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

Chapter 17: Institutional collaboration in agroforestry145In conclusion, the institutional networkshave proven valuable in terms of:• changing attitudes among educators:there is now greater understanding ofthe need for local context in rural development;• providing leadership for, and analysis of,agroforestry education within countriesand regions;• sharing experiences and enhancingprogrammes;• bringing integrated approaches tonatural resource management intoeducation systems; and• facilitating interaction betweenacademics, researchers, policy makers,extension workers and farmers.ChallengesAlthough member institutions of ANAFE andSEANAFE have responded strongly to theneed for curricula reform, there is still muchto do, since the science of agroforestry isdeveloping rapidly. For example, the emergingbroad landscape view of agroforestry isstill not widely covered. There is still a needto incorporate such knowledge into educationprogrammes and develop methods forfield-based learning with farmers.ANAFE and SEANAFE also need to addressthe challenge of growing demandfor participation and membership in thenetworks. The establishment of new, moredecentralized sub-networks brings issues ofsustaining leadership and communicationat the regional level. Regional meetingsare expensive to organize and mobilizingresources to support the growing networkswill not be easy. It is easier to find resourcesfor specific activities, such as trainingand teaching material development, thanfor network management. Furthermore,as demand grows it will be difficult todevelop and distribute sufficient academicmaterials to meet the growing need, particularlywhere countries use local languagesof instruction (e.g. Lao PDR and Vietnam).Finally, there is still a lack of policy-levelrecognition of agroforestry as a field of studyand a career path. It is generally felt thatthere is need for agroforestry competencebut a shortage of specific agroforestry jobs.Box 1. On-campus field laboratory in the PhilippinesFuture opportunitiesThe two networks are very well placed toaddress weakness in the education systemfor natural resources managementand to capture opportunities for educationalchange. The networks have broughtindividuals and institutions into long-termpartnerships. They have come to knoweach other, which also opens opportunitiesfor partnerships beyond agroforestry.The Misamis Oriental State College of Agriculture and Technology (MOSCAT) in thePhilippines began offering agroforestry education in 1995. Two programmes were offered:a diploma and a bachelor degree. Both required practical experience, but the lackof a convenient field site proved problematic. So, in 1998 25 hectares on campus weredesignated as an agroforestry field laboratory. The college itself had extremely limitedfinancial resources, so the development of the field laboratory was based on formingpartnerships with local agencies, international research centres, NGOs and the privatesector. The bulk of the financial support was provided by SEANAFE.Initially a simple banana and coffee plantation, the site now has a woodlot, windbreaks,a multistorey system with free-range chickens, silvipasture with free-range goats andsheep, alley cropping with improved natural vegetative strips, a nursery and a fishpond.Farm income (from production of maize, lanzones, rambutan, sweet potato, jackfruit,‘marang’, chayote, cassava and chickens) increased from US$117 in 2000 to US$425 in2003. The centre also has goats, sheep, and cattle. Networking with other stakeholdershas promoted a multisectoral approach to agroforestry development at the local level.Future plans include:• domesticating indigenous tree species;• producing seedlings through macro-propagation;• collecting non-timber forest products;• enhancing existing agroforestry systems for improved production;• developing an agro/eco-tourism village; and• strengthening links with national government agencies, NGOs and people’s organizationsthrough collaborative research and development.