348
context and development of consciousness that brings changes within the self. We
anticipate that education promotes and enhances awareness of personal transformation in various arenas of development, including agriculture.
1 Introduction and Objectives
In the rapidly changing world, an apparent failure of humans and institutions to
come to grips with climate change is being increasingly felt. We may have learned
how humans contribute to climate change at the proximal level, but we rarely ask
why we leave a larger than necessary carbon footprint. The reality is that, due to the
urgency of emerging climate crises, incremental change in technology may not
address the problems at their source. We have also learned through many years of
repeated research that dramatic changes in agriculture and land use have taken place
in larger parts of Africa, South Asia, and other parts of the world, as a result of economic growth and increasing demands for production. Forestlands are converted
into agricultural land and intensified for food production. Agricultural systems in
countries across the African continent have to undergo substantial change in order
to address the pressing challenges of population growth and climate change. There
is a great need for a transition to agricultural production systems that are more productive, use inputs more efficiently, have less variability and greater stability in their
outputs, and are more resilient to risks, shocks, and long-term climate variability.
Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on agriculture for food security and livelihoods. Given the importance of agriculture in the
context of rural livelihoods, food security, and poverty reduction, meaningful
climate- smart agriculture (CSA) has the potential to increase the livelihoods and
resilience of millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. In addition, there is an urgent
need for transformative change in our individual consumption behaviours and lifestyles that are linked to food demands that have important implications for future
pathways for agricultural development. The objectives of this paper are therefore to
(1) reflect on the need for transformation in environmental change context; (2) discuss the changing context and provide a short, analytical framework for CSA and its
linkages with vulnerability, resilience, and livelihoods and reflect on how CSA can
impact positively on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa; and (3) illustrate educational strategies in an adult learning context for personal transformation
that may eventually permeate to farming communities.
2 Transformation in a General Environmental Context
The failure of humans and institutions to come to grips with climate change is being
increasingly felt. We may have learned how humans contribute to climate change at
the proximal level, but we rarely ask why we leave a larger than necessary carbon
B. K. Sitaula et al.
context and development of consciousness that brings changes within the self. We
anticipate that education promotes and enhances awareness of personal transformation in various arenas of development, including agriculture.
1 Introduction and Objectives
In the rapidly changing world, an apparent failure of humans and institutions to
come to grips with climate change is being increasingly felt. We may have learned
how humans contribute to climate change at the proximal level, but we rarely ask
why we leave a larger than necessary carbon footprint. The reality is that, due to the
urgency of emerging climate crises, incremental change in technology may not
address the problems at their source. We have also learned through many years of
repeated research that dramatic changes in agriculture and land use have taken place
in larger parts of Africa, South Asia, and other parts of the world, as a result of economic growth and increasing demands for production. Forestlands are converted
into agricultural land and intensified for food production. Agricultural systems in
countries across the African continent have to undergo substantial change in order
to address the pressing challenges of population growth and climate change. There
is a great need for a transition to agricultural production systems that are more productive, use inputs more efficiently, have less variability and greater stability in their
outputs, and are more resilient to risks, shocks, and long-term climate variability.
Smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on agriculture for food security and livelihoods. Given the importance of agriculture in the
context of rural livelihoods, food security, and poverty reduction, meaningful
climate- smart agriculture (CSA) has the potential to increase the livelihoods and
resilience of millions of smallholder farmers in Africa. In addition, there is an urgent
need for transformative change in our individual consumption behaviours and lifestyles that are linked to food demands that have important implications for future
pathways for agricultural development. The objectives of this paper are therefore to
(1) reflect on the need for transformation in environmental change context; (2) discuss the changing context and provide a short, analytical framework for CSA and its
linkages with vulnerability, resilience, and livelihoods and reflect on how CSA can
impact positively on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Africa; and (3) illustrate educational strategies in an adult learning context for personal transformation
that may eventually permeate to farming communities.
2 Transformation in a General Environmental Context
The failure of humans and institutions to come to grips with climate change is being
increasingly felt. We may have learned how humans contribute to climate change at
the proximal level, but we rarely ask why we leave a larger than necessary carbon
B. K. Sitaula et al.