Lire la version française de l'histoire.
Scholars who participated in a recent University of Florida-sponsored conference on agricultural education in Haiti said the biggest takeaway is what they will take back to use in their own classrooms and research projects.
“When we attend meetings of this nature it’s important to think ‘what can I do immediately when I leave here?’,” said Mercy Akeredolu, Ethiopia-based technical director for a project to strengthen the capacity of agricultural education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. She spoke to attendees at the Innovation in Agricultural Education conference, which was held in Port-au-Prince May 3-4. “We can go back and train other faculty members on some of the tools we have learned. This is a way of making what we learned to reach farther.”
Such a transfer of knowledge was what the conference was designed to achieve, said Grady Roberts, a professor of agricultural education at UF and a co-organizer of the event — the first one devoted exclusively to the scholarship of teaching and learning agriculture at the postsecondary level in Haiti.
“I am very pleased with how the conference turned out,” he said. “It exceeded my expectations. I was especially pleased with the level of engagement and interactions between participants.”
More than 100 attendees
Roberts and Akeredolu were among more than 100 professors, government officials and development experts from Haiti, the U.S. and other countries who came together for the conference, which was sponsored by the UF-managed project known as Feed the Future Haiti AREA. AREA stands for Appui à la Reserche et au Développement Agricole, or Support to Agricultural Research and Development.
Roberts and other AREA staff in Gainesville, Fla., and Port-au-Prince spent about nine months organizing the event. It is one of the key activities of the AREA project, which was created in 2015 with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development to aid the long-term reform of the Haiti’s agricultural system by, among other things, modernizing agricultural education at Haiti’s institutes of higher education and helping professors create better learning experiences.
At the conference, university educators of animal science, biochemistry, horticulture, agronomy and other disciplines presented their research findings and best practices on everything from ways to enhance college-level agricultural labs and classroom experiences to understanding how participatory learning impacts farmer innovation in rural Haiti.
Akeredolu, technical director for Winrock International and the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) project in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, made a presentation on a midcareer training program implemented at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia that uses a new “demand-driven and value chain-oriented curriculum.”
Marie Alexandra Alexandre, a chemistry professor at Université Notre Dame Haiti, gave a presentation on improved course materials that she uses to teach general chemistry in a laboratory setting.
“It was the first time for me to speak at such a big international event,” she said. “Having the opportunity to present a paper on an innovation I made in my chemistry class honored me as a woman. I recommend that other faculty members in Haiti initiate changes in their way of teaching to strengthen the agricultural sector in Haiti.”
Aaron Giorgi — a graduate fellow in Ohio State University’s Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership — gave a presentation on creating a wellness model to help first-generation college students succeed.
“I really like some of the speakers who have spoken,” Giorgi said during a break at the conference. He said many of the innovative practices and creative ideas that have been exchanged could be adapted to the specific conditions in Haiti, which in addition to suffering from chronic food insecurity is the most mountainous Caribbean country and suffers from widespread soil erosion.
“The same thing doesn’t work everywhere. So, if you come to Ohio and learn how to raise corn in Ohio, that may give you some ideas but you need to come back here and innovate that into a context for the slope of Haiti’s mountains. So, the conference serves a dual purpose.”
Faculty Development Academy
Many of the Haitian professors who attended the conference, including Alexandre, have been involved in another unique AREA program called the Faculty Development Academy. More than 200 faculty members at AREA’s seven partner institutions of higher education in Haiti have participated in the academy, which is designed to train a cohort of master teachers who train other professors to improve college-level courses and curricula. The idea: Implementing innovative teaching methods can spark creative solutions across the agricultural sector — from the way food is being grown to the types of crops available.
Jene Thomas, the director of USAID’s Haiti Mission and one of the keynote speakers, saluted the conference’s focus on “innovation,” which he said is needed more than ever if Haiti is to educate more agronomists and use new technologies to replenish its seed stocks, deal with soil erosion and watershed management, and improve its farming and agricultural sector.
“You are able to help Haiti and to help each other to find those solutions and I want to thank you for that,” Thomas told the attendees.
“Count on our support to continue this program. This is a great initiative and thank you for all the commitment, the time and all effort to come here and be part of this and the support you are providing,” he said. “We appreciate it, we thank you and we value your partnership.”
Absalon Pierre, a co-organizer of the conference and AREA’s human and institutional capacity development specialist, hopes the momentum generated by the event continues.
“The challenge now is keeping the professors and other attendees in the same spirit and to create more opportunities for them to share ideas and learn from each other,” he said.
> More information on the conference
— Contributor: Remixon Guillaume, AREA communications specialist in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
0
Comments:
November 6, 2019
We use WordPress, which has a template we created. Check it out.
November 6, 2019
Right away I am going away to do my breakfast, once having my breakfast coming yet again to read other news.
November 4, 2019
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the issues. It was definitely informative. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing!
October 30, 2019
Amazing blog layout here. Was it hard creating a nice looking website like this?
