This was what an English philosopher in the name of Francis Bacon once said, which literally translates to “Knowledge is power.”
Indeed, no one can argue with this assertion. Only through knowledge or education can people truly reach their fullest potential in life. Parents spend a lot of money to send their children to school because they want them to learn and understand; because they know that the only way to survive in this competitive world of limited opportunities and resources is to be educated. Otherwise, one would be rendered powerless.
This also rings true for agricultural learning. There is significant food insecurity and limited livelihood options in rural areas. Most of the smallholder farmers in rural places are poor because they have little technical know-how in farming, which leads to low productivity, low income and low quality of life.
Smallholder farmers face obstacles in improving cropping intensity and productivity due to their lack of knowledge in innovative technologies. If only they could be trained about proper agricultural practices, they could have led better lives.
This is precisely why Agricultural Learning Exchange for Asian Regional Networking (AgLEARN) was conceptualized and implemented. The project aims to explore new technologies through regional exchange, and then test those technologies in the local context to ensure their acceptance and relevance, thus leading to farmers’ enhanced agricultural productivity and better livelihood.
The Birth of AgLEARN
Implemented by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) starting May 2013, AgLEARN is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project under the Regional Development Mission Asia (RDMA), Bangkok. During the 36-month project period, new and recent agricultural technologies are identified and transferred to Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal from other countries such as India, Thailand and USA.
Project activities include regional and national workshops, farmers' internship, training and demonstrations or exchange visits. In addition, the project conducts participatory research trials in three provinces of Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal to test innovative technologies in the local context before disseminating them widely.
AgLEARN Project Coordinator Dr. Ram Bhujel further explains the rationale behind the project.
“AIT always focuses on the poor farming communities in developing countries because small farmers have limited knowledge, and limited access to capital and innovative ideas or applicable technologies. As a result, they encounter difficulties in escaping the poverty trap. Therefore, this project was designed to test new ideas in farming, then was proposed to USAID for financial support,” he said.
Farmers and their Quest for Learning
According to Dr. Bhujel, among the number of initiatives conducted in AgLEARN, perhaps one of its highlights is the farmers’ internship program.
“So for the farmers’ internship and on-farm testing of technology, we brought three farmer leaders to Thailand from each of the three target countries – Bangladesh, Cambodia and Nepal. After they returned back, they applied some of those technologies in groups (with a target of 20 farmers in three districts in each of the countries) to compare the farming results with and without the technology. This shows very clearly how the new technologies work.”
But according to Dr. Bhujel, they have even exceeded the target number of participants during the program’s actual implementation.
“More than 30 farmers participated in each district, which helps disseminate the technology in a more convincing way,” he added.
Challenges and Ways Forward
Dr. Bhujel is proud to say that their project is on its way to achieving its targets. However, working in an environment of people bred in different cultures and language pose quite a significant barrier in attaining the project’s objectives.
“Bringing less educated farmers who do not speak and understand English language was a challenge. Conducting a trial with farmers and teaching them to keep records of production, income and expenses was also a challenge,” says Dr. Bhujel.
These are only some of the concerns met by the AgLEARN team in its implementation. This tiny bump, however, would not stop them from pushing forward with their vision, which is a more knowledgeable and technically-competent group of small farmers.
“To help the farmers understand English, we hired students from Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal during their internship in Thailand… Apart from this, we also organized trainings twice or thrice to teach them the method of keeping records,” he stated simply.
Agricultural Knowledge Transfer, Poverty Reduction, and Women Empowerment
When asked how agricultural knowledge is directly related to livelihood development and poverty reduction, Dr. Bhujel has this to say: “Transfer of agricultural knowledge is very important. Majority of farmers, especially in rural areas of developing countries, are poor... They are often located in isolated places, and lack new ideas and knowledge on new technologies. As a result, they are often applying traditional techniques, which can be counterproductive. Having exposure to new country and places, farmers could gain a lot of new knowledge, which can also lead to an improved life.”
In contrast with other projects, which aim to train trainers and extension workers, Dr. Bhujel is proud to say they are different – they work closely and directly with the small farmers, which results in no less than true knowledge transfer and empowerment.
“Normally, opportunities are given to extension workers for training and exposure visits instead of farmers. They may not be able to transfer knowledge to farmers adequately; whereas if farmers are given the chance themselves, they could immediately apply the technology in their own land.”
Furthermore, they likewise place emphasis in the role of women in farming.
“(We place special attention on monitoring the participation of women) because women play key roles in food collection, production, preparation and feeding the family and kids. There is a greater chance that men migrate to cities or even go abroad for work, but women normally stay at home. Therefore, there is a better chance of success if technology transfer is targeted to women,” he said.
Cultivating Seeds of Knowledge for Small Farmers
As one would surmise, AgLEARN is a project unique in itself, largely because it deals directly with the grassroots and the oppressed – people who would otherwise remain in the background and never given the spotlight.
They focus on women farmers because they know that they are the ones in the bottom of the already low hierarchy of the farming sector. They understand the important role women play in farming, and realize the fact that behind the more male-dominant agriculture sector are the women waiting to be recognized.
They provide trainings for the grassroots because they know that much more than the experts, the trainers, the field workers, and the farmer “leaders”, it is the small, silent, seemingly-insignificant farmers who are truly hungry and in need of knowledge, who should be given the attention they deserve. Much like the seeds that they sow, these farmers are also like seeds that need further cultivating.
AgLEARN provides a fine picture of empowerment that comes from knowledge. And with more projects like AgLEARN, there is hope that the small rural farmers, especially women, would someday pave the way to agricultural development.
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