Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN) and The Haller Foundation joined forces in 2016 when the UK based charity released version one of the Haller Farmers App.
Established in 2014, the Haller Farmers web app provides over 30,000 individuals with affordable and environmentally friendly farming techniques. GODAN created a short documentary, Open Fields, focusing on smallholder farmer Eunice who was able to improve her livelihood and lift her family out of poverty by using the information provided on the app. This short film, created as a part of GODAN’s open data Web documentary series, helped create awareness about the Haller Foundation and their new technological innovation, and was valuable in showcasing Haller’s work and encouraging new donors.
The Haller Foundation, founded in 2004, strives to unleash the potential of local economies by promoting a model for development that is both sustainable and environmentally sound. They work with smallholder farmers living in the rural areas surrounding the Mombasa coastline, empowering them through sustainable agriculture and transforming both their land and communities.
Smallholder farmers across rural Africa often have insufficient access to the knowledge, skills, infrastructure and tools they need in order to thrive. In line with the ongoing cross-continent technological revolution, Haller has collaborated creatively with the award-winning app development agency Red C, and long-term design partner Pearlfisher, to launch version 2 of the Haller Farmers app. Haller are aiming, with the help of GODAN, to leverage the increase of mobile technology in Africa to make this new app even more accessible to the millions of Eastern African smallholder farmers, and promote sustainable growth.
The innovative new application can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store and it remains lightweight while fully accessible offline. In addition to Haller’s pioneering farming techniques, new agricultural content has been introduced to make the Haller Farmers App more appealing and diverse. This includes; Youth Farming, Square Plot, Human and Animal Conflict Management, and Conservation.
The app is available in both English and Swahili languages and is supported by Swahili audio to help overcome both illiteracy challenges and language barriers. Haller Farmers has been developed with the needs of farmers in mind and the prototype has been extensively tested by smallholders and students across Kenya with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Haller is hoping, with the help of GODAN, to reach millions of smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa, helping them to become self-sufficient and to lift themselves out of poverty.
The FAO e-learning courses cover a wealth of topics in the areas of food and nutrition security, social and economic development and sustainable management of natural resources.
All our courses are designed for self-paced learning, and offered free of charge.
A mixture of rich content, targeted learning strategies, dynamic screens, interactive tests, exercises with reinforcement feedback and illustrative case studies make often complex topics accessible to novice learners while meeting the needs of experienced professionals wishing to update their skills. All our courses are modular and suited to "just in time" learning. You can take a specific lesson whenever you need or access comprehensive courses, at your own pace and according to your schedule.
In addition to the e-learning materials, you will find links to online resources, recommended reading, self-study tutorials, checklists and wide-range of job aids to get you started in applying what you have learned.
Catalogue:
1. Sustainable Development Goal indicators
2. Food and Nutrition Security Analysis and Policies
3. Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment
4. Communication and Capacity Development
5. Agricultural Risk Management and Resilience
6. Gender and Social Analysis
7. Child Labour and Youth
8. Climate Change, Adaptation and Mitigation
9. Responsible Governance of Tenure
10. Food Safety
11. Right to Food
12. Agricultural Statistics
13. Trade, Markets and Investments
14. Crop Improvement
15. Animal Production and Health
16. Nutrition and Food Systems
17. Information Management and Knowledge Sharing
18. Rural employment, decent work and migration
19. Geospatial Data for Land Monitoring
20. Humanitarian Coordination
21. Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems
For more information see: https://elearning.fao.org
The New Extensionist is a global view of extension and advisory services (EAS) that reinvents and clearly articulates the role of EAS in the rapidly-changing rural context. It argues for an expanded role for EAS within agricultural innovation systems (AIS) and development of new capacities at different levels to play this role. The Learning Kit contains 13 modules designed for self-directed, face-to-face, or blended learning and can be a useful tool for (not exclusively) individual extension field staff, managers, lecturers and non-governmental organisations, and other training institutions. The development process was designed and managed as an iterative journey of broad consultations, discussions, and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. Modules should be used in conjunction with the workbook provided. It is encouraged that each user starts with Module 1: Introduction to the New Extensionist, as it provides foundation and the context through which the other modules can be understood.
