The gender-sensitive training-of-trainers (ToT) course targets senior extension personnel on the latest developments in sweetpotato production and utilization in East and Central Africa, Southern Africa and West Africa. The course is facilitated by staff from the implementing organizations who between them have a wealth of theoretical and practical experience with the sweetpotato value chain.
The course, which will be offered in Mozambique, Nigeria (30 June – 11 July 2014) and Tanzania in 2014, is a core component of the project called “Reaching Agents of Change (RAC): Catalyzing African Advocacy and Development Efforts to Achieve Broad Impact with Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato”. The RAC project aims to increase investment in the orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) to combat vitamin A deficiency among young children and women of reproductive age, and it works to build the capacity of public sector extension and non-governmental organization personnel to effectively implement initiatives aimed at promoting the dissemination and appropriate use of vitamin A-rich OFSP. RAC also works to maximize the exchange of ideas among different participants and towards building a dynamic community of practice.
The course is jointly organized by the International Potato Center (CIP), Helen Keller International (HKI), Sokoine University of Agriculture and the National Sugarcane Research Institute, Roots and Tubers Programme – Kibaha (in Tanzania); Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) and National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Nigeria; Eduardo Mondlane University and Centre for Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Studies (CEAGRE), in Mozambique.
Since 2012, 146 individuals from public, NGO and private sector institutions have completed the two-week training course. Hilda Munyua, the Communications and Training Specialist for the RAC project, believes the training offers participants “the opportunity to become agents of change in their communities and abate the debilitating effects of vitamin A deficiency in Africa”.
The overall objective of the training is to build the capacity of national implementing agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa regions to drive uptake of OFSP. Participants will leave the course with an in-depth understanding of issues relating to the sweetpotato value chain – from production, utilization and marketing to issues of selection, multiplication, and preservation of clean planting materials, as well as pest and disease management, good nutrition and gender roles in production, utilization and marketing of OFSP. As a training-of-trainers (ToT) course, it will allow the participants to deliver their own sweetpotato training course by the end of the two weeks.
The course is aimed at senior public health and agricultural extension officers, team leaders from NGOs, researchers, leaders of farmer organizations, personnel from training and education institutions, agribusiness (input, output, processing and credit) and other professionals who are in a position to influence practice or have the potential to do so in the short or medium term.
The training will be based on adult learning methodology, combining lectures, case studies, discovery-based / experiential learning approaches, practical hands-on exercises, site visits, group work and plenary discussions.
Ms. Neema H. Nkotagu, who completed the course in 2013, says the course gave her the skills, knowledge and confidence to “be able to train others on all aspects of the orange-fleshed sweetpotato value chain from production to consumption”. She highly recommends the course to other practitioners looking to build their knowledge on sweetpotato as well as to develop core skills in leadership, training and education processes. She looks forward to utilizing the skills she learned and perhaps leading her own sweetpotato course in the near future.
Interested in attending?
Course Dates:
Certification: Participants who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certificate of participation.
Limited Registration: A maximum of 30 participants will be accepted to foster a learning- conducive environment. This Training-of-Trainers (ToT) course seeks participants from organizations committed to incorporating nutritious crops into their programs.
Fee: The fee for this 10-day intensive course is US$1350, which covers tuition, materials, travel (field trips), accommodation and meals. A limited number of scholarships are available.
Application: Interested persons are invited to submit an application and motivation letter by 10 February 2014. Please see the attached brochures for contact details for the relevant course.
For further information about the course and to find out how to apply for it please download the flyer directly or visit the Sweetpotato Portal – Course Announcement.
Course participants discuss and share their knowledge of the sweetpotato value chain
Field work and site visits are core components of the training course