Cultivating Knowledge and Skills to Grow African Agriculture
This Program states that larger investments in agricultural research, extension, and education systems are required to achieve the targeted increase in agricultural output of 6 percent a year over the next 20 years.To enhance the quality and produc...
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/12/8958094/cultivating-knowledge-skills-grow-african-agriculture http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9542 |
| Summary: | This Program states that larger
investments in agricultural research, extension, and
education systems are required to achieve the targeted
increase in agricultural output of 6 percent a year over the
next 20 years.To enhance the quality and productivity of
Agricultural Education and Training (AET) in Africa, the
case for improving its agricultural education capacities is
compelling in view of their seminal role in agricultural
development elsewhere in the world. AET development was an
integral part of strategies of countries that grew
agriculture successfully, such as Brazil, India, and
Malaysia. The analytical work carried out on AET in Africa
identified some priorities as key to modernize agricultural
education in Africa These priorities are: 1 Political will
must be generated in support of agricultural development by
educating the public about its role in economic growth and
poverty reduction, creating capacities for lobbying, joining
forces with other stakeholders, and sustaining these efforts
over two or three decades.(2) It is desirable to assess and
re-balance AET enrollment profiles away from secondary level
vocational training towards diploma, degree, and
post-graduate levels (3) It is essential to replenish human
capital by strengthening and expanding national Master of
Science programs, laying the foundation for Ph.D. programs,
and tackling the conundrum of incentives for staff
retention.(4) Finances must be managed proactively by making
more efficient use of existing resources, mobilizing
non-public resources, and persuading donors to finance
operating costs.(5) Much better gender balance must be
achieved among AET graduates. African universities and other
institutions of higher learning ultimately will be
responsible for replenishing the stock of human capital in
national research and extension services, and for providing
them with the broader set of skills necessary to grow
agriculture in the 21st century. |
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