Transcript Document 7693142

TVET AVET CONFERENCE
KAMPALA, UGANDA
03RD TO 5TH OCTOBER, 2012
AN ANALYSIS OF AGRICULTURE
SKILLS GAPS
-The Case of Zambia –
Nelly Nyirenda
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE -MALAWI & ZAMBIA
HELP A CHILD
CONTENT OF PRESENTATION
Current Situation
Agriculture Training in Zambia
Skill Gaps in Agriculture Training
Challenges in Agriculture in General
Recommendations
Role of Stakeholders
Conclusion
CURRENT SITUATION
• The current agricultural policy (2005-2015) recognizes
that achievement of agricultural education and training
targets requires strengthening of both formal and nonformal education modes because the formal education
system alone cannot meet national training needs.
• The Government has expressed a strong political will to
support open and distance learning (ODL) through
education policies that recognize ODL as a
complementary mode of education, and an information
and communications technology (ICT) policy that seeks
to integrate ICT in agricultural education and training.
CURRENT SITUATION
Agricultural reforms in Zambia have created an enormous need to
develop and re-train human resources to meet diverse needs of
the agricultural sector. Unfortunately, a predominantly traditional
formal educational system cannot meet the human resource needs
of a dynamic social and economic development system. Similarly,
agricultural education and training has traditionally depended
mainly on formal training delivery systems, which have limited
capacity to cope with the increasing training needs of sub-sectors
in the industry
Even with an influx of donor funding, Zambia cannot meet training
needs of the changing agricultural landscape using the traditional
educational and training methods.
Levels of Agriculture Training in
Zambia
• Formal University and College
Education in Agriculture
• Continuing Professional Agriculture
Training in Zambia
• Life-long Learning for Framing
Communities
• Agriculture training for Primary and
Secondary education
SKILL GAPS
• The agriculture staff are not retrained to meet the new production
techniques. Some staff received
training five to even more than ten
years ago but new production
methods have evolved over the
years and these officers are outdated. As a result out-dated
methods are still being applied
especially by small farmers
SKILL GAPS CONTINUED
• New livestock production
methods and management
are not known to the
veterinary staff and farmers
at large, hence the animal
population has reduced to
the lowest levels in many
areas of the country.
SKILL GAPS CONTNUED
• Extension Officers not trained in agriculture
as a business;
• Where entrepreneurship is taught, it is
theoretical;
• Inadequate skills in Post Harvest Handling;
• No training for new varieties which
demand continuous training;
• Orientation still towards maize , no proper
skill on other cash crops;
• Inadequate skills to deal with diseases in
animals and plants;
SKILLS GAPS CONTINUED
• Agriculture training Curricula` does not
include small holder farmers but
commercial farmers;
• Link between research branch and
Extension officers is poor;
• Indigenous Knowledge is not tapped into
and promoted -e.g. How to manage
Finger Millet, Sorghum etc.
• Agro processing
• Training does not prepare trainees for
signing of International treaties
SKILLS GAPS
• Most University Students go
into research at Mt Makulu
• Land management skills
lacking
CHALLENGES
• The agriculture sector is biased
towards promoting maize products at
the expense of other crops and
livestock.
• The agriculture sector is politicised,
Technocrats are not respected to
use their skill as expected.
• Zambia not allowed to do any
research on GMOs –No equipment,
Knowledge and capacity to address
GMOs
CHALLENGES CONTINUED
• Students not motivated to study
agriculture ( Very few women)
• Zambian agriculture sector do not
plan what to produce at what
period.
CHALLENGES CONTINUED
• The market component has a lot of gaps;
there is no match between production
and market of crops. E.g. maize is
bought at K65, 000.00 ($13) per 50kg
bag from the farmers and sold at K45,
000.00 ($9)to the millers, other
countries and the public.
CHALLENGES CONTINUED
Agriculture taught as a theoretical subject
in Primary and Secondary schools
 More educated far from farmer , Less
educated close to farmer
 Good number of skilled workers taken
away from Ministries ( NGO Heads)
 Technology transfer is compromised by the
agriculture staff (agriculture extension
officers). They do not pass the correct
information and training to farmers.

RECCOMENDATIONS
Need to increase access by developing distance
learning programmes in agriculture
 Promote ICT . Develop agricultural research,
education and extension sub-sectors which
greatly depend on sound ICT and distance
educational policies.
 Improve demand-responsiveness of TVET/AVET
 Improve quality of TVET/AVET
 Improve access to TVET/AVET
 Provide increased learning opportunities

RECCOMENDATIONS CONTD
Use of Short and customerfocused courses should be
promoted;
 Application of Flexible curricula;
Place Emphasis on practical
Entrepreneurial and Business
skills;
Training must relate to “what
people do” and not “what training
providers offer”;
Roles of Stakeholders
Stakeholder
Government
TVET/ AVET Regulators
Role of Stakeholder
National
Skills Plans
Policy Formulation
TVET/AVET Financing
Learning
Programmes/curriculum
Standards and Quality Assurance
Learning
Training Providers
Programmes
Quality Management
Flexible Training Systems
Job/Occupational
Private Sector
NGOs
International Donors
Profiles
Work-based learning
TVET/ AVET Financing
Needs
of Small Holder Farmers (MSEs)
Advocacy for vulnerable groups
Promote
capacity of Implementing Agencies
Support “Public/Private Partnerships”
CONCLUSIONS
There are a lot of Skill Gaps in
agriculture, there is therefore need
to come up with ways of bridging
the gaps in order to develop a
lucrative and robust agriculture
sector in Zambia.
END
Thank You