The overall aim of the AER-Phase II project was to strengthen higher education, research, and Science communication in Agroecology in the Rwenzori Region in Western Uganda. Building on a successfully completed academic partnership, Phase II introduceds key developments. Notably, Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) served as the coordinating institution. Additionally, Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) and the NGO Sasakawa Africa Association have joined as new partners alongside BOKU University. Specifically, the project aimed to:
1) improve quality of teaching of the MSc. Agroecology programme cognizant of gender diversity
2) enhance the quality of participatory Action Research for agroecology and
3) increase the capacity of farmers to actively participate in the development and consequently adoption of agroecological research innovations.
The project was implemented by a diverse consortium that was coordinated by Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda (MMU), Uganda, in partnership with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Austria, Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), Uganda and Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Uganda which is a Non-Government Organization. Through a participatory approach involving multi-stakeholders, the masters of Agroecology programme at MMU and UMU were successfully revised and the two programmes were reaccredited by Uganda’s National council for higher education.
The project was also able to support 6 scholars pursuing the Agroecology masters at MMU and UMU. In order to improve practical oriented teaching and learning at both MMU and UMU, the project supported the upgrading of agroecology teaching and research infrastructure through upgrading institutional demonstration farms as well as setting up a community agroecology demonstration farm in the Rwenzori region.
The teaching and research capacity of staff at MMU and UMU was also improved through periodic training on interactive teaching pedagogies and participatory research methodologies throughout the project lifespan. To further streamline agroecological research, the project supported the participatory development of an agroecology research agenda to guide student, staff and community driven research in the region and Uganda in general. To build farmers’ capacity to uptake agroecology innovation and practices, the project supported the training of farmers in agroecology practices, group governance and gender dynamics and how they affect agricultural production.
The farmers fields became part and parcel of the teaching and learning at both MMU and UMU because they regularly interacted with students and staff further bridging the gap between academia and the farming community. To further bridge the gap between academia and practice, the project supported the revival of a multi-stakeholder engagement platform called the “Rwenzori Rural Development Framework” (RRDF) which brings together farmers, NGO practitioners, policy makers, district agricultural technical officers and academia among others. The RRDF has officially been adopted at MMU as a community engagement framework for the university and hence a modest budget has been allocated to support its activities which will ensure its sustainability.
Overall, the project was able to demonstrate that teaching and learning cannot be bound by the concrete walls of the classroom and that everywhere there is a learning opportunity including farms and that everyone is a potential source of knowledge including farmers.
