Questions to think about as you read Pingali's speech

As part of your reading for Tuesday's class  we ask you to read a speech by Prabhu Pingali titled "Who is the Smallholder Farmer?" from the 2010 Borlaug Dialogue hosted by the World Food Prize.  You can either read the speech, or watch this video of it on Youtube (it isn't the best quality). 

Here are a few questions to think about as you read:

1. Pingali mentions several misconceptions about the role of smallholder famers.  What are they?   Are there others you can think of?
2. What are the conditions to enhancing smallholder productivity that Pingali notes in his speech.  Can you think of others?               
3. Based on what we’ve studied previously in this class, why is it important to care about smallholder farmers? 

Reading #11b is optional, but I encourage you to at least page through this publication.  It highlights many current key issues related to smallholder farmers.  Finally, we ask you to read one MEAS case study (reading #12).

The World Food Prize hosts an annual event called the Borlaug Dialogue, presented in honor and memory of Norman Borlaug.  This is an event that brings together stakeholders from all walks of life from CEOs of multi-national companies to smallholder farmers from Africa to discuss issues related to food security and international development.  I mention this event specifically because each year two scholarships to attend the event are offered to students enrolled in the INTAG minor.  If you'd like to learn more about the event, I refer you to your classmate Jenna, who has attended in the past and worked with the World Food Prize organization.  I'm also happy to let you know more details about the event and the INTAG scholarship. 

Barriers to Accessing Education

What are other barriers to accessing an education, or if you would like to be more specific, accessing an education in agriculture?   

Discuss with your classmates, research online, look at past readings to identify an additional barrier to accessing education or agricultural education.  Select one barrier and be prepared to share the following in class on Tuesday:

1. What is the barrier?


2. What are characteristics of the barrier?


3. Where is the barrier prevalent in the world?


4. What are suggested strategies for overcoming the barrier?


5. Cite one resource in APA style that supports your finding.

For your readings for Tuesday you will also be reading a case study of your choice from the MEAS project.  You can get a jump start on Tuesday's class by filling out the worksheet as you read (recommended!).  Use the copy you picked up in class, or find an extra copy in ANGEL.

Session #7 Ticket Out Responses

What are you curious about?

1. Is there anyway to create some sort of check system to make the MDGs are making some sort of progress?

• Millennium Development Goals Indicators 

2.How/who tells about the MDGs?

• The Millennium Development Goal Campaign  

3..How I am going to decide on the DIY project

• You need to talk to the instructors

4. How did the UN came up with the MDGs

• Read more here -MDGs

5. How developing countries working on gender issues/ Gender parity/ women right ?

• Take a class in women's studies - CED 420 Women in Developing Countries - is offered each spring.
• Refer to this Blog Post for more information

What did you learn?

1. Learn more about the 8 goals and how they need to have some other authority hold them accountable on time.
2.How education effect gender equality
3.There are 8 Millennium Development Goals
4.Education outside the box and thinking about new approaches
5. Tutorials on the library website
6.Ways to look up information
7.Regionla issues and Gender inequality
8.How developing countries can further themselves and the opinion of my classmate
9.Gender barriers
10.How to search the data
11.view of the role of gender and relations in society
12.The impact of millennium goals have on developing nations
13.Universal primary education is projected to not be met until 2090, even though the goal is 2015

What do you want to learn more about?

1. The funding for the Millennium Development Goals

• Read more here -MDGs

2.How we can help with the millennium goal

• We will bring this question to class a Lingering Question.

