Second Agroforestry workshop at Spitak State College
On November 12, the “Shen” NGO held its second workshop on agroforestry at Spitak State College in Lori Province. As part of our commitment to providing capacity-building and educational resources to develop and spread agroforestry systems in Armenia, we returned to Spitak to hold a workshop with the lecturers at the college.
The methodology of the workshop
During a three-hour workshop, 18 lecturers were fully engaged in building a shared understanding and vision of the present and future of Armenian agriculture. Additionally, we had a discussion on their thoughts regarding how the educational sector can support the changes necessary to achieve this desired future.
The methodology applied to develop this workshop was again active participation, and the tools used were Rich Picturing and Visioning. The rich picture consists of drawing a complex situation or system in a large format. Through images, participants were able to express their thoughts, concerns, expectations, and feelings about a topic.
First part of the workshop
In group work, each group drew a rich picture representing the present situation of the Armenian agricultural sector, including the stakeholders involved, their functions, and interactions. Then, the groups shared their snapshot of the current situation of the sector. After vibrant discussions, they agreed on the main common elements, creating a shared vision of the current situation.
The second part of the workshop
The second part of the workshop consisted of drawing a rich picture, but this time on how they envision the future of Armenian agriculture. Prior, we had conducted a visioning exercise. It consisted of an eye-closed guided visualization in which participants were invited to imagine they were in 2045 and visualize what agriculture looked like then. Again, after drawing their rich picture, they shared it with the other groups and then discussed common elements, leading to a shared vision of the desired Armenian agriculture.
Final part of the workshop
The last part was a discussion on the steps needed from the current to the desired situation in the future. Participants shared their thoughts on the importance of strengthening the educational sector through governmental support in forming and training new generations of professionals in the agricultural sector. For them, that will lead Armenia towards a greener and sustainable agriculture.
How is this workshop related to agroforestry?
Considering that agroforestry is a type of agroecosystem including a wide range of practices and diversity of crops (woody and herbaceous), it requires a holistic approach to understand, learn, and then work on it.
Thinking holistically is essential in developing agroforestry. Therefore, inviting lecturers to envision the system as a whole, identify the composing elements, and understand their functions and how they are connected, is a way to build their capacities for the future development of agroforestry education in their institution.
Lecturers’ active participation in this workshop shows a real interest in exploring new methods, approaches, and practices in agriculture. This is a very strong incentive for the “Shen” NGO to keep working with Spitak State College on developing a future educational program in agroforestry.
