Transcript Enhancing Integrated Approaches in

Enhancing Integrated Approaches in
Agricultural Learning Systems
using experiences from agroforestry
August Temu, World Agroforestry Centre
Per Rudebjer, Bioversity International
Presented at: 2nd World Congress of Agroforestry
Nairobi, Kenya, 25 August 2009
Session 24: Integrating disciplines through agroforestry education
Integrated farming systems
Structurally
complex
Crops, animals,
trees, NTFPs
Off-farm work
Policy influence
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Market influence
Traditional
knowledge
Risk mitigation
Social &
institutional
factors
Intuitive sense of how to manage
integrated systems
Universities’ segregated
organization of knowledge
Agriculture
Veterinary
science
Fisheries
Animal science
Forestry
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Agricultural
technology
Natural sciences
Economics and
management
Human ecology
Reductionist learning systems
• Knowledge un-packed into bits and pieces
• 1st year: great number of un-connected,
small courses
• Synthesis courses towards the end of the
programme
• Employment in a segregated professional
system
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Mis-match between farming systems
and learning systems
Agroforestry science
tools and methods for integrated approaches
Participatory domestication
of fruit trees
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Enhancing integrated learning through
agroforestry
educational networks in Africa & SE Asia
• 200 universities and technical colleges
• Participatory curriculum design and review
• Training
· curriculum development
· social and technical areas of agroforestry
• Teaching and learning resources
• Research opportunities in international
context
• Networking & exchange of faculty and
students
• Policy advocacy for integration of disciplines
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Strategies for integration in curricula
1. Incremental inclusion in courses and
programmes
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Opportunistic inclusion in existing courses
New courses during curriculum review
Major in agroforestry, or full programme,
especially at MSc level
2. Agroforestry as alternative discipline
·
Agroforestry: new professional area
(Philippines)
3. Integration during institutional restructuring
·
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Mergers of faculties and departments
Lessons learned
• Changes taking place within existing
institutional structures
• Uneven, slow adoption of integrated
approaches
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Lessons learned
constraints to mainstreaming
External environment
• Rigid job markets and career pathways
• Policy restrictions
• Sectorized professional networks
Institutional structures and behaviour
• Disciplinary boundaries in faculties and
departments
• ‘Turf’ issues
• Conservatism and resistance to change
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Constraints to mainstreaming
Education and research processes
• Slow, rigid process for curriculum
change
• Segregated, reductionist research
programmes
· Focus on bio-physical sciences
· Lacking multi-disciplinary approach
• Few publication outlets for
integrated approaches to science
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Constraints to mainstreaming
Human capacity
• Low competence in ‘soft’ sciences
among bio-physical faculty & vice
versa
• Limited acquaintance with
integrated tools and methods for
research and teaching
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Lessons learned
Success factors
• Visionary goals
• Consistent, long-term effort
• Using opportunities within on-going
courses
· ‘back-door’ approach to curriculum change
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Timing with regular curriculum review
Champions
Trained faculty & leaders
Participation of stakeholders
Align with national policy framework
Drivers of global change
how will universities respond?
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DRIVER
INTEGRATED
RESPONSES
SEGREGATED
RESPONSES
Increased
food
production
 agroforestry food
 high-yielding
modern crop varieties
& high-input systems
Enhancing
nutrition
 more diverse food
and agriculture
systems
 genetically
enhanced commodity
crops
Biofuels
 mixing biofuel crops
into farming systems
 monoculture biofuel
crops
DRIVER
INTEGRATED
RESPONSES
SEGREGATED
RESPONSES
Markets for
agriculture
products
 novel crops &
neglected and
underutilized species
 clearing forests
for crop cultivation
or pasture
 high-quality crops
(e.g. speciality coffee,
cacao)
Biodiversity
conservation
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 landscape approach
• separate
conservation and
production
DRIVER
INTEGRATED
RESPONSES
SEGREGATED
RESPONSES
Adaptation to
climate
change
 agriculture for resilience
and risk mitigation
 promoting a few
resilient / genetically
modified crop
varieties
 using inter- and intraspecific diversity in crops
and trees
 better land management,
in watersheds & riparian
zones
Climate
change
mitigation
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 carbon storage in
agroforestry systems
 REDD
 monoculture tree
plantations under the
Clean Development
Mechanism
Actions required
universities
• Address complex, integrated systems in
curricula
• Teach innovation systems approaches
• Participatory problem-solving as a learning
tool
• Dealing with both depth and width of
problems, e.g. drivers of global change
• Discuss trade-offs and feedback mechanisms
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Actions required
policies
• Acknowledge integrated knowledge and
skills
• Review institutional structures and
processes to facilitate multi-disciplinary
problem solving
• Create incentives for integrated approaches
· Recognize and reward biodiverse, complex
farming systems
· Role of agroforestry and agricultural biodiversity in
adaptation to climate change
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Responses to global challenges?
Segregated
solutions
Integrated
solutions
Education for sustainable
agricultural development
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Thank you!
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