3.Sucess stories of education system in developing countries

• World bank data on Education

4. How to tackle the Millennium Development Goals

• Read more here -MDGs

5. How do we begin making women aware of these issues in other countries if many don't go to school

• Take a class in women's studies - CED 420 Women in Developing Countries - is offered each spring.
• Refer to this Blog Post for more information

6. The quote "women hold up half the sky''

• There is a movement around the Kristof and WuDunn book "Half the Sky"

7. Creating out of the box ways to teach Ag.

• Create a small discussion group with your classmate

8. AET programs.

• Talk to your instructors

The Gender Barrier - Additional Resources

Interested in exploring differences in educational opportunity and job placement between men and women?  Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Half the Sky  There is a movement around the Kristof and WuDunn book "Half the Sky", from which one of our required readings was taken. It's a great place to start if you are new to women's studies.  Read the rest of the book, watch the movie and learn more about the organizations working to improve the status of women around the world.

• Take a class in women's studies - CED 420 Women in Developing Countries - is offered each spring.

• Join Triota, the women's study club.  You do not have to be a women's studies major or minor!

• Interested in learning more about gender disparities in the US?  Check out the growing "Lean In" movement headed by Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg. 

• Read the research  Use the PSU Library to look up additional research articles in countries and regions that interest you.  It's a hot topic and there are many articles available on many different facets of educational opportunity and job placement.

• What are key organizations working in this area?  How is the U.S. government contributing?  Here's an example of how the U.S. (via the Feed the Future program) is helping women farmers in Ghana.  Getting to know key organizations and staying updated on their programs is a good first step toward a career in this area.

• Watch a TED Talk The TED stage is known for innovative talks on relevant subjects.  Use the search field to find talks related to gender issues around the world.  I like this one from Manal al-Sherif, a Saudia Arabian woman who dared to learn how to drive.

Gender and AET

Here are the discussion questions from today's class:

• What does the proverb “Women hold up half the sky” mean?  Do you agree?  Can you tie this idea back to the notion of workforce development?
• Why is it so difficult to empower girls and women?
• What is gender parity?
• Why are there gender differences in AET around the world?  Do these differences exist in the US?
• What are some strategies to overcome gender barriers in AET?

Continue thinking on these!

Researching a Source

Remember that for Thursday's class we ask you to research a source cited in the reading "Gender, Higher Education and AET".  Locate and read the article, and fill out the questions on the handout.  If you need an extra copy of the handout, look in ANGEL under "Course Session Materials". 

Be prepared to share your findings on Thursday!

Session #6 Education as Innovation Ticket out Responses

What are you curious about?
1. What is the land grant university?

• Refer blog post - http://goo.gl/y9pxIC 

2. What is AgroCorp? Where do I sign up?

• We will have a special session with the AgCorp February 13
• http://agricorps.org/

3. Are there analysis of ATVET programs from different parts of the world? How they are successful in different economy that we can compare?

• Check out this article- http://goo.gl/EEku77

4.Why would not work to use a mixture of method? since different areas have different problem concern? Why there are rigid framework?

• We will bring this to class as Lingering Question

5. Peace corp always a 3 year program?

• The traditional Peace Corps program is 27 months -[Lean More]

6.Example of when the workforce frame work has been sucessfull?

•  The USA

7. The quote by Kirstal Jones " if there is more diversity, there is probably less efficiency''

•  We will bring this to class as Lingering Question

 What did you learn?
1. The ATVET and some circumstances that need to be taken into account when intervening into other countries.
2. ATVET and how it can work to help developing nations
3.The framework is focused on economic development
4.Context matters so much
5. ATVET is a complicated system
6.USAID- framework may not be the best
7. Soft and Hard Skilss
8.The framework of working on developing program
9.Framework of education in developing countries
10.How ATVET select the group that they want for program

What do yo want to learn more about?

1. Multi-tiered agriculture system?

• We will bring this to class as Lingering Question

2.Peace Corps?

3. More similarities/differences between the Ethiopian DA program and the extension and how their work?

•  We will bring this to class as Lingering Question

4.What countries or people to or want help

5. I want to learn more about Ag extension

• http://extension.psu.edu/

6. Can we have/ be given resources to get involved in the Krystal and other future guest speaker project?

• You might want to ask the guest speakers

7. Internationally, what are some good places to place the trained?

• We will bring this to class as Lingering Question