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June 18, 2007
by Henry Neondo,
SciDev.Net
A new university course will help agricultural scientists
communicate their research to a wider audience, including
small-scale farmers who can benefit from learning about new
developments in the field.
The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in
Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) recently announced that
they are finalising the curriculum for the course.
The postgraduate course will be offered from 2008 at four
universities in eastern Africa. It aims to equip agricultural
scientists with information technology and communication skills
to disseminate agricultural information, said Dorothy Mukhebi,
coordinator of the Regional Agricultural Information Network
(RAIN), part of ASARECA.
Agnes Mwang'ombe, principal of the University of Nairobi's
College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, said scientists'
traditional means of disseminating information through
scientific journals does not reach the majority of farmers.
Many research papers are kept in libraries, where they are not
accessible to small-scale farmers, who control 80 per cent of
farming. And downsizing of public services means these farmers
have limited access to frontline agricultural officers to advise
them about the latest developments in farming techniques.
"Despite years of research that have generated agricultural
technologies, one in five people in sub-Saharan Africa are still
food insecure," Mwang'ombe told SciDev.Net.
ASARECA announced last month (17–18 May) that is it leading the
appraisal of the new curriculum, developed by RAIN in
partnership with the European Union.
A taskforce, whose members are drawn from national and
international agricultural research institutes and universities,
industry, nongovernmental organisations, government and
development partners, is overseeing the formation of the course.
It has mobilised resources — from the government and development
partners like the European Union — and is fostering
relationships with industry and agricultural information users.
Michael Muthui, from the Kenya National Federation of
Agricultural Producers, told SciDev.Net the course will help
researchers learn to repackage their information in a form
farmers can use.
He added that literate farmers are not sure of the credibility
of reports from newspapers and the Internet written by
non-professionals.
The Master's of Science in agricultural information and
communication management will be offered at Alemaya University
in Ethiopia, the University of Nairobi in Kenya, Sokoine
University in Tanzania and Makerere University in Uganda. |
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