FACILITATING RURAL INNOVATIONS AND BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS

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FACILITATING RURAL INNOVATIONS AND BUILDING
PARTNERSHIPS

• CURRICULA FOR POST-GRADUATE DIPLOMA AND SHORT
  COURSES FOR
• RURAL DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS

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Workshop Participants

• Christine Onyango, Jomo Kenyatta University of
  Agriculture and Technology
• Isaac Kosgey, Egerton University
• Mary Ambula, Egerton University
• Maurice Shiluli, Kenya Agricultural Research
  Institute
• Samuel Mwonga, Egerton University
• Richard Hawkins, International Centre for
  development oriented Research in Agriculture
• Gitonga Mburugu, Kenyatta University
• Jessica Ndubi, Kenya Agricultural Research
  Institute
• Peter Gitika, Kenya Federation of Agricultural
  Producers
• Rosemary Mwanza, Ministry of Livestock and
  Fisheries Development

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Introduction

• The Problem
• graduates that are not adequately prepared to
  work on complex rural development problems.
• graduates lack adequate skills in team building
  and facilitation, and the mindsets and attitudes
  required in the rural sector
• Rural development professionals require skills in
  team building, and the facilitation of
  multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral
  partnerships.

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A Postgraduate Diploma Programme

• Team Skills
• Systems Thinking
• Natural Resource Management
• Agri-Business and Value .
• Participation Gender and Equitable Development
• Programme Planning and Resource Mobilization

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Overall Learning Objectives

• The diploma graduates will be able to
• Work effectively in, and facilitate,
  inter-disciplinary teams and multi-stakeholder
  partnerships
• Analyse complex rural development challenges,
  integrating different disciplinary and
  stakeholder perspectives
• Work with local stakeholders to design
  sustainable agricultural production systems
• Develop business plans with different
  stakeholders in a product value chain
• Design interventions that empower rural people
  and lead to equitable development
• Develop integrated action plans and write
  competitive proposals.

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General Programme Characteristics

• Target Group
• Professionals in rural development (government,
  NGO and private sector) and graduates, with or
  without working experience, aiming at working for
  rural development
• Programme Duration and Structure
• Nine Months distributed into 2 Semesters
• Admission Requirements
• To be determined in accordance with University
  regulations.
• Learning Methods
• Increased use of interactive and experiential
  learning methods
• Examination
• Written final exams, Assignments, CATS, Peer
  assessment, Tutor assessment

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Course Contents and Learning Outcomes
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1. Team Skills

• Content
• Team building, partnership development,
  facilitation, leadership, conflict resolution,
  negotiation skills and personal mastery.
• Learning Outcomes
• Graduates should be able to work effectively in
  and facilitate interdisciplinary teams and
  multistakeholder partnerships.
• Specifically they should be able to
• Understand, appreciate and improve personal
  skills in communication

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Specific Learning Outcomes Cont

• Understand the factors that affect
  multi-stakeholder interaction, and develop and
  facilitate effective partnerships
• Understand factors that lead to effective
  teamwork, participate in and facilitate effective
  teams
• Analyse causes of conflict and formulate steps to
  resolve them
• Appreciate experiential learning and develop
  personal group learning skills.

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2. Systems Thinking

• Content
• Systems, stakeholder analysis, typology,
  integrating perspectives, stakeholder
  perspectives, macro-trends and scenario analysis
• Learning Outcomes
• Graduates should be able to analyse complex rural
  development challenges integrating different
  disciplinary and stakeholder perspective.

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3. Natural Resource Management

• Content
• Agro-ecosystems, PRA, nutrient management, soil
  conservation, climate change, biodiversity,
  common property management, sustainability and
  environmental impact analysis.
• Learning Objectives
• Graduates should be able to work with local
  stakeholders to design sustainable agricultural
  production systems

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4. Agri-Business and Value Chains

• Content
• Agribusiness, product chains, value addition,
  agro-industry cluster, competitiveness,
  cost-benefit analysis, farmer organization and
  empowerment
• Learning Objectives
• Graduates should be able to develop business
  plans with different stakeholders within a
  product value chain

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5. Participation, Gender And Equitable Development

• Content
• Social organization, stakeholder linkages,
  livelihood analysis, gender analysis, farmer
  organization, social decision making.
• Learning Outcomes
• Graduates should be able to design interventions
  that empower rural people and lead to equitable
  development.

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6. Programme Planning and Resource Mobilization

• Content
• Research methods, monitoring and evaluation,
  evaluation of the rural situation,
  project/project planning, proposal writing
• Learning Outcomes
• Graduates should be able to develop integrated
  community action plans and write competitive
  proposals.

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B Short Courses in IAR4D for Rural Development
Practitioners

• Basic team skills for professionals (within
  organisations)
• Personal mastery and facilitation of learning
  processes
• Organising and empowering farmer groups
• Managing and leading teams and organisations
• Facilitating partnerships and proposal writing
• Basic team skills for farmer groups

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Overall Objectives

• Promote partnership of rural people and other
  stakeholders.
• Manage interdisciplinary and inter-institutional
  teams.
• Apply systems thinking in the broad sense.
• Combine scientific knowledge and procedures with
  local knowledge and experimentation capacity.
• Prioritise research and development activities
  with stakeholders
• Write and submit research proposals and business
  plans
• Use information and communication technology

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Course Contents/Themes
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1. Basic team skills for professionals (within
organisations)

• Target Groups
• Frontline extension staff of the Ministries of
  Agriculture, Livestock and Forestry Development
• Staff of development NGOs
• District development staff of Government offices
  (SDO, DWE, DFO, DDO)
• Staff of microfinance programmes
• Trainers, lecturers at universities other
  learning institutes
• Agricultural Researchers (KARI, Universities)
• Themes
• Facilitation and leadership
• Conflict management/negotiation
• Personality types and personal skills
• To foster team spirit in the work place

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1. Basic team skills for professionals (within
organisations) Cont

• Course Objectives
• At the end of the course the trainees should be
  able to
• To initiate and manage teams
• Perform as effective and efficient team players
• Manage time effectively
• Create an enabling environment for team operation
• Embrace current leadership concepts
• Know how to resolve conflicts through negotiation
  
• Know how to communicate effectively with persons
  of different personality types

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• 2. Basic Team Skills for Farmer GroupsThemes
• Group formation
• Time management
• Leadership and leadership styles
• Conflict management
• 3. Personal Mastery and Facilitation of Learning
  Process
• Themes
• Emotional intelligence
• Adult learning
• Experiential learning
• Facilitation
• Learning styles

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• 4. Managing Organisational Change
• Themes
• The changing institutional environment in Kenya
• Organisational structure and change
• Personnel management and change
• Learning and organisational change
• 5. Organising and Empowering Farmer Groups
• Themes
• Value chains and farmer empowerment
• Organisational development and institutional
  strengthening
• Business plan and proposal writing

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• 6. Facilitating Partnership and Proposal Writing
• Themes
• Stakeholders analysis
• Planning
• Proposal writing
• Building partnerships
• Monitoring and evaluation

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The End