Exploring agriculturally-based
environmental learning in
southern Africa
Nikki Köhly
Borlaug LEAP fellow
Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program
n.kohly@ru.ac.za
12 September 2006
304 Fernow Hall, Cornell University
3.30pm
Context of Study
Borlaug LEAP
funding
agriculturally
related research
sub-Saharan
Africa
Poverty,
hunger,
health,
environment
issues
Environmental
education
research
CGIAR mobilising
science research
to promote
sustainable
development
Environment & Social Justice
The mainstream environmental movement has not
sufficiently addressed the fact that social inequality
and imbalances of power are at the heart of
environmental degradation, resource
depletion, pollution and even overpopulation...
The environmental crisis cannot be
solved effectively without social justice.
(Bullard 1993, in Gruenewald, 2003)
Educational Context

The environmental crisis requires the transformation
of education and a corresponding alignment of
cultural patterns with the sustaining capacities of
natural ecological systems.
(Bowers, 1993; O'Sullivan, 1999; Orr, 1992 – in Gruenewald, 2003)

There is a close relationship between poverty, lack of
food, health and absence of education.
(Vandenbosch et al. 2002)
Environmental Education (EE)


EE recognises the relationship between
environmental issues, risks, human rights & social
justice.
EE a socio-ecological movement, embracing
ecological knowledge & understanding, total
people-environment relationships, ethics, politics,
culture, sociology & public participation in
decision-making.
(Irwin, 2002)
Education for Sustainable
Development (ESD)
ESD a strategy to
address social,
economic &
environmental issues
by empowering
youth & adults to
make informed
choices & promote
sustainability.
(IUCN 2003)
Information &
communication
technologies
Rural
transformation
Overcoming
poverty
Economy
Society
Cultural
diversity
Intercultural
understanding
& peace
ESD
Sustainable
production &
consumption
Human rights
Environment
Health
Framework for Research
Children in schools
losing contact with
community knowledge
(Shava 2000)
Economy
Society
School-community
links
EE/
ESD
Agriculture
Environmental
learning
& action
Environment
Most ESD programmes
contain important
elements of sustainable
agriculture (Vandenbosch et
al 2002)
Agriculturallybased activities
Research goals
Q: Exploring the role of agriculturally based
school-community links in facilitating
environmental learning and action.


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What fosters school community links
Perceptions of agriculturally-based activities
Sources of knowledge & expertise
Promotion of environmental learning
Relationship between agriculture and ESD
Research Methodology



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Holistic / pragmatic research
integrates observable
phenomena, behaviour & social
structures with intentionality &
cultural contexts
Qualitative data with empirical
base
Interpretive approach for
in-depth understanding
Emergent theory
What my
experience
s mean to
me…
My view…
Study Sites

USA

Malawi

South Africa
South Africa


Health Promoting Schools: government
initiative to promote healthy school
environment in collaboration with local
communities. Food garden requisite.
Eco-Schools: curriculum-linked FEE
programme to promote sustainable
environmental management at a local
level through schools. Since 1994.
UNEP support.
Malawi


Farmers of the Future: ICRAF* initiative
to incorporate agroforestry into school
curriculum & promote sustainable
agriculture in communities. Since 2002.
Community Based Organisation:
community initiative to adopt sustainable
agriculture, conserve environment &
improve socioeconomic conditions.
* International Centre for Research in Agroforestry /
World Agroforestry Centre
USA


Garden Mosaics: NSF funded project
since 2001, using community gardens
for science learning, inter-generational
mentoring, multicultural understanding,
community action. American Community
Garden Association project since 2006.
Community gardens: community
initiatives to create alternative sites for
socialising & growing food plants.
Research Methods
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Observations
Semi-structured interviews
Collection / photographic recording of
learning support materials & activities
Journal
Correspondence
Collated in data log
Initial Findings & Impressions
South Africa, Malawi & Zambia
The plot thickens!
South Africa

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Makana Public Primary School
Umthathi project
Dept of Health, Dept of Agriculture, Dept
of Education (Health Promoting Schools)
Eco-Schools
School-community gardens
Malawi

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ICRAF Chitedze Agricultural Research
Station, Lilongwe
ICRAF Makoka Agriculture Research
Station, Zomba
Malawi College of Forestry
Thondwe Primary school

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St Anthony Girls school
Thondwe Village Polytechnic
Casa Perugia, Italy
Mapanga CBO, Thyolo district
Nangombe Secondary school
Mozambique / Zimbabwe

ICRAF Southern Africa Regional
Programme (Caroline Jacquet de
Haveskercke & Joyce Mitti)
Zambia



ICRAF, Chipata
Manje Basic school, Chadiza
Mwala Basic school, Chadiza
South Africa, Malawi & Zambia
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
School community links
Knowledge & skills
(a) Sources
(b) Sharing
Support and resources
Environmental learning
Perceptions of agricultural activities
Evidence of action / change
1. School community links

Fostered by positive interactions
In the holidays, the parents
are looking after this garden
The parents cook food at
school for the children
(Teacher, SA)
(Teachers, SA, Zam)
The CBO pays school
fees for some of the
pupils who are orphans
(Teacher, MW)
School community links

