Education for rural = people to boost agricultural productivity in Latin America

Education for rural people to boost agricultural = productivity in=20 Latin America

FAO, UNESCO and other organizations join to fight=20 illiteracy

2 August 2004, Santiago de Chile/Rome -- An = international=20 campaign on education for rural people aims to improve = agricultural=20 productivity and reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty in = Latin=20 American, FAO announced today.

The campaign will be = launched=20 at a regional workshop on "Food Security and Education for = Rural=20 People" (3-5 August 2004) in Santiago de Chile. =

Organized by=20 FAO and UNESCO, the workshop also involves the = Inter-American=20 Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), the World = Bank and=20 the Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS).

The = FAO/UNESCO=20 education campaign for Latin America is part of the global = education=20 for rural people partnership initiative, led by FAO and = implemented=20 in collaboration with UNESCO and more than 100 partners, = including=20 NGOs and universities. It is a follow-up to the 2002 = Johannesburg=20 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Globally, 1 = billion=20 people are illiterate of which about 130 million are = children. Most=20 of them live in the less developed regions where the = majority of the=20 840 million of undernourished people are also concentrated.=20

The majority of the undernourished and illiterate = people in=20 Latin America live in rural areas, FAO said.

A = recent=20 regional study on education for rural people in Brazil, = Chile,=20 Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru will provide=20 background for discussion.

In Guatemala for example, = the=20 country with the highest percentage of rural population in = the=20 region, the adult age group (25-59 years) in urban areas had = an=20 average of 6.5 years of schooling in 1998 while the same age = group=20 in rural areas had only 1.9 years of school attendance.=20

"Expanding and improving education can be one of the = most=20 effective ways to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition.=20 Malnutrition rates decline with increased literacy, = especially=20 female literacy," FAO expert Lavinia Gasperini said.=20

Research shows that a farmer with four years of = elementary=20 education is almost 9 percent more productive than a farmer = with no=20 education. When inputs such as fertilizers, new seeds or = farm=20 machinery are available, the productivity increase rises to = 13=20 percent.

New policies

An increasing = number of=20 countries in Latin America are recognizing the importance of = education for rural people and are adopting policies to make = it more=20 accessible and relevant.

Almost half the rural = schools in=20 Colombia, for example, have adopted the "New School" model = (Escuela=20 Nueva). These are schools that emphasize participatory = learning and=20 employ a curriculum that combines the national core content = with=20 local modules relevant to the culture and needs of rural = people.=20

Communities and parents are actively engaged in the = schools.=20 Drop out rates are far lower and third grade scores in = Spanish and=20 mathematics are significantly higher than in traditional = schools.=20

In Mexico an education programme, Programa de = Education=20 Salud y Alimentacion (PROGRESA), provides cash transfers to = more=20 than 2.6 million poor rural families as long as they send = their=20 children to school.

The programme also provides = nutritional=20 supplements for infants and small children in participating=20 families. After its first three years in operation, = enrollment for=20 the critical transition year from primary to secondary = school=20 increased by 20 percent for girls and 10 percent for boys.=20

About 100 policy-makers and development planners = from=20 Ministries of Agriculture, Ministries of Education and Civil = Society=20 Organizations will attend the workshop.

Contact:
Pierre Antonios
Information = Officer=20
Pierre.antonios@fao.org
(+39) 06 570 53473

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Contact

Pierre Antonios
Information = Officer,=20 FAO
pierre.antonios@fao.org
(+= 39)=20 06 570=20 = 53473

Education for rural people to boost agricultural productivity in = Latin America

FAO, UNESCO and other organizations join to fight = illiteracy

2 August 2004, Santiago de Chile/Rome -- An = international campaign on education for rural people aims to improve = agricultural productivity and reduce hunger, malnutrition and poverty in = Latin American, FAO announced today. =0D
=0D
The campaign will = be launched at a regional workshop on "Food Security and Education = for Rural People" (3-5 August 2004) in Santiago de Chile. =0D
= =0D
Organized by FAO and UNESCO, the workshop also involves the = Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), the = World Bank and the Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS). =0D
= =0D
The FAO/UNESCO education campaign for Latin America is part of = the global education for rural people partnership initiative, led by FAO = and implemented in collaboration with UNESCO and more than 100 partners, = including NGOs and universities. It is a follow-up to the 2002 = Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. =0D
= =0D
Globally, 1 billion people are illiterate of which about 130 = million are children. Most of them live in the less developed regions = where the majority of the 840 million of undernourished people are also = concentrated. =0D
=0D
The majority of the undernourished and = illiterate people in Latin America live in rural areas, FAO said. = =0D
=0D
A recent regional study on education for rural people in = Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru will = provide background for discussion. =0D
=0D
In Guatemala for = example, the country with the highest percentage of rural population in = the region, the adult age group (25-59 years) in urban areas had an = average of 6.5 years of schooling in 1998 while the same age group in = rural areas had only 1.9 years of school attendance. =0D
= =0D
"Expanding and improving education can be one of the most = effective ways to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Malnutrition = rates decline with increased literacy, especially female literacy," = FAO expert Lavinia Gasperini said. =0D
=0D
Research shows that a = farmer with four years of elementary education is almost 9 percent more = productive than a farmer with no education. When inputs such as = fertilizers, new seeds or farm machinery are available, the productivity = increase rises to 13 percent. =0D
=0D
New policies = =0D
=0D
An increasing number of countries in Latin America are = recognizing the importance of education for rural people and are = adopting policies to make it more accessible and relevant. =0D
= =0D
Almost half the rural schools in Colombia, for example, have = adopted the "New School" model (Escuela Nueva). These are = schools that emphasize participatory learning and employ a curriculum = that combines the national core content with local modules relevant to = the culture and needs of rural people. =0D
=0D
Communities and = parents are actively engaged in the schools. Drop out rates are far = lower and third grade scores in Spanish and mathematics are = significantly higher than in traditional schools. =0D
=0D
In = Mexico an education programme, Programa de Education Salud y = Alimentacion (PROGRESA), provides cash transfers to more than 2.6 = million poor rural families as long as they send their children to = school. =0D
=0D
The programme also provides nutritional = supplements for infants and small children in participating families. = After its first three years in operation, enrollment for the critical = transition year from primary to secondary school increased by 20 percent = for girls and 10 percent for boys. =0D
=0D
About 100 = policy-makers and development planners from Ministries of Agriculture, = Ministries of Education and Civil Society Organizations will attend the = workshop.

Contact