Abstract:
Agriculture, including livestock, forestry and fisheries continue to be the foundation
for development, hunger eradication, and poverty reduction for many countries in the
developing world. Therefore, strengthening the capacity for agricultural research and
analysis for improved policies, technologies, and institutions to achieve agricultural growth,
food security, and sustainable natural resource management is essential.
Currently, there is a growing Knowledge Economy Digital (KED) Divide between
developed and developing countries. However, in both developed and developing countries,
the contemporary Open and Distance Learning (ODL) models show that there is value for
ODL as an efficient, cost and time effective learning mode that could if globally expanded
help bridge the ‘KED’ gap. For the less developed countries (LDC), ODL could strengthen
capacity and support economic development by leveraging the power of information and
communication technology (ICT) in provision of high-quality world-class education to a
larger number of people. Among the anticipated deliverables is the incentive for students and
professionals to obtain degrees in agriculture, food, and natural resources without leaving
their jobs or home countries.
The Consultative Group for International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), with its
human and physical assets, has a tremendous opportunity to establish a Global Open Food
and Agriculture University that would effectively train students and professionals from
developing countries via ODL. The most strategic entry point in this undertaking is to initiate
programs at a postgraduate (PG) level, in particular, the Masters of Science (M.Sc.) degree.
It is important to work at the M.Sc level because the M.Sc. capacity in East and Southern
Africa still remains very low in proportion to the number of students who matriculate from
the undergraduate level. Also, the current pool of M.Sc. graduates is insufficient for large
doctoral (Ph.D.) programs.
As a mitigation measure (especially in the areas of farming, hunger, poverty, and
natural resources), ODL offers opportunities for increasing the capacity of LDC
postgraduates. However, many traditional LDC universities do not offer such programs. A
Global Open Food and Agriculture University would be a way to address the LDC
postgraduate capacity constraint
