Rulivsys - Curriculum Vitae Rulivsys Research Rulivsys Training and Learning Review and Monitoring About Rulivsys and David Gibbon Contact Rulivsys Links to other sites and resources
Course 3: FROM FARMING SYSTEMS TO RURAL LIVELIHOODS RESEARCH: DEVELOPING MULTI-FUNCTIONAL AGRICULTURES

Purpose: to understand and apply research approaches that aim to develop multi-functional agricultures, that sustain farm incomes, rural livelihoods, conservation values and ecological goods and services.

Duration: three to five weeks (negotiable)

Location: A rural environment in any country

Participants: 12 – 25. The course will attract men and women of all ages, from a variety of professional backgrounds, who are looking for applied and practical research and development approaches relevant to their own efforts to develop multi-functional agricultures.

Objectives:
By the end of the course, participants will :
• understand the basic principles of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ systems thinking and their relevance to the development of multi-functional agricultures
• be familiar with inter-disciplinary team work and the management of diverse scientific perspectives in addressing complex problems
• understood the role of indigenous knowledge and lay publics’ expertise in defining and solving problems, and developing new opportunities
• have explored the concepts, analysis and practice of farming systems/rural livelihoods research, at household, community or catchment level.

Contents:
• overview of the history of farming systems research and extension, rural livelihoods research, and applied systems research
• introduction to the basic principles of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ systems thinking, and their application to natural resource management, rural livelihoods development, and farming systems research
• case studies of on farm participatory research, community-based natural resource management, and interactive catchment management
• analysis of the roles of farmers, rural inhabitants, water agencies, planners, scientists, development agencies and others, in the development of multi-functional agricultures
• team-based field study.

.

Methods:
The course will include of a variety of teaching and learning methods with a strong emphasis on participatory learning. It will have a seminar/workshop approach with practical exercises and learning by doing. There will be a use of videos which illustrate the ways in which the approaches have been developed in both northern and southern country situations. During the third week of the course, participants will undertake a series of exercises with local farmers using participatory techniques to examine farming and livelihood systems in more detail.

Assessment.
Participants will be asked to participate fully in the course, read a selection of the course references and prepare and present materials, based on their own experience, for short discussions on the main themes.
Rulivsys Ltd, Pearmain, 59, Shrewsbury Road, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6EX
Tel/Fax. +44 (0)1694 723362 Mobile 07870587813
Site By PerfectArc Ltd 2004