Group items tagged

8 December 2014, Lima, Peru. An unusual side event at the annual Climate Conference in Lima (COP 20) provided a snapshot of what the United Nations is doing to support climate change education and training for children, youth and adults. Panellists and participants discussed how learning can actually 'make a difference' on the ground as well as the role of formal, non-formal and informal approaches. The audience also actively engaged in a game on climate risk management animated by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC). The event was hosted by UNEP, UNITAR, UNESCO, UNICEF, FAO, and IFAD in collaboration with YOUNGO. It was moderated by Mr. Daniel Abreu, National UN CC:Learn Focal Point at the National Climate Change Council (CNCCMDL) of the Dominican Republic.

"Speaking at the signing ceremony on the 14th November, 2014 at Grand Hotel, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya said the Regional CAADP Compact spells out priority areas for trans-boundary investments in the agriculture sector in COMESA. The first is increased agriculture production and productivity focusing on staple foods, livestock, fisheries and forest produce. The second is removing barriers to agriculture trade while the third is reducing social and economic vulnerability."

"The International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) is offering two 3-week courses for which registration has just opened, one targeted at lecturers and researchers working in tertiary agricultural education, and the other targeted at professionals involved in facilitating and coaching rural innovation. A few NFP scholarships are available to attend these courses."

"We, at GFAR and CGIAR, are committed to integrate, stimulate and mentor the involvement of youth in all of our collective programs. At GCARD3, the Third Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development, we are taking any opportunity to live up to that commitment. We want to use the upcoming GCARD3 global event to pilot a number of innovative projects and approaches. One of these projects is "YAP", the Youth Agripreneurs Project. "YAP" is a pilot project targeting young agricultural entrepreneurs or "agripreneurs"."

"The model of dual vocational education and training is currently attracting considerable attention. Demand is rising worldwide, and there has been a strong increase in the amount of media reporting. The main factors driving public attention are the high rates of youth unemployment in some European countries and fears of an impending shortage of skilled workers. On the basis of the way in which it links learning and work and schools and companies, the dual training system in Germany appears to be a successful model for the structuring of the transition from school to working life. But can it be developed into a model for the whole of Europe? Large numbers of new bilateral cooperation agreements are currently being set up to investigate how company-based and school-based learning can be better combined within the respective national context. This approach is being further developed at a European level within the scope of the "European Training Alliance". Endeavours to reduce youth unemployment include modernisation of vocational education and training systems in accordance with a model of company-related VET."

" To further our understanding of vocational pedagogy, UNESCO-UNEVOC organized a virtual conference from 12 to 26 May 2014 on the UNEVOC e-Forum. Moderated by Professor Bill Lucas, Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning, Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester (United Kingdom) and co-creator of the Expansive Education Network, this virtual conference explored what vocational pedagogy is, why it matters and how teachers can put it into practice."

The next Brussels Development Briefing on "Global food systems, local impact: the role of agribusiness and development partnerships in advancing African agriculture" will take place Tuesday 25th November 2014 (9h-13h) at the ACP Secretariat (451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels, room C). The transformation of the African agri-business sector is a key challenge to achieve food security and economic development. A differentiated approach to partnerships, based on the development of competitive local private sectors, is essential to boosting agricultural development in Africa. In this context, the objective of this Brussels Briefing is to discuss strategies and approaches for harnessing the potential of development partnerships with the private sector to catalyse market development and productivity in African countries. The outcome of this meeting should be a better understanding of the needs and constraints of the local agricultural sector and strengthen linkages between private sector and development cooperation. At the European level, the meeting would contribute to the development of a framework for dialogue and effective joint action with the private sector. Speakers will include the European Commisison (DG Agri and DG Devco), Yara, the Farmers organizations (SACAU, EAFF), some EU agribusiness groups operating in Africa, European Investment Bank, BMZ, AUC

"In the presence of the Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to the African Union (AU), Amb.Gary Quince, and the AU Commissioner Jean-Pierre Ezin, the second set of research grants resulting from the AU's 2nd call for proposals was officially signed at the AU Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 17th December 2012. This call led to the selection of eleven projects in the areas of Agriculture, Renewable and Sustainable Energy, and Water and Sanitation, for a total amount of €7 million."

