The future farmers, policy makers, scientists, educators and development workers are pupils and students at schools, colleges and universities. The World Agroforestry Centre, through its Strengthening Institutions theme works with policy makers, education managers and educators to incorporate multi-disciplinary approaches to land management into curricula.

The ‘Farmers of the Future’ initiative integrates agroforestry and natural resources management into primary and secondary education. Putting the local context at the centre of teaching and learning improves the quality and relevance of education. Young people acquire useful knowledge and skills related to agroforestry and natural resources management, which enables them to act as catalysts for positive action in their communities.

Launched in 2001 by the World Agroforestry Centre, the project uses an innovative approach to integrate relevant education on food security and environmental sustainability into schools and surrounding communities within the frameworks of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) and the FAO/UNESCO Education for Rural People flagship. Activities include development of learning resources, training and research and policy influencing, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Agroforestry activities are being used as examples to make the school curriculum more relevant to local situations.

Since natural resources management issues are nested in an interdisciplinary mix of scientific, social, economic, political and cultural aspects, project activities blend a variety of perspectives. Partners include government ministries, NGOs, primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, research institutes, development agencies, international organizations and the private sector.

Improvement of learning resources
Schools often lack resources for teaching natural resource management. Farmers of the Future reviews existing materials, encourages the use of agroforestry and natural resources management to contextualize learning, and organizes participatory and innovative activities to develop learning materials suited to the needs of specific areas.

For example, in the Sahel, a manual on the introduction of agroforestry in schools was developed in participatory workshops with teachers and other interest groups. In Southern Africa, teaching and learning materials on farming with trees were developed in partnership with Action¹, a regional environmental and health magazine. In East Africa, Farmers of the Future contributed to the agroforestry and home gardening sections of a monthly education newspaper, The Young African Express.²

In Kenya, the project piloted an innovative new model in collaboration with ANAFE (African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education). In this initiative, a team of teachers and scientists developed examples on how agroforestry can be contextualized in the teaching of mathematics. Also in Kenya, Farmers of the Future contributed to the development of Eco-Schools learning materials on agriculture and biodiversity.

Agroforestry learning resource centres in schools allow inter-generational sharing of local and scientific knowledge.

The project has also worked with the Pan-African Conservation Education project to produce an educational film and accompanying teaching and learning materials for use in several countries.

Since 2006, 30 schools in Kenya and Malawi have gone a step further and established Agroforestry Learning Resource Centres. Students and visitors gather at these hubs to share knowledge and experiences through demonstration projects and information campaigns.

Learning resource centres
Schools choose the focus of their centres, establish and manage them, while the World Agroforestry Centre and partners provide technical support. Agroforestry technologies demonstrated include fodder shrubs, fruit production, processing and marketing, tree nurseries, fertilizer trees, mixed intercropping and woodlots.

Teachers interpret and deliver the curriculum, so teacher-training is a critical component of Farmers of the Future. Training workshops for primary and secondary teachers, lecturers from teacher training colleges and polytechnics, and education officials focus on educational methods, school-community links, health and nutrition, learning resource centres and field visits.

Research conducted on school-community linkages in natural resources management, the relevance of basic education, and agricultural education and training, has led to policy recommendations for governments and other stakeholders. Our research in Kenya, Mali and Zimbabwe showed that integrating agroforestry and natural resources management in school curricula strengthens links between schools and communities around them. Children practice new skills at home, convincing parents of the value of education and encouraging them to keep their children in school.

In Kenya, a recent study on the effects of Farmers of the Future on perceptions concluded that the approach led to positive attitudes towards natural resources management. It also showed that the initiative equally benefits female and male learners—as well as schools, which generate cash through the sale of agroforestry products.

In 2006 Farmers of the Future conducted research for the World Bank on the supply and demand of post-primary agricultural education and training in sub-Saharan Africa. The results were integrated into World Bank reports to be published in 2007. Policy recommendations have been made based on a continent-wide literature review and country case studies in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda.

Farmers of the Future approaches are set to be integrated into national programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. In West Africa, stakeholders want activities to cover all teacher training colleges in the region. However, research is still needed on content and modes of agricultural and environmental education and training needed. There is also a need for studies on how knowledge and skills are being taught, what is actually being learned as well as to what extent pupils and students are applying at home what they learn in school.

Farmers of the Future has been supported by various investors, including Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance (VVOB), UK Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission’s Poverty Reduction Effectiveness Programme (EC-PREP), the World Bank, Action for Nature, Earthwatch Institute and Volvo Adventure.

For more information contact:
Tom Vandenbosch: t.vandenbosch@cgiar.org