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4. Capacity building and knowledge sharing
Agroecology transitions require renewing and strengthening agroecology literacy (essential values, knowledge and skills) among the different actors in agriculture and other relevant sectors. The shift requires interdisciplinary knowledge and cross-sectoral collaboration drawing from technical, social and sustainability knowledge systems. It covers the different dimensions of food systems and consists of collective action, territorial autonomy, circular economy, environmental stewardship, food sovereignty, food mileage, climate justice and other themes.
Agroecological systems and practices are site-specific and knowledge and labor intensive. Adaptation of these systems and practices requires access to critical skills and information, incremental learning and knowledge sharing, and necessitate orientating the competencies of agriculture service providers towards generation of context-specific and locally relevant solutions. The process calls for improvement in the managerial and technical skills of farmers through collaborative, inclusive and experiential learning processes. It entails new forms of interactions, organization, and agreement between a range of actors, building on the co-creation of knowledge that blends local indigenous knowledge with institutional knowledge among stakeholders.
Four guidelines are outlined to support capacity building and knowledge sharing:
Guideline 4.1
Build farmers and rural communities’ capacity, and facilitate farmers-to-farmers learning and exchange for agroecology transition
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Empower farmers in sharing experiences and learnings with peers and other stakeholders, including via tailored capacity development and exchange visits
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Foster Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and farmer learning centers.
To achieve this, AMS may consider:
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Adding the FFS approach to national extension systems and alignment with long-term community development initiatives.
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Encouraging intergenerational networks of agroecological producers bridging experienced farmers with new entrants.
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Supporting capacity building of farmers with leadership capabilities and/or pedagogical skills, and supporting farmers and Indigenous communities to document and share their traditional knowledge.
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Facilitating study tours and exchange visits.
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Utilizing varied media (print, social media, TV, radio, mobile phones and apps) to improve farmers’ access to information, services and markets.
Case studies:
Guideline 4.2
Reshape extension and advisory services
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Implement community-based approaches that improve access to extension services for small farmers, in particular women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and other vulnerable people.
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Foster extension processes that build on community planning, action research (see guideline 6.2) and organizational development, such as informal networks of farmers’ groups, to scale up innovations (ex. green extension).
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Prioritize public goods associated with agriculture, including advice to producers on climate resilience, soil and water management, farmland biodiversity, and food security.
To achieve this, AMS may consider:
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Making use of a landscape approach in the planning and implementation of extension services, thereby promoting diversity and synergies within farming and food systems (see guideline 1).
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Providing incentives and training for village volunteers who may be more effective in reaching women, youth and ethnic minorities than government extension workers.
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Developing national and regional Centers of Excellence on specific aspects of agroecology and food systems transformations that will act as knowledge hubs, linking extension, research, farmers’ organizations and the private sector (see guideline 6)
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Strengthening the role of the ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Agricultural Training and Extension to include cross-sectoral meetings and exchanges with other working groups on agroecology service provision.
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Utilizing case studies and training materials compiled by the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services and subordinate networks, including the Asia-Pacific Islands Rural Advisory Services (APIRAS) Network (see below).
Case studies:
To go further:
Guideline 4.3
Mainstream agroecology in vocational training, higher education and academic curricula
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Build collaborations between higher education and research agencies to help mainstream scientific knowledge on agroecology in vocational and academic training curricula.
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Build partnerships between farmers’ organizations and universities to co-develop research and higher education agendas adapted to agroecology transition needs.
To achieve this, AMS may consider:
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Supporting short courses and non-degree programmes on agroecology targeting rural youth who could emerge as agroecology champions and entrepreneurs (see guideline 2).
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Prioritizing agricultural curricula and training programmes for educators and scientists that combine technical and social sciences.
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Building on agroecology-related regional and global research-based networks and platforms to support national, regional and international faculty exchanges and academic conferences on agroecology (see guideline 6).
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Fostering the inclusion of agroecological performance measurement tools that approach the diversity of agricultural and food systems in agricultural curricula (see guideline 6).
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Incentivizing higher education institutions to contribute to collaborative efforts of knowledge management platforms to identify, pool, and increase accessibility to documentary resources and multi-media packages of successful applications of agroecology.
To go further:
Guideline 4.4
Enhance public awareness on Agroecology
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Promote agroecology education for children and youth
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Optimize the use of social media in creating awareness of the environmental, economic, health and nutrition benefits of agroecology transitions.
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Facilitate government support to public awareness campaigns through policy interventions, financial support and public-private partnerships.
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Facilitate collaboration among different stakeholders to increase visibility and accessibility of agroecology transition initiatives.
To achieve this, AMS may consider:
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Conducting regional and national awareness campaigns in collaboration with government agencies, industry associations, non-profit organizations and consumer advocacy groups.
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Integrating agroecology education and farm-to-school programmes into school curricula to promote awareness and appreciation for agroecology transitions.
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Raising public awareness – both in rural and urban areas – on agroecological farmers’ contributions to public health, preservation of land, biodiversity conservation and management, and genetic diversity traditions.