Impacted by negative interactions
Some parents sell junk food at the
school gates (Teacher, SA)
People steal &
vandalise (Teacher, SA)
A parent’s cows are walking
through the school garden
(Teacher, Zam)
School community links

Not always fostered
Community members won’t do
volunteer teaching about cultural
practices as they don’t get paid for it
(Teacher, MW)
Teachers and farmers make extra money
through this paprika project but do not
involve the learners (Teacher, MW)
2a. Knowledge & skills - Sources

Outside expertise & community
A Filipino taught us how
to make organic plant
growth hormones
People recognise traditional
fruits … it’s similar to
agroforestry (Teacher, Zam)
(Coordinator, MW)
Uapaca kirkiana
Knowledge & skills – Sources

Outside expertise & community
These old people who
were cultivating pigeon
peas together with maize,
or growing Tephrosia
candida – as a poison to
catch fish – they didn’t
know that they were
already practicing
agroforestry. They didn’t
know they were doing
something very important
(Coordinator, MW)
2b. Knowledge & skills - Sharing

Both ways between schools & communities
In Zimbabwe, parents do
agroforestry because
children teach their parents
My parents
taught me about
trees (Pupil, Zam)
(Coordinators, MW & Zam)
Knowledge & skills – Sharing

Not shared, or delayed
My family has not learned yet
about making fruits to juice. I’m
planning to teach them (Pupil, MW)
Not all children can to teach their
parents, they are considered too
young. Maybe only at 20 years will
the parents take them seriously
(Volunteer orphan care teacher, MW)
3. Support and resources


Access to opportunities and resources for education
are limited in some study sites in South Africa
More limited in study sites in Malawi & Zambia
Support and resources

Factors to consider
People are used to
handouts, they are clever
with beautiful words, & sit
down and wait for delivery.
I don’t know where the
delivery will come from if
you do not start doing
something for yourself!
(Teacher, SA)
The problem with donors
is that they just give you
what they think, without
first finding out what you
need (Coordinator, MW)
4. Environmental learning

Linked to the curriculum
The only teachers
who make curriculum
links are those in
Eco-Schools (Facilitator,
SA)
Farmers of the Future
aims to integrate
agroforestry & natural
resource management
into basic education
(Coordinator, MW)
It sounds
similar to the
4H programme
in the USA
(Coordinator, USA)
Environmental learning

Spontaneous
For Health Promoting
Schools, there is a
general focus on
environment, but it is not
linked to the curriculum
(Facilitator, SA)
I only link food gardening to the
curriculum so all students gain
the knowledge (Teacher, SA)
Environmental learning

Uncertain
It is important to retain some of
the indigenous trees, but they
cut them all down to make way
for orange trees (Extensionist, Zam)
The theme for the rally is “The
sustainable use of wild birds,
and HIV/AIDS awareness”
(Coordinator, MW)
5. Perceptions of agricultural activities

Beneficial
The programme
has business
potential, we
can generate
extra income for
the school
To augment diet &
strengthen the
immune system
(Teachers, SA, MW, Zam)
(Teachers, SA, MW,
Zam)
We can have fruit
products even when
the fruit is out of
season (Teacher, MW)
Perceptions of agricultural activities

Factors to consider
The garden needs to be very
productive, so that excess can
be sold in order to buy other
things (Teacher SA)
Not all the
children like to
go to the food
garden (Teacher,
SA)
6. Evidence of action / change

Success stories
We stopped buying
maize about three years
ago. We even provide
maize to the orphan
care now (Teacher, MW)
Farmer demonstrations
work the best (Student, MW)
For successful
extension, we work
with traditional chiefs
(Student, MW)
Evidence of action / change

Intentions & possibilities
After I have graduated, I’ll
go back to my home and
practice all this on my farm
(Student, MW)
We hope the School
Governing Bodies will
take responsibility for
the gardens – so that
they keep producing
for the soup kitchens
or for income
generation (Coordinator,
SA)
Where to now?
What do I do? The
world isn’t the same
anymore … as I grow
up. The environment
needs us to make
change, I want to make
it happen (Pupil, Zam)
Concluding remarks
Initial findings on agriculturally based school-community
links in facilitating environmental learning and action:
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Links are fostered through sharing of
knowledge and skills
Links are fostered through provision of
support & resources
Adoption of beneficial agricultural
practices is incentive driven
Can adoption of sustainable
agricultural practices be linked to
deeper environmental understanding?
Economy
Society
ESD
Environment
Ideas to explore

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Can adoption of beneficial agricultural
practices be linked to ethics?
Do school community links promote
empowerment of youth & adults to
make informed choices?
Can schools community links help
align cultural patterns with ecologically
sustainable practices?
Critical interrogation of links between
environment, culture & education
Acknowledgements
United States Agency for International
Development & Borlaug LEAP
Dr Marianne Krasny, USA project mentor
Dr Festus Akinnifesi, Malawi CGIAR mentor
Prof Pat Irwin, South Africa MEd supervisor
Thank you