NN46, September 2011
Towards a New Global World of Skills Development? TVET's turn to Make its Mark
Training and Capacity-Building for Rural People – How to Define the Landscape?
By Maria Hartl, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome
Email: m.hartl@ifad.org
Keywords: agriculture and rural development; education; capacity development; technical and vocational skills development; agriculture, education and training; agricultural extension and advisory services.
Summary: Capacity-building, training, technical and vocational skills development represent an important investment for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized UN agency and international financial institution. A recent review took stock of training and capacity-building initiatives in an effort to achieve greater clarity about types of training and capacity-building and to identify successful training approaches that empowered rural poor women and men.
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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized UN agency and international financial institution (IFI), mobilizes resources for agriculture and rural development. Capacity-building, training, technical and vocational skills development (TVSD) represent a large share of IFAD’s portfolio and are estimated at 35% of all activities,. These activities are linked not only to agricultural production but also to off farm employment, income generating activities, marketing or financial services. They include a large number of approaches, from demonstrations, agricultural extension services, peer-to-peer learning, exchange visits, household mentoring to vocational training, apprenticeship programmes and work placements.
Recently IFAD undertook a qualitative analysis of training and capacity-building initiatives in order to obtain greater clarity about types of training and capacity-building in projects supported and to identify successful training approaches that empowered rural poor women and men.
This analysis was triggered by a number of parallel initiatives. The World Bank’s (2007) evaluation of training programmes found that 730 million USD were spent each year to build client capacity and resulted in individual participant learning, but achieved development objectives only about half the time. Making the leap from individual learning to better development outcomes and capacity impact required both good training design and an appropriate organizational and institutional context in which to apply the learning from training.
A group of donors and academic institutions looked at capacity development and estimated that around 25% of global expenditure of ODA was invested every year in capacity development. A compilation of definitions of capacity-building showed that any type learning and change activity could be included (research and development; human resource development, training for project staff, training beneficiaries, capacity-building in various sectors such as health; agriculture; environment, trade, education, etc.).
In parallel, there was a renewed interest in skills development for poverty reduction, promoted in particular through NORRAG. A number of donors (e.g. DFID), IFIs as well as the outcome documents of global conferences (e.g. MDG Summit) put TVSD back on the international agenda. World Bank policies on secondary, higher & general education, and on skills development, as well as the World Development Report of 2007 on youth made a strong plea to include TVSD which had been neglected since the 1970s.
Agriculture, education and training (AET), which had been largely abandoned by governments and donors, also regained momentum. The World Bank gave increased attention to AET which relates directly to research and development, innovation and agricultural intensification. Agricultural extension and agricultural advisory services are part of AET, and graduates will find employment in this sector, which plays a key role for increasing agricultural production. In a related development, the flagship programme “Education of Rural People” of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) gathered stakeholders, in particular at the ministerial level, to support the education of rural people at the formal level and through innovations in the informal sector.
Training in rural areas takes place at all levels and includes many forms and methodologies. For the analysis of training in IFAD supported projects, the all-encompassing ‘capacity-development’ was found to be too broad. Priority was given to training of beneficiaries and not to training of staff, including field staff, despite the fact that these forms of training and capacity-building absorb large budgets in IFAD supported projects. The selected priorities were AET, agricultural extension services and TVSD.
AET directly raises agricultural productivity by developing producer capacities and indirectly increases agricultural productivity by generating human capital for support services. With the renewed interest in agriculture and concern to improve productivity in a sustainable way, there is better understanding that strong agricultural education and training systems are necessary to underpin such productivity gains. Investments in AET enable research, extension, and commercial agriculture to generate higher payoffs. The provision of AET at secondary and tertiary level, in formal or non-formal settings, in public or private institutions is widely debated.
Agricultural extension and advisory services play an important role and facilitate the access of farmers, farmers’ organizations, and other market actors to knowledge, information, and technologies. Definitions of extension have changed over time. The current understanding of extension goes beyond technology transfer to facilitation, beyond training to learning, and includes assisting farmers to form groups, dealing with marketing issues, and partnering with a broad range of service providers and other agencies. It has moved from a top-down to participatory approach, from public to private providers in many places.
The term “skills development” is generally used to describe a wide range of institutions and activities influencing employment and earnings. It is one of the primary means to build the capacity of poor people to participate and fully benefit from mainstream economic development. Strengthening the individual and collective capabilities of rural poor, youth and adults, contributes to fostering new economic opportunities in rural areas. Investing in the skills of rural people is also crucial in building their capacities to cope with crisis and confront food and environmental challenges. TVSD has the potential to enable rural youth and adults to access good employment opportunities, and enhance their entrepreneurial spirit.
IFAD carried out a number of field studies (Bangladesh, Ghana, Rwanda, Madagascar, Sudan, Colombia), undertaken in partnerships with the Network for Policy Research, Review and Advice on Education and Training (NORRAG), to better understand and appreciate the potential of training in the programme it supports and identify successful approaches.
The following results were achieved:
- - More precise classification of training activities in IFAD projects to provide greater clarity about types of training currently provided, their outcome and impact;
- - Identification of best practices and core principles, in particular targeting and selection of trainees and trainers; support to training providers located in remote areas; motivation of trainees and training fees; certification; consideration of gender differences; transition to employment and income generating activities.
- - Identification of innovative experiences in agricultural extension and advisory services, vocational and skills training for off-farm employment;
- - Improved learning partnerships and collaborations with selected international organizations working on education and training for rural people;
- - Increased attention to AET and TVSD within IFAD operations.
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Cite article as: Hartl, M., (2011) ‘Training and Capacity-Building for Rural People – How to Define the Landscape?’, in NORRAG NEWS, Towards a New Global World of Skills Development? TVET's turn to Make its Mark, No.46, September 2011, pp. 58-61, available: http://www.norrag.org
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