362
might best be facilitated. There is also a need to provide supportive incentives and
policy reforms for farmers, such as access to modern inputs and favourable credit
terms, investments in infrastructure, tenure security, and functional markets.
Recent partial success stories in CSA implementation show its potential to help
African countries to increase agricultural production and incomes, adapt to climate
change, build resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. African policymakers and stakeholders have to show commitment by mainstreaming CSA into
national development programmes and policies that support sustainable agricultural
development, to decrease food insecurity and poverty. Public institutions and their
strategic partners, most notably the private sector and agro-advisory service providers, need to work together to scale up CSA practices, disseminate the knowledge,
and stimulate farmers to invest in CSA practices and technologies. As stated above,
a transformative approach is required for this, consisting of a ‘powerful unleashing
of human potentials to commit, care and affect change for better life’ (O’Brien
2012), including the personal transformation of agricultural professionals such as
farmers. In the next section, we describe the key concepts of personal transformation in an educational context.
Primarily, as far as upholding sustainable agricultural practices are concerned,
intervention is required at the individual level of agricultural professionals, as sustainable practices will be initiated and carried out by human agents. With appropriate
training and educational processes, humans have the potential to change themselves
and their agricultural practices. Such change processes take longer periods of time to
come about due to the required shift in personal and collective consciousness. For
such changes to occur, a carefully developed educational strategy for personal transformation is required that will eventually permeate farmers’ behaviour. The next
section explains such strategies in an educational/adult learning context.
5 Personal Transformation: Key Concepts and Ideas
From an educational perspective, transformation refers to a change or shift of meaning on dominant ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. A critical approach developed in
the mind of individuals may help ideas to be viewed differently. Thus, by becoming
critical and reflective, an individual can bring change within the self and others.
Transformation takes place within the self after the individual views the ideas from
different perspectives. In other words, we cannot transform ourselves by viewing a
belief or assumption in a ‘taken-for-granted’ manner. Being aware of one’s own
context and the resulting development of consciousness brings about change within
the individual.
The concept of personal transformation concerns a shift or change in the thoughts
and associated behaviours of individuals. It pertains to the self-awareness that takes
place after gaining knowledge through specific learning procedures such as critiquing, imagining, envisioning, and reflecting. Education promotes and enhances
awareness for personal development and thus personal transformation. Moreover, it
B. K. Sitaula et al.
might best be facilitated. There is also a need to provide supportive incentives and
policy reforms for farmers, such as access to modern inputs and favourable credit
terms, investments in infrastructure, tenure security, and functional markets.
Recent partial success stories in CSA implementation show its potential to help
African countries to increase agricultural production and incomes, adapt to climate
change, build resilience, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. African policymakers and stakeholders have to show commitment by mainstreaming CSA into
national development programmes and policies that support sustainable agricultural
development, to decrease food insecurity and poverty. Public institutions and their
strategic partners, most notably the private sector and agro-advisory service providers, need to work together to scale up CSA practices, disseminate the knowledge,
and stimulate farmers to invest in CSA practices and technologies. As stated above,
a transformative approach is required for this, consisting of a ‘powerful unleashing
of human potentials to commit, care and affect change for better life’ (O’Brien
2012), including the personal transformation of agricultural professionals such as
farmers. In the next section, we describe the key concepts of personal transformation in an educational context.
Primarily, as far as upholding sustainable agricultural practices are concerned,
intervention is required at the individual level of agricultural professionals, as sustainable practices will be initiated and carried out by human agents. With appropriate
training and educational processes, humans have the potential to change themselves
and their agricultural practices. Such change processes take longer periods of time to
come about due to the required shift in personal and collective consciousness. For
such changes to occur, a carefully developed educational strategy for personal transformation is required that will eventually permeate farmers’ behaviour. The next
section explains such strategies in an educational/adult learning context.
5 Personal Transformation: Key Concepts and Ideas
From an educational perspective, transformation refers to a change or shift of meaning on dominant ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. A critical approach developed in
the mind of individuals may help ideas to be viewed differently. Thus, by becoming
critical and reflective, an individual can bring change within the self and others.
Transformation takes place within the self after the individual views the ideas from
different perspectives. In other words, we cannot transform ourselves by viewing a
belief or assumption in a ‘taken-for-granted’ manner. Being aware of one’s own
context and the resulting development of consciousness brings about change within
the individual.
The concept of personal transformation concerns a shift or change in the thoughts
and associated behaviours of individuals. It pertains to the self-awareness that takes
place after gaining knowledge through specific learning procedures such as critiquing, imagining, envisioning, and reflecting. Education promotes and enhances
awareness for personal development and thus personal transformation. Moreover, it
B. K. Sitaula et al.