October 28, 2019
Really nice article Haitian college students complete revamped agricultural program.Really thanks! Will certainly read on… keluaran hk https://www.hongkongpool.co
October 28, 2019
I take pleasure in, cause I came across what exactly I used to be trying to find Haitian college students complete revamped agricultural program. You’ve ended my own 4 morning extended search! Lord Thanks a lot man. Possess a good morning. L8rs keluaran hk https://www.hongkongpool.co
October 28, 2019
fantastic issues totally, you just obtained a brand new viewer. An amount Haitian college students complete revamped agricultural program anyone suggest regarding your post that you simply developed a week in the past? Just about any certain?. data hk https://www.hongkongpool.co
October 23, 2019
Would be happy to share our HACCP plan developed in 2008. Today we have Safe Quality Foods certification for exports and it is much more comprehensive. The FSMA demands such an approach to allow importers to export to them. We are developing a slowly slowly approach to growth and try to improve annually with small manageable sustainable steps. Every tropical cyclone sets us back but we again just commence the thousand mile journey.
October 23, 2019
Thank you very much for the content. I wish you continued success.
October 21, 2019
I want to express appreciation to you just for rescuing me from this problem. Right after browsing through the online world and obtaining opinions which were not beneficial, I believed my entire life was done. Living devoid of the approaches to the problems you have resolved by means of your good write-up is a critical case, and the ones that would have badly damaged my career if I hadn’t encountered your site. Your good capability and kindness in dealing with all the stuff was helpful. I am not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t come upon such a subject like this. I can at this time look forward to my future. Thank you so much for your high quality and effective guide. I will not think twice to recommend the blog to any individual who would need guidance on this situation.
October 20, 2019
I am usually to running a blog and i actually recognize your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
October 20, 2019
Wonderful blog. I learn a little something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It’s stimulating to read through articles from other writers. I’d like to use some of the content on my website if you don’t mind. For sure I’ll give you a backlink to your blog. Nice one for sharing.
October 19, 2019
Thank you very much for the content. I wish you continued success.
October 16, 2019
I just want to tell you that I am just very new to blogs and absolutely loved this web-site. Most likely I’m planning to bookmark your blog post . You absolutely come with wonderful articles. Bless you for sharing your web page.
October 16, 2019
Thank you very much for the content. I wish you continued success.
August 2, 2019
Hi William, I'm not sure we can help with your project. We are a small team working on targeted research and this goes outside what we have resources to do. I hope you understand and best of luck with your project! Charles Boisseau, communications manager
July 30, 2019
Hello, I am on a Agricultural Mission Team with The Torch Worship Center. We have a 35 acre mission in Deyemon Haiti. We need assistance with planting bananas and coffee with our next mission trip scheduled for August 30 - September 7. We are looking for plants and technical guidance in planting approximately 50 plants of coffee and bananas. Please help us !
June 13, 2019
Thank you, I am glad it was useful. We will be speaking to farmers soon about what they've learned so stay tuned.
June 8, 2019
I find that's a good idea. Haiti could face to the weak production if each other accepts to fight like this.
May 12, 2019
I'm amazed, I must say. Seldom do I encounter a blog that's equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you've hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i'm very happy I stumbled across this during my search for something relating to this.
November 17, 2018
That's interesting!
August 27, 2018
Merci! You are a smart man.
August 27, 2018
Much thanks to you such a great amount for the post you do. I like your post and all you share with us is progressive and very educational, I might want to bookmark the page so I can come here again to peruse you.
July 3, 2018
This is great, and I want to make our blog like this one.
July 1, 2018
Thanks for sharing such a nice information with us
June 17, 2018
Thanks. I'm Bredy Charlot an agronomist who works for the ministry of agriculture in Haïti. Climate changed need specific attention in the field if agriculture . We need substancial assistance in agriculture research versus climate changes. There are so many changes in the agriculture calendar. The impact is very importante and needs specific trainings for all in this field.
May 11, 2018
It's wordpress
April 24, 2018
My name is Renita Am very interested in learning more about this program and production in Haiti I would very like to get involved and learn hands and help to make Haiti stable again my heart goes out to this country that is so rich in culture and history.
March 15, 2018
Very interesting! Bravo Haiti! et bravo Frednaud Charlotin et compagnie pour votre beau travail. D'une adepte des produits des fruits de l'arbre à pain en Jamaïque - qui sont utilisés dans le cadre d'un programme de petits déjeuners pour les enfants dans un milieu rural. Lise B.
March 14, 2018
Would be happy to share our HACCP plan developed in 2008. Today we have Safe Quality Foods certification for exports and it is much more comprehensive. The FSMA demands such an approach to allow importers to export to them. We are developing a slowly slowly approach to growth and try to improve annually with small manageable sustainable steps. Every tropical cyclone sets us back but we again just commence the thousand mile journey.
March 9, 2018
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your website by accident, and I'm shocked why this accident did not happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
December 26, 2017
Congrats Redgino, i'm so proud of you. Merry Christmas
December 15, 2017
Keep going on Redjino. Your family and your country are pround of you and encourage your efforts.
December 15, 2017
So proud of you Djino! Proud to be Haitian! ❤️
December 10, 2017
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to improve my site!I suppose its ok to use some of your ideas!!
Comments are closed.