The challenge of HIV/AIDS: Where does agroforestry fit in? - World ...

144World Agroforestry into the Futureland use. Agroforestry practices seemedto provide viable solutions. Governments,non-governmental organizations (NGOs)and multilateral organizations also tookan increasing interest in agroforestrydevelopment. Support from the policylevel increased, but human capacity wasneeded to implement such programmes.Partnerships with like-minded projects andorganizations emerged, including linkswith social and community forestry effortsand sustainable agriculture.Agroforestry network development tooka major step forward when the SwedishAgency for International DevelopmentCooperation (Sida) offered its support and,in 1993, the African Network for AgroforestryEducation (ANAFE) was established.This network now has123 member collegesand universities in 34 African countriesand is organized into four regional subnetworks,some of which include nationalsub-networks. The Southeast Asian Networkfor Agroforestry Education (SEAN-AFE) was established in 1999. There are76 member colleges and universities infive national sub-networks (Indonesia, LaoPeople’s Democratic Republic [PDR], thePhilippines, Thailand and Vietnam).Latin American countries are also followingsuit and a planning workshop for a LatinAmerican agroforestry network was held in2002.Membership, managementand activitiesThe networks link institutions rather thanindividuals. Membership is free. In Africa,any relevant institution may apply formembership. In Southeast Asia, given thepotentially very large number of institutionsin some countries, membership is basedon invitation as advised by the NationalAgroforestry Education Committee in eachcountry.Ownership by the members is securedthrough elected network leadership atregional, sub-regional (Africa) and national(Southeast Asia) levels. The members showcommitment through sharing the costs ofnetwork administration and meetings.The medium- to long-term direction andstrategies are discussed at regular meetings.The network coordination/facilitationunits are located at the Word AgroforestryCentre offices in Nairobi (Kenya) and Bogor(Indonesia), where they benefit from thelatest advances in agroforestry research.The networks conduct similar types ofactivities, with variations depending onnational and sub-regional needs. The keyactivities are:• curriculum review (using participatoryapproaches) and publication of guidelinesfor such reviews (e.g. Temu et al.1995; Rudebjer et al. 2001);• training-of-trainers in agroforestry theoryand teaching methods;• preparing, developing, translating andadapting teaching materials;• supporting graduate thesis research inagroforestry;• linking the networks to the regionalagroforestry research agenda;• pooling of resources and exchange ofstaff and experiences between institutionsin the networks (where ‘stronger’institutions assist ‘weaker’ ones);• providing information on network outputsand activities through publications,newsletters and websites; and• inviting policy makers to key events.AchievementsSEANAFE and ANAFE have already becomepowerful mechanisms for managing knowledgeand communicating and sharing experiencesin agroforestry among educationalinstitutions through their publications, newsletters,websites and databases. They arethe largest working networks of educatorsin Africa and Southeast Asia and are recognizedinternationally – being regional hubsfor the International Partnership on ForestryEducation (IPFE), an initiative launched atthe World Forestry Congress in 2003. IPFE,with initial support from the World Bank,aims to strengthen university-level educationabout forests and forestry worldwide,by facilitating and supporting collaboration.The efficiency and relevance of the networksis enhanced by their regional and nationalsub-networks, which encourage localsolutions to local problems. The networksform a platform for multidisciplinary dialogueamong educators, researchers and developmentworkers – effectively encouraginggreater integration and synergy. Collegesand universities are realizing that, to beeffective, they need to work more closelywith farmers and to capture their experiencesinto teaching programmes. New andrevised educational programmes emergeevery year, all addressing various aspects ofagroforestry and INRM. Due to changes ineducation policies, agroforestry and INRMare being accepted as important componentsof college and university education;institutions now consider agroforestry asa suitable platform for launching broadernatural resource management programmes,such as watershed management or environmentalconservation. At the national level,the networks have developed agroforestryteaching manuals for B.Sc. courses in locallanguages and institutions have establishedpractical field sites for training, research andoutreach activities. In addition, the Centresupports thesis research, staff exchangeand attachments at their own research sitesthroughout the regions.