FAO trains 29 master trainers in participatory extension methodologies
16 October 2021, Gúruè (Zambézia) – After 90 days in Gúruè, between a class room and a field, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Saturday (16.10.) concluded a training of 29 master trainers in participatory extension methodologies. Technicians from FAO as well as partner and higher agricultural education institutions attended the training and will now promote a sustainable food security, nutrition and market-oriented agriculture on a consolidated and even more informed basis.
FAO Participatory Extension Specialist within PROMOVE Agribiz project and training facilitator Máximo Ochoa recognizes "the trust placed by the partners in FAO by allowing their staff to be absent for 3 months to attend the training in order to develop their capacities and knowledge of participatory extension". Such trust, Ochoa continues, was reflected by the participation on Friday (15.10.) of all heads and directors of these institutions in the closing ceremony and graduation of the new master trainers. "Their presence is a recognition of the importance of this training and strengthens our commitment to boost our partnerships so that we can complement each other in the promotion of sustainable agriculture".
The training was one of FAO activities within PROMOVE Agribiz project, which is co-financed by the European Union (EU), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and FAO, and co-implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, FAO, the Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) of the World Bank, and the National Sustainable Development Fund (FNDS).
Even though Professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of Eduardo Mondlane University and one of the training participants Bruno Lopes de Araújo was already an expert in topics such as rural financing, analysis and evaluation of agricultural projects, as well as agribusiness management before, the training brought practical aspects to light, which improve interaction with farmers: "I learned that the best way to identify problems and solutions is by using a participatory approach in direct consultation and evaluation with the communities. This is the only way that results can be both practical and applicable and it is also the only way for farmers to develop a sense of ownership of new techniques and practices".
The three-month training focused on subjects like participatory extension approach, soil, water, and natural resource management, seeds systems, climate change adaptation, production systems like polyculture, integrated pest management, harvest, post-harvest, and production conservation, livestock, food security, nutrition, and food safety, organization of farmers, gender, e-voucher, and agribusiness.
Agricultural Engineer at the Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM) Nancy Sandoca, another trainee, now hopes to "implement the techniques and practices of conservation agriculture with a focus on polyculture and the use of seeds of improved varieties in the experiential fields of IIAM".
PROMOVE Agribiz aims at contributing to an increase in smallholders´ food security and resilience, creating jobs and a basis for inclusive economic growth, while stimulating rural competitiveness in the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia. It is one of a set of programmes financed by the European Development Fund (EDF) as part of a comprehensive approach to rural development in both provinces.
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evaluation of agricultural projects, as well as agribusiness management before, the training brought practical aspects to light, which improve interaction with farmers: “I learned that the best way to identify problems and solutions is by using a participatory approach in direct consultation and evaluation with the communities. This is the only way that results can be both practical and applicable and it is also the only way for farmers to develop a sense of ownership of new techniques and practices”.
The three-month training focused on subjects like participatory extension approach, soil, water, and natural resource management, seeds systems, climate change adaptation, production systems like polyculture, integrated pest management, harvest, post-harvest, and production conservation, livestock, food security, nutrition, and food safety, organization of farmers, gender, e-voucher, and agribusiness.
Agricultural Engineer at the Mozambique Institute of Agricultural Research (IIAM) Nancy Sandoca, another trainee, now hopes to “implement the techniques and practices of conservation agriculture with a focus on polyculture and the use of seeds of improved varieties in the experiential fields of IIAM”.
PROMOVE Agribiz aims at contributing to an increase in smallholders´ food security and resilience, creating jobs and a basis for inclusive economic growth, while stimulating rural competitiveness in the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia. It is one of a set of programmes financed by the European Development Fund (EDF) as part of a comprehensive approach to rural development in both provinces. |