Food security remains one of the key challenges that African countries confront today. This problem is most visibly evidenced by frequent food shortages and famines, such as the crisis in the Horn of Africa that lasted from July 2011 to February 2012 and impacted some 13 million people. But it is also illustrated in less visible, but no less dramatic, ways : The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 26 percent of Africa's population is undernourished

"[KUALA LUMPUR] New approaches to agricultural research and development (R&D) that support local innovation are needed in order to tackle global poverty, say agriculture experts. At a conference, Re-imagining Agricultural Research in Development Dialogue, held in Penang, Malaysia last month (29-31 January), experts from the agricultural sector convened to discuss how agricultural research could best be used to benefit the 870 million people still living on less than US$1.25 a day. "The [conference] was motivated by the realization that agricultural research was not benefiting the poorest of the poor," Boru Douthwaite, Knowledge Sharing and Learning theme leader for the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS), tells SciDev.Net. "

IDRC and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) are funding a new programme on climate change adaptation. The Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA) began in 2012 and will run until 2019. CARIAA invites submissions of joint concept notes for the establishment of research consortia in three climate change hot spots: semi-arid regions, deltas, and glacier and snowpack dependent river basins. Find out more at http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Programs/Agriculture_and_the_Environment/CARIAA/Pages/default.aspx "

"The role of young people in the agricultural sector have been debated extensively, and for good reason. Youth unemployment is a huge challenge with potentially severe consequences, and the agricultural sector is the biggest employer in most developing countries. Currently, the global population of young people aged 12-24 is around 1.3 billion, and projected to peak at 1.5 billion in 2035. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) estimates that globally, around 55% of young people reside in rural areas. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and south Asia, this number increase to as much as 70%. In SSA alone, youth (aged between 15 and 24) comprise as much as 36% of the labor force. With food production having to increase with 60% by 2050 in order to sustain expected food demands (FAO, 2011), adequate integration of young people in the agricultural sector can be a vital factor of reaching those targets.."

"The next EuroAfrica-ICT/P8 Regional Workshop on 'Awareness & Training on Africa-­EU ICT research opportunities' is taking place on June 25-26, 2013 at the Terrou-bi Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. The event is organised under the aegis of the European Commission (DG CONNECT) by the EuroAfrica-ICT/P8 Project (ESMT, Senegal with the support of Sigma Orionis, France and CSIR, South Africa) and in collaboration with the ERAfrica Project (IRD on behalf of the French Ministry for Higher Education and Research, MESR)."

The United Nations and partners have teamed up to put in place MY World, an innovative global survey to encourage peoples participation in the process of defining the next set of global goals to end poverty. From today, people throughout the world can access MY World at www.myworld2015.org and vote for the changes that are important for them.

The expert meeting discussed the regional and international trends of TVET provision at the secondary level and provided the opportunity to exchange policies, practices and lessons learned from a number of countries with experience in this area.

CRISAT, December 2012 - Using ICT to revitalize agricultural extension and education towards providing knowledge access to smallholder farmers was the subject of an international workshop held at the Infosys Campus in Hyderabad (India) on 3-4 December. The global consultation on Innovative ICT and Knowledge Sharing Platforms for Revitalizing Agricultural Extension and Education: Opportunities and Challenges organized by a global team led by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), brought together about 60 ICT, research, extension and education experts from India, USA and Africa. The two-day workshop was successful in laying the groundwork for the formation of a global partnership that will push the 'knowledge to the poor' revolution through ICT application in agricultural extension and education.

"For the first time since the beginning of the programme in June 2012, all participants and coordinators (coming from the three participating countries and the six partners' institutions) will gather together for a regional workshop in Hong Kong, organized by the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU). In addition to the provision of courses on the use of projections and scenarios in the preparation of education sector development plans and the opportunity to discuss and consolidate their draft country plan documents (that they are required to submit at the end of the distance programme), this will be a wonderful occasion for participants and partner institutions to exchange and share their country experiences. Participants are eager to meet each other. As Mrs. Nguyen Lan Huong, from Viet Nam, said in a recent interview: "We also look forward to the one-week study visit to the Hong Kong Institute of Education, where we will have a chance to see in person other participants and actually activate our professional network for the long-term benefit" .(Click here to read)"

"The African Development Bank (AfDB) was showcased as the knowledge broker and the emerging learning hub for Africa at a recent international e-learning conference in Berlin. The 2012 Online Educa Conference in Berlin was not just a conference, it was an event. Offering a unique environment for international networking, it is the place to discover and absorb some of the world's most innovative thinking about education and technology. The event attracts and brings together experts in the vanguard of technology-enhanced learning from around the world. "

"[LONDON] Smallholder farmers in Africa must participate in research to ensure higher crop yields and to fend off hunger as the continent's population grows, according to a report published today (18 April). A combination of traditional knowledge and modern science will be key to achieving higher productivity at lower ecological cost - known as 'sustainable intensification' - the report says. 'Sustainable Intensification: A New Paradigm for African Agriculture' was written by the Montpellier Panel, a group of international experts from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy and global development. "

"The "post-2015 development agenda" has become a hot topic in development circles in New York. This agenda refers to a potential framework to replace the Millennium Development Goals upon their expiration in 2015, as well as the articulation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) envisioned at the Rio+20 conference last year."