Role of agricultural colleges and higher education institutions to promote nutrition sensitive agriculture
Agricultural colleges play an important role in promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture through several mechanisms. Institutions of higher education provide a key entry point where nutrition-sensitive agriculture can be incorporated into curricula and into the training of agronomists and agricultural extension agents. Agricultural colleges are critical to not only building capacity but also designing programs that incorporate nutrition interventions tailored to goals and outcomes. These institutions are able to support nutrition-sensitive approaches through the training of agricultural extension agents and instilling competencies in both nutrition and agronomy. Agricultural colleges are also critical institutions whereby nutrition-sensitive agricultural approaches can be integrated into multiple programs and disciplines and facilitate collaborative, cross-disciplinary research and projects.
Universities have the capacity to support innovative nutrition-sensitive agriculture through robust evaluations of the efficacy of these programs in supporting household nutrition aims and policies. Institutions of higher education are also capable of promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture through policy-relevant research, dissemination of results, and rigorous impact evaluations.
Universities are a key factor in the continuation of knowledge acquisition - both technical and theoretical - enabling nutrition-sensitive agriculture to be incorporated into existing extension systems and agricultural policies. Agricultural colleges are central to the training and capacity building of practitioners and academics including agronomists, nutritionists, and economists creating a cadre of experts adept at linking nutrition aims to agricultural practices. University graduates pursuing education in agricultural extension are able to close the gap between agronomists and nutritionists. Universities are able to produce the next generation of experts with the skills and knowledge to design, implement, and monitor projects that incorporate nutrition-sensitive approaches and perspectives.
In Tanzania, a number of projects are underway and involve universities as critical stakeholders in achieving nutrition-sensitive agriculture programs. At the Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), a USAID funded partnership of American, Tanzanian, and Africa-wide institutions, emphasis is placed on strengthening the training, collaborative research, and extension capacities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the Tanzanian National Agricultural Research System. By investing in human capacity in the agricultural sciences, the project aims to improve Tanzania’s ability to produce the leaders, researchers, and applied scientists it needs to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty.
Through investment in higher education in agricultural science and technology, the human capital needed to implement, support, and rigorously monitor and evaluate nutrition-sensitive agriculture can be achieved. With strengthened human capacity in these areas, agricultural colleges are able to integrate nutrition into the curriculum of agriculture extension teams and more effectively link agriculture and nutrition goals.
Role of agricultural colleges and higher education institutions to promote nutrition sensitive agriculture
Agricultural colleges play an important role in promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture through several mechanisms. Institutions of higher education provide a key entry point where nutrition-sensitive agriculture can be incorporated into curricula and into the training of agronomists and agricultural extension agents. Agricultural colleges are critical to not only building capacity but also designing programs that incorporate nutrition interventions tailored to goals and outcomes. These institutions are able to support nutrition-sensitive approaches through the training of agricultural extension agents and instilling competencies in both nutrition and agronomy. Agricultural colleges are also critical institutions whereby nutrition-sensitive agricultural approaches can be integrated into multiple programs and disciplines and facilitate collaborative, cross-disciplinary research and projects.
Universities have the capacity to support innovative nutrition-sensitive agriculture through robust evaluations of the efficacy of these programs in supporting household nutrition aims and policies. Institutions of higher education are also capable of promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture through policy-relevant research, dissemination of results, and rigorous impact evaluations.
Universities are a key factor in the continuation of knowledge acquisition - both technical and theoretical - enabling nutrition-sensitive agriculture to be incorporated into existing extension systems and agricultural policies. Agricultural colleges are central to the training and capacity building of practitioners and academics including agronomists, nutritionists, and economists creating a cadre of experts adept at linking nutrition aims to agricultural practices. University graduates pursuing education in agricultural extension are able to close the gap between agronomists and nutritionists. Universities are able to produce the next generation of experts with the skills and knowledge to design, implement, and monitor projects that incorporate nutrition-sensitive approaches and perspectives.
In Tanzania, a number of projects are underway and involve universities as critical stakeholders in achieving nutrition-sensitive agriculture programs. At the Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), a USAID funded partnership of American, Tanzanian, and Africa-wide institutions, emphasis is placed on strengthening the training, collaborative research, and extension capacities of Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and the Tanzanian National Agricultural Research System. By investing in human capacity in the agricultural sciences, the project aims to improve Tanzania’s ability to produce the leaders, researchers, and applied scientists it needs to achieve sustainable food security and reduce poverty.
Through investment in higher education in agricultural science and technology, the human capital needed to implement, support, and rigorously monitor and evaluate nutrition-sensitive agriculture can be achieved. With strengthened human capacity in these areas, agricultural colleges are able to integrate nutrition into the curriculum of agriculture extension teams and more effectively link agriculture and nutrition goals.