What does it take to produce “More Crop per Drop?”: Assessing AET Systems in Jordan Tom Hammett Director, InnovATE, Virginia Tech NACTA Conference, Montana State University June 28, 2014 Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education

Who is innovATE? The program is implemented by a consortium of US universities: Virginia Tech with: Tuskegee University, Penn State University, and University of Florida Others to be added

Learn Design Train The program has three integrated components— LEARN, DESIGN, and TRAIN—that aim to strengthen the full range of institutions that train and educate agricultural professionals in: Primary and Secondary schools Vocational & Technical schools Out of School Youth Workforce Development Higher Education Institutions

InnovATE’s Role  Conduct assessments to determine AET capacity and potential expansion in order to address their agricultural needs and solve current issues  Multi-faceted approach :  Scoping Assessment  Assessment Findings  Recommendations

Scoping Assessment  InnovATE team from multiple universities visited Jordan for scoping mission  Determine demand for human resources in Ag Sector  Evaluated capacity for growth  Assessed various stakeholders Stakeholders:  Agriculture universities  private sector  vocational programs  curricula  infrastructure  Government agencies  NGOs

Findings:  High demand for agricultural professionals  Not enough training in skills and practical experience  Women with agricultural education face a lack of job placement  Vocational education has a bad reputation in Jordanian society

Findings:  Limited interactions between policymakers, between donor projects, and with educational institutions  Lack of investment or reform in educational & scientific institutions  Need to shift agricultural practices to achieve WSA  Limited public-private sector interactions

WSA Research & Extension Communities, CBOS, WUAs Agricultural Workforce Agricultural Education and Training Four components of WSA

Recommendations  Update curricula to reflect advances in agriculture  Create more opportunities for students & graduates  E.g. internships, extension projects  Economic & political stability due to increased job security

Recommendations  Develop certificate program in water-saving ag to provide training and practical experience for both students and current farmers, also to provide more assets for employment  Establish partnership with Jordanian Office of Water Resources and Environment and USAID to implement these suggestions

Training of farmers, CBOs, and students Training of CBOs Capacity building of extension agents and students Capacity building of faculty and students A systemic approach to capacity building

Capacity building next steps

Next step – jobs!

Global Potential  By implementing recommendations, Jordan has the potential to set a global precedent for investing in and innovating WSA practices that can serve as a model for numerous other countries facing water scarcity due to climatic changes.

Online network of agricultural development professionals Collaborative discussion spaces for AET and agriculture Resource sharing and project development Global training events database French and Spanish discussion pages The innovATE AET Community of Practice

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Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education Tom Hammett, Director Virginia Tech InnovATE is supported by a grant from USAID and managed by Virginia Tech’s Office of International Research, Education, and Development (OIRED). This project was made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through USAID Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L Thank you to NACTA for allowing us to present and to our sponsors and university partners who collaborated in order to complete this project.