introducing the african master treegrower program
TRANSCRIPT
Introducing the African Master TreeGrower Program
Rowan Reid
2
• Bach. Forest Science• Masters in Agroforestry• Senior Lecturer , 20 years
(University of Melbourne)• Farmer and tree grower
www.agroforestry.net.au
Agroforestry books
http://audit.ea.gov.au/anra/people/docs/national/Final%20Audit%20Report%20Vol1.doc
Private farmland
200,000 Australian Farmers70% of the productive land
Farm families need trees!
Trees for Conservation and Profit!
Kenya 1986
The story begins
1987
Making forestry ‘attractive’ to farmers
That’s what AGROFORESTRY is…
Forests that farmers want on their land
Productive Landcare
A good-news story for Australian farmers
The Australian Master TreeGrowerSince 1996
100 Courses>2000 Participants
Farmers talk to farmers
Peer Group Mentoring
Science supporting farmers as they talk and walk with other farmers
Networking – MTG – PGM
We felt we had something different
Agroforestry was about people – not trees
Trial African Master TreeGrower 2012
Andrew and Jill Stewart
1994
Many tree products
Many bird species (106)
1
Mike and Wendy Robinson-Koss
David Curry
Kenya 1962
Marianne Stewart
Kabale – Southwest Uganda
Value of Presentations
1 2 3 4 50
5
10
15
20
25
(n=41, Mean = 4.4)
• Learnt what we didn’t know• Lovely, professional, inspiring• Focused & motivating. • Highly relevant • Fantastic • Quality very high, • Very knowledgeable• Inspiring• Original, enriching & relevant • Eye opening
Value of the presentations?
Participant ratings: Value of Field trips
1 2 3 4 502468
1012141618
(n=40, Mean = 4.1)
• Very encouraging• Treated equally, shared together & we were very happy• Eye opener, many opportunities• Educative, well planned, • Sharing of knowledge• Learning and seeing is better• Added value to course, concreted skills• Owners were prepared and shared knowledge• Hands on – great, motivating• Knowledge was objective and achievable• Good exposure, mentoring………………….
Participant ratings: Value to your community
Value of the field trips?
Participant ratings: Value to your community
1 2 3 4 50
5
10
15
20
25
30
(n=37, Mean = 4.5)
• New skills to teach my community • Mentoring fellow farmers• Ideas to fight poverty • Improve our programmes• My community will benefit • Peer group mentoring • I will grow many trees• Long overdue but very valuable • Can help me, community, country, Africa
Participant ratings: Value to your communityWhat value has it been to your community?
• Gained skills• I want to protect the forests• I learnt how to prune, thin and plant• I can now identify challenges I did not know• I am going to adjust right away• Team effort and sharing to improve environment• Great value to my life• I am a changed person, enriching, community • I think I have been very wrong and ignorant• Learnt to plant trees with a purpose• I am now convinced that trees can be economical• Trees need care like food & monitoring• Positive, inspiring to grow more & take more care• Working as a family• Forestry can be a positive change in households • With knowledge & determination I can sell seedlings
How has it changed the way you think about trees?
What is success?
It’s not actually a ‘course’
What matters is the outcome – not the curriculum
Create and support peer support
Science and technology can be introduced..
But, what matters is the converstation
• Verify• Validate• Adapt
The hat
The tape
The farm visits
Local leadership and support
You showed us what you doWe showed you what we’ve done
Jimmy
Kabale Agroforestry Network
Inaugural steering committee
First Farm Walk
Forest owners working with landless farmers
Political support
Local Media
National Ugandan Media
David Curry: First ‘site visit’
Andrew and Jill
Mike and Wendy
What about the professionals
I now see the sky as the limit with regard to my professional development. (Forest Scientist)
What about the researchers?
People are the same
Like teaching someone to paint
Not what
to paint!
Impact on our our rural landscapes
Impact on our your rural landscapes
Trees don’t change landscapes – People do
Thank You