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Learning AgriCultures
Insights from sustainable small-scale farming
Why Learning AgriCultures?
Over the years, the readers of ILEIA’s magazines, as well as our international partner network, have asked for support material explaining the principles behind sustainable small-scale farming. With 25 years of publishing practical cases from around the world, ILEIA has a wealth of material for exploring this subject. The Learning AgriCultures series is our response to this request.
As sustainability is a concept that translates differently according to the specific local conditions, this series does not intend to offer solutions to all the problems. Its objective instead is to stimulate a learning culture about small-scale farming sustainability. Through probing questions, and a variety of educational resources, we hope that this material helps feed into discussions and reflection on the important contributions of small-scale farming, and what sustainability means in students’ particular contexts. The series is not intended as a field guide and does not focus on technical details about farming methods. It does however suggest further references for digging deeper into technical questions.
Who is it for?
Learning AgriCultures is a learning resource particularly useful for educators seeking support material for explaining about sustainable agriculture in their courses, at a university or college level, in special NGO training courses or elsewhere. Courses where this series could be useful include agriculture, rural development, environmental studies, research & extension, agricultural policy-making, for students primarily but not exclusively working in developing countries.
What is in it and how can it be used?
The Learning AgriCultures series of seven modules is dedicated to understanding small-scale (family) farming and how it can become more sustainable. Each module has three learning blocks, looking at its theme from the perspective of: 1) the farm, 2) issues in the wider context affecting farming, and lastly 3) sustainability approach and governance issues. These learning blocks are followed by a section of educational support material. Educators can choose from practical cases (mostly drawn from 25 years of articles in ILEIA’s archive), exercises, games, photos, videos, farmer visit checklist as well as further references (free books and websites) to supplement their courses. A glossary of difficult terms, drawings and diagrams help explain concepts throughout. Through suggested questions, practical examples from around the world, and different kinds of resource material, educators can make their own lesson plans choosing that which is relevant to their own regional context.
Learning AgriCultures – Insights from sustainable small-scale farming:
- Module 1: Sustainable small-scale farming
- Module 2: Soil and water systems
- Module 3: Cropping systems
- Module 4: Livestock systems
- Module 5: Labour and energy in farming
- Module 6: Marketing and finance for small-scale farmers
- Module 7: Knowledge for small-scale farming
- Glossary: for Modules 1 – 3 (Download MSWord document – 130kb)
All the modules will be available in the course of 2010 – first as “interim” versions. Once the whole series is completed, a final review will be made. The final version of the series will be published before the end of 2010.
For more information: E-mail Mundie Salm – m.salm(at)ileia.org
