How did it start?
Mendel University has a long-term history of successful implementation of agricultural-oriented projects under the umbrella of Czech Development Cooperation in Ethiopia. The TRACE team joined these activities four years ago. The latest project targets young people – university students in the city of Arba Minch, about 500 km south of the capital Addis Ababa.
The project aims to support education and research at Arba Minch University (AMU) through practical teaching and joint supervision of master's theses. This is achieved by the cooperation of academic staff from two Czech universities (MENDELU and CZU) and by the involvement of local Ethiopian teachers and experts. The project is improving the level of higher education and research in the field of agriculture, which represents the most important economic sector in Ethiopia and a major source of livelihood and income for the vast majority of Ethiopians. Local graduates with quality education and practical experience, who are well-trained in identifying and solving problems, are crutial for developing the agricultural sector fulfilling the productive potential of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR).
The first project output aims to modernise education at AMU by introducing practical teaching into the curriculum of programmes with an agricultural specialisation. Through successive activities, students are gaining theoretical knowledge through project-based learning, which they are consequently applying in practical seminars at the Chano Mile Permaculture Training Centre and excursions to food processing enterprises. The goal is to take students through the entire value chain of agricultural products, from cultivation to post-harvest handling and processing.
The follow-up output focuses more on the academic part, aiming to support the research activities of AMU, with a focus on MSc students. Students are attending workshops targeting to improving their communication skills in science while obtaining tips and tricks for academic writing. Talented students within the field of agricultural and food sciences are selected for support and collaboration with Czech experts on their master's theses.
Outputs and activities
The project has two major outputs: (1) Introduction of practical teaching for students with agricultural specialisation, and (2) Support for collaborative research in the form of final student theses. These outputs are followed by six activities, out of which three are linked to the first one (i.e., 1.1. Practical teaching through project-based learning, 1.2. Practical teaching in the form of seminars at the Permaculture Training Centre, and 1.3. Practical teaching in the form of excursions) and another three with the second one (i.e., 2.1. Preparation for the final students' theses writing, 2.2. Support for selected student theses, and 2.3. Presentation of study opportunities in the Czech Republic).
Support of education at AMU
The first outcome aims to modernise education at AMU by introducing practical teaching into the curriculum of programmes with an agricultural specialisation. Through successive activities, students will gain theoretical knowledge through project-based learning. They will then apply it in practical seminars at the Chano Mile Permaculture Training Centre and on field trips to food processing enterprises. The aim is to take students through the entire value chain of agricultural products, from cultivation to post-harvest handling and processing.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a method that actively engages students in learning through case studies. These are developed by groups of students who then share and discuss their results. As an outcome, PBL develops communication skills, critical thinking and the ability to plan and organise time within a close-knit team. The practical learning will be divided into three days, during which the MSc students will be divided into four groups of about five participants. On the first day, there will be an introductory presentation and an introduction to the method. In the afternoon, the students will be presented with their first case study on a pest of a widely used species in Ethiopia, the moringa tree. As part of the introduction to the method, students will first work on the same study, but the elaboration of the results will be done individually in groups with the help of Czech teachers. On the morning of the second day, the groups will present their results and try out a guided panel discussion. In the afternoon, students will be introduced to new topics related to the cultivation and processing of popular fruits. Two groups will address watermelons, while the other two will deal with mangoes. The PBL will peak on the afternoon of the third day with the evaluation of a written summary of the studies and presentation of the results, followed by a guided discussion. As a result, materials for an introductory theory session and three case studies on moringa, mango and watermelon will be developed and notes from panel discussions, participation of at least 20 students, archived. Students will also present case studies on moringa, mango and watermelon (4 x 5-10 minutes for moringa, 2 x 5-10 minutes for mango and watermelon) and write up to 2 A4-pages case studies on mango and watermelon.
Following the PBL, two full-day practical workshops will be organised at the Permaculture Centre of Mendel University in Chano Mile. Students will familiarise themselves with nursery management and techniques - substrate preparation and testing, pre-sowing preparation of tree seeds, setting up an experiment to determine seed germination, and will be shown repotting techniques. They will also be involved in tree-growing activities such as pruning fruit trees, vegetative propagation methods - e.g. grafting fruit trees; fruit picking, and correct harvesting techniques. The activity will also include the local women's cooperative, which is involved in the processing of moringa and fruit products. This will enable students to become a part in the processing of moringa products or in fruit preservation and drying. At the end of the workshop, students will work in groups to complete a control test based on the skills they have learned. As a result, 4 x completed group control tests will be carried out and list of students participating in the seminar (at least 20 students). Photos will be taken to document the process of learning.
