16:00 - 16:20
4.C.1. Sustainable Upland Development in the Philippines: Lessons from a Multi-Sectoral Partnership for Promoting Community-Managed Agro-Forestry Extension Services
Leila D. Landicho
University of the Philippines

Educational institutions shape the knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals and are prime movers in the transfer of appropriate learning for agro-forestry development. An example of a case in which a university has enhanced agro-forestry development is the Ford Foundation-funded Agro-forestry Support Programme for Empowering Communities Towards Self-Reliance (ASPECTS) implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Banos Institute of Agro-forestry between 1997 and 2000. ASPECTS built a grassroots-oriented extension model of empowering upland communities while strengthening the agro-forestry education programmes of the participating state colleges and universities. Its ultimate aim was to enable the communities to establish and maintain their own farmer training centre and agro-forestry extension services that would contribute to increased farm productivity and income, improved ecological stability, and effective and efficient services. A two-stage approach to agro-forestry development employed capability-building programmes for the staff of the participating educational institutions; farmer-to-farmer training in the communities; establishment and improvement of the farmers' training facilities; and improvement of institutions' learning resources. The multi-sectoral partnership served as a catalyst for promoting synergy among the local development organizations. This paper discusses the lessons from the ASPECTS model and demonstrates the viability of a sustainable community-managed agro-forestry extension services.

 

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16:20 - 16:40
4.C.2. University and School Collaboration in Agricultural and Environmental Education
Pongpan Traimongkolkul, Sunti Srisuantaeng, Prasong Tunpichai, and Nirun Yingyuad
Kasetsart University, Thailand

This paper describes a university-school co-operative project to develop integrated courses and learning activities in agriculture and the environment. Participatory action research was conducted by Kasetsart University at Kampaeng Saen campus and two local schools. Five faculty members from the agricultural and environmental education programmes, seven student teachers, and two school teacher supervisors worked together as collaborative researchers. Two integrated courses were designed with a set of learning plans and assessment techniques, one for the primary level, the other for the secondary level. Learning management was conducted by the student teachers at their designated schools for a period of one semester. At the end of the one-year project, a seminar was conducted to provide a forum for sharing of experiences among the project participants and with teachers from 12 local schools. The student teachers reflected favourably on their achievement and learning experiences during the project. The teacher supervisors were satisfied with their learning experiences and the learning outcomes of students, particularly at the primary level. The faculty staff gained meaningful experiences from collaborative research, fruitful for enrichment of their teacher education programme. Further collaborative activities in agricultural and environmental education were extended to local schools in the network.

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16:40 - 17:00
4.C.3. An Initiative for Collaboration in the Republic of Korea: A Case Study of Urban-Rural Exchange
Mi-Ra Han and Young-Yeon Kim
Pusan National University, Republic of Korea

Agriculture is a vital component of society. But with the global acceleration of industrialization, enterprise-scaled agricultural businesses have emerged, triggering the demise of traditional small-scale farming. With industrialization of agriculture and mass production, have come overuse of fertilizers and chemicals, and the introduction of genetically modified organisms. The damage caused to our natural resources by industrialized farming has grim consequences. Agricultural communities in the Republic of Korea are now in a serious condition, suffering from a vicious cycle of loss of competitiveness, decrease of income, a shift away from agriculture by young people, and the aging population of farmers. To help farmers address these issues and to help the younger generation become aware of the importance of agriculture, an urban-rural exchange programme is being promoted. This paper describes an urban-rural exchange programme which has been connected to the early childhood teacher training programme of the university. For this programme, teachers gain knowledge and experience through vegetable gardening activities and a back-to-earth programme designed by the university. The rural community organizations have a farm visiting programme for Early Childhood Education organizations, as well as a cultural programme. Farmers who participate in the programme provide the participants with agricultural education and experience. The paper describes the effects of the programme, including participant's better understanding of agricultural processes, farming culture, and the importance of the conservation of nature. The programme has had a positive impact on farmers, making them aware of the importance of their role in producing healthy food and in preserving traditional rural culture.

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17:00 - 17:20
4.C.4. Report on the 2007 Obihiro Asia and Pacific Seminar on Education for Rural Development
Hiroshi Koaze, Satoshi Ishii and Junichi Takahashi
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan

This paper reports on the 2007 Obihiro Asia-Pacific regional Seminar on Education for Rural Development, held in Obihiro, Japan, in the final year of the 7th APEID cycle. This seminar examined important issues concerning the Tokachi area of Hokkaido Prefecture. Issues included global warming, food safety and consumers' trust in food safety, and the importance of food production. The seminar was organized to provide opportunities for the public to link these important local issues with the concept of "education for sustainable development". Such linkages can guide us to the solutions by understanding and applying ideas originally developed for economic growth in rural communities such as in the Tokachi area. In this paper, we suggest that the community can form a platform for creating a locally unique culture and this can be achieved through understanding sustainable agriculture specific for the area, by connecting agricultural producers to consumers.

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