Innovating Sustainable Agriculture in Mozambique - Learning and Teaching Tools | ISAM

Abstract

The ISAM project is a partnership between the Center for Studies, Innovation and Advanced Training (CEIFA) at Zambeze University (UniZambeze) and the Department Sustainable Agricultural Systems (DNAS) / Division of Organic, BOKU (IfÖL), Austria.

ISAM aims to contribute to the government's efforts to develop rural areas through the institutional capacity of UniZambeze (CEIFA) to carry out advanced and specialised capacity building tools of teachers, researchers, students and smallholder farmers / agro-livestock companies in the region of insertion of UniZambeze in particular and the whole country in general.

Specifically, the project aims to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. To develop training tools for newly-graduated teachers, researchers, advisors and students at PhD level for modern teaching, learning, extension (smallholders and agro-livestock companies) and scientific methods.
2. To train the mentioned groups in modern teaching, learning, extension and scientific methods.
3. To train the mentioned groups in selected thematic fields of the curricula.
4. To develop a Master curricula in the field of conservation / organic agriculture that can serve as prototype for developing further curricula at the University.

All steps will be done in a participatory approach of all project members, including other experts if necessary as well as stakeholders of the region, to ensure that the content of the project reacts to the needs of the region. With this methodology and activity, ISAM expects to increase the capacity of young people to contribute to higher education for students and extension services for smallholder farmers in the field of agriculture and rural development.

By 2020, there will be learning material prepared for training of academic staff (Objective 1), 25 academic staff trained and the training approach institutionalised in the University for further staff training (Objective 2), trainings done to empower 25 teachers / trainers about the content and organization of each module of the curricula (Objective 3), and a Master curricula developed and established, which can start latest in the last half year of the project period (Objective 4). The project includes gender and disability mainstreaming as part of the module development. It is intended that this project approach serves as a prototype for the University to develop other training tools and curricula parallel and after the ISAM project. With these activities, the project will contribute to the government's efforts in the development of rural areas and in improving the environment, reducing pollution and improving the living conditions, coping strategies for climate change and to contribute to food security and employment in rural areas of the Mozambican population. Additionally, the project aims at integrating the SDGs.