Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.95.990328205202.15993G-100000@elaine.ssc.wisc.edu> Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 20:52:40 -0600 From: Jessica Goldberger <mailto:jgoldber@SSC.WISC.EDU> Subject: Kenya Sustainable Agriculture Field Program To: mailto:INTDEV-L@pete.uri.edu
****************************************************** * PLEASE POST OR PASS ON TO INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS * ******************************************************KENYA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FIELD PROGRAM
Inaugural Program of the David Brower Global CPR (Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration) Corps
A Global Service Corps Short-Term or Long-Term Opportunity Beginning July 5, 1999
This summer Global Service Corps (GSC), a project of Earth Island Institute, is initiating a Sustainable Agriculture Field Program in Eastern Kenya. This Program inaugurates the Global CPR (Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration) Corps, which was initially conceived by David R. Brower, preeminent international environmentalist. Mr. Brower, who was recently awarded the Blue Planet Prize for his environmental accomplishments, is currently the Chairman of Earth Island Institute. He also was the first Executive Director of the Sierra Club, founder of Friends of the Earth and Earth Island Institute, and three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Global Service Corps first began offering Kenya village-based programs in 1994 by teaching biointensive agriculture (BIA) to community members in the Mumias area of Kenya's Western Province. BIA is a specialized form of organic agriculture involving the use of double-dug beds, locally-available crops, organic compost materials, crop diversification, intensive planting, and water harvesting. The 1994 Kenya program included the development of a BIA training workshop attended by both GSC participants and local community members. These newly trained GSC participants and Kenyans then worked together to provide two-day seminars for other community members in the surrounding area. Over the course of three years, this program assisted in the initiation of over 2,000 community garden plots as well as a community BIA demonstration plot and training center. GSC is now planning to replicate this highly successful program in the Kibwezi area (in Kenya's Eastern Province) and is looking for participants with an interest in small-scale sustainable agriculture to assist with the development of this program.
What preparation/background do participants need?
Participants in the Kenya Sustainable Agriculture Field Program should be interested in small-scale sustainable agriculture and local community development, and be both eager and excited to learn and spread the word about the benefits of biointensive agriculture. Previous training or experience with gardening is not required, but would be useful. Participants should also be prepared to immerse themselves in the Kenyan culture, as a significant purpose of GSC is to provide participants with an unforgettable cross-cultural and learning experience. College juniors and seniors (who are at least 20 years old), recent graduates, graduate students, and interested adults are all encouraged to join us for the Kenya Sustainable Agriculture Field Program.
What is the duration and itinerary for the project?
Students and others interested in the Sustainable Agriculture Field Program may participate in either a short-term (four weeks) or long-term (at least 10 weeks) program option. All participants must take part in the short-term program (July 5 - July 31, 1999), after which long-term participants remain in Kenya for a minimum of two months. The program begins with a two-day cultural and program orientation and a tour of Nairobi. GSC participants then travel to Kibwezi and attend a three-day biointensive agriculture training workshop. During the training, participants learn alongside local villagers the theories and practices associated with biointensive gardening, such as double digging, composting, nursery bed preparation, water harvesting, and intensive planting. Other topics discussed will include agricultural trends in Kenya, local community development, zero-grazing dairy enterprises, and adapting biointensive farming for arid areas. Participants will learn how to develop strategies for communicating this knowledge to a variety of audiences. After the training, volunteers will be placed in homestays in and around Kibwezi for three weeks. Not only will participants work with Kenyan counterparts to develop and deliver biointensive gardening demonstrations, they will also experience day-to-day Kenyan village and family life. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit local sustainable agriculture and development projects, as well as numerous self-help and women's groups in the Kibwezi area. The short-term program will conclude with either a final celebration in Nairobi or a trip to one of Kenya's many celebrated game reserves. Long-term participants will return to their homestays in Kibwezi or nearby villages and continue to work more independently on their sustainable agriculture projects.
Can students receive academic credit for this program?
GSC's programs are intensive and credit-worthy. Students are encouraged to arrange for credit with their home institutions. GSC is in the process of identifying academic partners who may offer transfer credit to students from other universities. Please phone GSC for current information.
Who will be coordinating the program?
Jessica Goldberger, a doctoral student in rural sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will coordinate the short-term Kenya Sustainable Agriculture Field Program. Jessica participated in the very first GSC biointensive gardening project, which took place in western Kenya in 1994. She also has experience with international agroforestry and small-scale agriculture projects, which she gained while a Program Coordinator for the New Forests Project (a non-profit organization located in Washington, DC). Currently, Jessica is working on her Ph.D. dissertation research on biointensive agriculture in rural Kenya. After the completion of the short-term program, long-term participants will be supervised by GSC in-country staff. Overall coordination of the GSC Kenya programs will be provided by Kay Marten (M.A., Anthropology). Kay spent four years as Director of the Friends World Program's undergraduate program in Kenya, and has lived in Kenya with her husband since 1989.
To receive information about program fees, future sessions (October 1999 and beyond), and additional details, or about other GSC programs in Kenya, Costa Rica, and Thailand, please contact:
GLOBAL SERVICE CORPS 300 Broadway, Suite 28 San Francisco, CA 94133 Phone: 415-788-3666 ext. 128 Fax: 415-788-7324 Email: mailto:gsc@igc.apc.org http://www.globalservicecorps.org