11. 1. Cultivate a suite of high-level young generation to conduct technology innovation
and knowledge transfer for empowering smallholder farmers and transfer China’s
experience to Africa
2. Ensure production of an adequate food supply and conserve natural resources
3. Alleviate poverty by whole food chain development
4. Achieve better health and nutrition for a growing population
11
PROJECT OBJECTIVES OF TRANSFERRING STB MODEL TO AFRICA
Transfer learning and approach of STB in Africa
5
Good morning everyone. I am Jiao Xiaoqiang, from China Agriculture University. Glad to talk about the Science and technology backyards here. The topic of my presentation is science and technology backyards in China and its transfer learning for Africa.
I will talk about it from these point. The first one is what is the STB, why do we establish it.
Since the year 2005, we started to conduct technology innovation in Quzhou experiment station. In the year 2009, we found that there is still a big yield gap between the experiment station and smallholder farmers’ field plots close to the experiment station. This suggested that our recommended technology do not break the barriers of experiment station and transfer to smallholder farmers’ action, although we have do research in the experiment station for several year. This inspired us to start thinking how we can transfer technology to smallholder farmers’ action in rural area. So we have selected a typical county in NCP, Quzhou as our research base. In the year 2009, we have established the first STB in Quzhou. The STB is connecting the scientific community with the farming community to facilitate information exchange and innovation.
This is the equipment of a typical STB in China. In one STB, we have several elements. The staff in the STB, a backyards for graduated student living and working. Some farmers participate in our research. And some fields is used for field trails and demonstrations. And also we need some out-reach tools for knowledge transfer in the large scale.
This is the steps how to build a STB in a village. The first step is to conduct farmer survey and identify the key points liming sustainable crop production. The second step is to evaluate the feasibility of building a STB. If possible ,then build it. The last two steps is to integrate the power from government, enterprises and knowledge hubs for conducting technology innovation and knowledge transfer to empower smallholder farmers. This is a typical STB located in Quzhou county.
This is how the graduated students working in farmers’ field plot to conduct technology innovation and knowledge transfer. The first step is to identify the problem limiting crop production with local farmers. Based on the problems, field trails for technology innovation and field demonstration for knowledge transfer have conducted in farmers’ field plots. then the systematic solutions has been developed. A series of approach has been employed to tranfer our recommended solution to smallholder farmers. Lastly, the problems encountered by smallholder farmers have been solved and the graduated students have finished their thesis in rural area.
This is a case study for famer participatory research with scientists in a STB.
This is how do we upscaling the technology in a large scale. A series of out-reach tools have employed. For example, field demonstration, field contest, traning in the farmer field school, and so on.
Until now the social impact of STB is very good. We have established 127 STB in China, covering grain production, vegrtable ,fruit, crop-livestock system and so on. a lot of farmers have been trained during the last decade.
Now we want transfer this model to Africa. Similar characteristics has existed between China and Africa agriculture. All the grain production was smallhlder farmers dominated. And farmers have limited capacity to get information.
Therefore we started a project called Africa-STB project. The objective of this project is to transfer STB model to Africa. The sub-objectives are as follows: ~~
This is the transfer model of STB in Africa. In the model, we put high-level young generation the top priority. And we combined talent training with STM model. In the first year, these students will stay in CAU for theory learning and maser basic skills of knowledge transfer to smallholder farmers in Quzhou. In the second year, they will go back to Africa to build a new STB based on what they learnt in China. In the third year, they will come back to CAU for thesis.
We hope that the STB in Africa could mobilze the power from local government, international or local enterprise, and universities and NGOs to empwer smallholder farmers in Africa’s rural area. Why do we want to choose the enterprise? Becase the enterprise could provide us with some financial support, and stable environment for working and living in Africa. Most importantly is that enterprise have strong demands for sustainable agriculture development. We hope we can integrate the resources from Moe, MoA, world bank Africa governments and ~~~~
We have made an assessment about the feasibility of this project with the support from Bill Medina Gate foundation in June this year.
Then for CAU side, we started to make plan about this project. In the project, we are willing to collaborate with many section of government, enterprises knowledge hubs and NGOs.
under the support of World Bank, CGCOC AGRA, we have recuited 34 Africa stundets. This is the distribution of the 34 Africa student. Most stundets from Nigeria, Ethipioa, Tanzania.
In sepetmber of this year, they have started to theory learning in CAU. This is the big family of 34 African students.
The "1+1+1" training model will be employed for them. In the first year, they will stay in CAU for theory learning and basic skills of knowledge transfer. In the second year, they have to go back to their own countries to conduct technology innovation and knowledge transfer for empowering smallholder farmers. In the third year, they will come to China again for thesis.
In the first year, CAU have provide these students with theory courses about plant science, and extension system. We also provide them with supervisos and sample STBs. The outcome of the fist year is ~~~
In the second year, it is very important for the project. Because these student will go to Africa to conduct technology innovation and knowledge transfer to smallholder famers. They should stay in Rural area or China demonstration in Africa. There are many opportunity for us to discuss and collaborate. The first pint is we can co-supervise the Africa Ms students. The excerpts in Africa will be the supervisors for these students. These supervisors should have some capacity of research and extension.
The research topic for these students is under discussion, it is not the final version. The objective of the research is how to feed large growing population by empowering smallholder farmers in Africa. We foused on the whole chain, from the agro-input ,crop production , market to livelihood.
