A special section of eLearning Africa will be devoted to learning and training in one of the most important sectors of the African economy – agriculture. Farming and food production currently employ over 40 per cent of the continent’s workforce, more than 70 per cent of whom are women.

How can Africa feed its growing population? What are the opportunities for African farmers and food producers? What skills do they need and how can they access them? How can African producers maintain and improve food quality? How can ICTs help to preserve and share traditional knowledge and skills?

These and a host of other important questions will be discussed in a range of sessions and workshops as part of the eLearning Africa 2019 Agriculture Track. Key themes and topics for discussion will include:

Subthemes

1. Feeding Africa’s growing population – what lessons need to be learned?
2. Education and the improvement of Africa’s food distribution and supply chains
3. Food safety, disease and public and animal health
4. Training for food sector regulation, law enforcement and customs
5. Scenarios for sectors: dairy, meat, arable

B: Agriculture training

1. Key skills for African agriculture in the 21st century
2. Schools, universities, colleges, communities, families – the structure of agricultural education and training
3. Scaling up – how the reach of education and training in the agricultural sector can be extended
4. Making agriculture respectable: how to make agriculture attractive to potential farmers, young entrepreneurs and investors
5. Maximising the impact of education on conservation, biodiversity etc
6. Education and migrant labour in rural areas
7. Aquaculture and horticulture: key issues

C: The role of ICTs in improving training, knowledge management and access

1. Using technology to improve agriculture sensitively and sustainably
2. Learning and improving traditional methods
3. Diversity: the role and prospects of women in agriculture – extending opportunity and improving access to training
4. Information management techniques and knowledge sharing methodologies
5. Mobile apps to improve the agricultural sector
6. African languages and agricultural training

1. International collaboration and working with partners
2. Opportunities for investors in African agricultural education and training
3. The role of IGOs and NGOs in improving educational opportunity in rural areas
4. Improving export awareness
5. Implications of the ACFTA for agriculture and the likely effect on training
6. Getting the message across: access to information and effect methods of communication in rural areas
7. The private sector in agricultural education
8. The role of Governments in creating a climate of innovation, opportunity and investment
9. Conflict resolution: how education and training can reduce the risk of escalatory, commodity / resource-based conflicts in rural communities

E: Protecting the environment

1. Waste and packaging
2. Agroecology in Africa
3. Resource management
4. Sustainable agribusiness creation
5. The soil: how to improve knowledge, conservation and management of it
6. Water: managing scarcity, maximising efficiency
7. Mitigating the effects of climate change – the role of ICTs

Women hold just 24% of jobs in the digital economy: the book “Women in Tech” shows the story of 30 women who have had a deep impact on the society and the economy https://t.co/cTvf1QZrV7 The @eLAconference founder, @Rafika6, is one of them cc @BMZ_Bund #eSkills4Girls #womenintech pic.twitter.com/7ojVz8JOzG

— eLearning Africa (@eLAconference) January 28, 2019

If you would like to submit a proposal for a presentation in the Agriculture Track of eLearning Africa 2019, please click here. The deadline for proposal submission is 20th May.

Hosted by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire

Organising Partner

Under the Patronage of Dr Gerd Müller,
Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Sponsors

Partners

“The conference has been very interesting. It has brought together diverse views of how we can use ICT to improve learning in West Africa and Africa as a whole. The eLearning Africa conference has been very helpful, in that we have been able to share ideas of how we can improve our various systems of government and eLearning in our countries. A very good experience!”