The last node in the chain of practical trainings will be field trips (exkursions) in the form of multidisciplinary block teaching. It will consist of practical demonstrations of operational and research work in the agricultural sector. This activity should help the AMU lecturers design the block teaching so that the students learn about the realities related to the different subjects of their studies and understand the field situation at different places in the area. The block teaching will take place in the form of field trips, which will be attended by MENDELU staff as mentors as well as AMU teachers who will use the field trips as practical examples for the subjects they supervise. During the preparation of the block teaching plan, experts from MENDELU will address the teachers of individual subjects, discuss the possibilities of practical teaching and advise them on how to direct the trip so that the students gain as much practical experience as possible. The assumption is that students will gain insight into commercial agricultural production, processing and commercialisation of final agricultural products. A total of three field trips will be organised, visiting production areas of operating cooperatives and enterprises and processing facilities for pulses, cereals, cassava, fruits and moringa. The programme will include visits to successful operators around Arba Minch, other parts of the SNNPR region, and Awassa, as appropriate. At the end of all field trips, groups of students will submit a short-written summary. At the end of the practical training, there will be an individual completion of a questionnaire reflecting on the experience and feedback on all three parts of the outcome. Participating students will also summarise 1 A4-page written summary of field trips (4 in total, one per group) and feedback questionnaires on the whole output (20 in total, one per participant).
Collaborative masters theses supervision and joint research
The aim is to support the research activities of AMU, with a focus on MSc students. The development of joint research topics in agricultural production and the subsequent communication of these results in the form of a final thesis or scientific paper will build on the previous activities of the previous output.
Selected undergraduate and graduate students will participate in thesis writing courses and workshops to develop scientific writing and research communication skills. The prerequisite of the course and workshops will be the creation of a common outline of rules for the creation and evaluation of theses between AMU and Czech experts. The courses will demonstrate these rules to students with practical examples and offer the possibility of long-term consultation with Czech teachers. The workshops will be divided into two main parts. The first will be dedicated to "hard science", science and research, and the second will focus more on "soft skills" and research communication in the context of graduate employment. Students will acquire skills in searching information in scientific databases and verifying its veracity, writing different types of scientific manuscripts, formulating hypotheses and research questions and working with citation managers. The second part will focus on the basics of email communication, creating a CV and cover letter or communicating their scientific results. An outline for the format and evaluation of the final bachelor's and master's thesis will be created. In total, 15 students will participate in a course on writing a bachelor's thesis and 15 students will attend a course on writing a master's thesis. All 30 selected students will participate in hard and soft skills workshops.
The best students will receive support in their thesis writing. The activity will be divided into several parts to ensure that selected students can be approached individually. The thesis topics will be suggested and identified by AMU supervisors and presented to their counterparts from the Czech universities. They will then select six proposed topics or modify them in cooperation with AMU, and project resources will subsequently support their implementation. The selection criteria will be the topicality of the theme, the contribution to research and development and the scientific level of the topic (a practically oriented thesis will be preferred). The next step will be to design the research and structure of the thesis jointly. Although local supervisors will supervise the actual implementation, regular online consultations with Czech specialists will be a prerequisite. The final evaluation of the research will then be provided by both the Ethiopian and Czech sides. Six students will receive a financial grant to cover the costs associated with the research, e.g. transport and accommodation related to sample/data collection, laboratory practice, purchase of materials, etc. The implementer is committed to supporting and mentoring the students while writing the final thesis but cannot guarantee its defence before the end of the project period, especially in view of the volatile situation of the Covid-19 pandemic and the political situation in Ethiopia. The monitoring of the completion of the activity will be carried out by checking the records of the implemented student work placements and field trips (attendance sheets, photo documentation), and online consultations and will be documented by a list of the thesis topics supported, together with the names of the students and the abstract of these theses. As a result, six selected theses will be supported financially and abstracts with content archived. Regular recordings of online consultations with Czech experts and photo documentation and records of work experience will be documented as well.
Part of the project will be to inform AMU students about study opportunities in the Czech Republic. During the half-day workshop, the possibilities of applying for Czech government scholarships, Czech development scholarships and internal scholarships of MENDELU and CZU will be presented. Students of BSc and MSc degrees will be introduced to the study programmes in English, and the form of entrance exams in the Czech Republic will be explained. Interested students will then be able to consult the details of applying for scholarships and application for studies with Czech experts after the workshop and then online during video consultations. The project will organise a half-day workshop titled "Study opportunities in the Czech Republic" and photos, written report and a list of participants will be taken. Short notes from the online consultation will be stored as well.
