One million euro NUFFIC grant awarded to international consortium, coordinated by the University of Groningen

One million euro NUFFIC grant awarded to international consortium, coordinated by the University of Groningen. The two year project will focus on improving the quality of vocational agricultural education in Mozambique.

The consortium, was awarded the grant for a project with the title ‘Enhancing community and market oriented TVET (Technical, Vocational, Education and Training) programmes in agriculture in the northern region of Mozambique through an interdisciplinary evidence generating approach with focus on food and nutrition security’. The project will run from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021.

Project Objective
Northern Mozambique has high potential for entrepreneurship in agriculture, but existing educational programmes do not succeed in developing this potential. The objective of the project is to reorient the programmes of three agricultural TVET institutes in northern Mozambique towards labour market-oriented value chain development and higher levels of earnings and more nutritious produce for the communities involved. The agrarian faculties of the University of Lúrio and of the Catholic University of Mozambique will accompany the process with research, supported by the University of Groningen. This will contribute to their skills in community oriented research.

Consortium
Apart from the University of Groningen, the consortium consists of the Polytechnic Institute for Higher Agricultural Education in Coimbra (ESAC), Portugal and the already mentioned agrarian faculties in northern Mozambique (Portuguese speaking). Three agricultural vocational institutions in two Northern provinces of Mozambique will be supported by the agricultural faculties of Mozambican universities and their Dutch and Portuguese partners to enhance the community and market orientation of their programmes.

Based on a needs and opportunities assessment, three communities of practice with each a different focus, will be formed around the three agricultural TVET institutes. These communities of practice will consist of a diversity of educational and agricultural experts and local stakeholders including youth, women and farmers’ groups. The project will enrich the local agricultural teaching practice along with the research capacity of the two agrarian faculties. Furthermore, it will strengthen the ties of the University of Groningen to Mozambique which can count on a joint history of some decades.

The Orange Knowledge Programme
The Orange Knowledge Programme is a €195-m Dutch global development programme, available in 53 developing countries and managed by Nuffic, a Dutch non-profit organization for internationalisation in education. Launched mid-2017, it aims to have provided tens of thousands with the possibility to change their future through education and training by mid-2022. Nuffic is funded by Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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