo rtive infra struc ture to impro ve a g ric ultura l live liho o ds • Se nse tha t tra ditio na l pra c tic e s/ indig e no us kno wle dg e we re no t e no ug h to susta in live liho o ds

‘ LEARNING AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS IS NOT A QUESTION OF CHOICE, WE LEARNED IT BECAUSE IT IS A WAY OF LIFE, WHERE WE ARE BORN FROM’ (YOUNG PERSON, BASONA, ETHIOPIA) • I mpo rta nc e o f inte rg e ne ra tio na l tra nsfe r o f te c hnic a l a g ric ultura l kno wle dg e a nd so ft skills • Ac c ide nta l ve rsus inte ntio na l info rma l le a rning • I nfo rma l le a rning wa s mo st e ffe c tive whe n pe o ple sa w stro ng b e ne fits (c e ll pho ne s, E uc a lyptus) & de ve lo pe d the ir o wn stra te g ie s • I nfo rma l le a rning fille d g a ps whe re no fo rma l e xte nsio n se rvic e s we re a va ila b le

‘A SCHOOLED FOOLISH PERSON IS BETTER THAN AN UNSCHOOLED CLEVER PERSON’ (YOUNG MAN IN YABELLO, ETHIOPIA) • Yo ung pe o ple ha d stro ng de sire fo r fo rma l e duc a tio n a s o ffe ring e c o no mic re turns a nd so c ia l sta tus • Sc ho o l a s a thre a t: to tra ditio na l live liho o ds a nd fina nc ia l b urde n/ lo ss o f la b o ur fro m within the fa mily • Sc ho o l wa s a sso c ia te d with a ne w wa y o f life ra the r tha n a g ric ultura l live liho o ds

‘FARMERS UNDER 40 YEARS ARE YOUNG, DYNAMIC AND LESS RESISTANT TO NEW TECHNIQUES’ (CONTRACT FARMING EMPLOYER, CAMBODIA) • E xc lusio n fro m NGO, Go ve rnme nt a nd priva te skills de ve lo pme nt pro g ra mme s due to pre c o nditio ns a ro und la nd o wne rship, lite ra c y, e duc a tio na l le ve l • One -size -fits-a ll a ppro a c he s to func tio na l a dult lite ra c y (in te rms o f vo c a tio na l skills a nd pro g ra mme struc ture s) • L a c k o f re c o g nitio n o f dive rsity a mo ng st yo ung pe o ple a s a ta rg e t g ro up, a nd c o nstra ints fa c e d b y po o re st yo uth

‘THESE CRAFTS ARE NOT IMPORTANT IN OUR POOR VILLAGE: THESE SKILLS ARE DESIRED IN PLACES LIKE CAIRO’ (YOUNG MAN, GEMI) • T e c hnic a l/ o c c upa tio na l skill de ve lo pme nt prio ritise d o ve r so ft skills in fo rma l institutio ns a nd no n-fo rma l pro g ra mme s (inc luding a g ric ultura l e xte nsio n) • F o c us o n te c hnic a l kno wle dg e in T V a nd ra dio pro g ra mme s • I ndig e no us kno wle dg e , skills a nd pra c tic e s ra re ly re c o g nise d o r b uilt o n in e duc a tio na l pro g ra mme s

‘THERE ARE NOT CLEARLY DEFINED MECHANISMS OF ENSURING WHETHER THE DEMONSTRATED METHODS ARE GETTING THROUGH TO THE MAJORITY OF FARMERS THROUGH THE MODEL FARMERS’ (EXTENSION WORKER, ETHIOPIA) • E mb e dde d le a rning o f lite ra c y/ nume ra c y, o n- the -jo b tra ining a nd c lie nt-re spo nsive a ppro a c he s we re mo st e ffe c tive (priva te se c to r/ NGOs) • One -to -o ne individua lise d suppo rt pre fe rre d to the ‘ c a sc a de ’ de mo nstra tio n mo de l o f e xte nsio n • Stro ng ne e d fo r o the r suppo rt a lo ng side tra ining • Pro vide rs e mpha sise d g ro up le a rning fo r susta ina b ility b ut this wa s so me time s pro b le ma tic

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND FUTURE RESEARCH TO ENHANCE YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIVELIHOODS IN RURAL AREAS • Yo ung pe o ple ’ s mo re c o mple x vie ws o f the re la tio nship b e twe e n le a rning , sc ho o ling a nd fa rming c ha lle ng e the c urre nt na rro w fo c us within the E duc a tio n F o r All a g e nda • T he va lue a nd e xte nt o f info rma l le a rning in rura l c o mmunitie s ne e ds to b e re c o g nise d in a g ric ultura l de ve lo pme nt a nd a dult le a rning pro g ra mme s. • Po lic y a nd pro g ra mme s ne e d to prio ritise de ve lo pme nt o f tra nsfe ra b le skills, inc luding ‘ g re e n’ skills, fo r life lo ng le a rning . • I nte r-se c to ra l linka g e s a re e sse ntia l in de ve lo ping inte g ra te d (ra the r tha n c o mple me nta ry) a ppro a c he s to le a rning a nd the ne c e ssa ry suppo rt in a dditio n to tra ining