The Nyahode Union Learning Centre (NULC) was established in 1986 to assist newly settled communities in literacy and numeracy, then in education and training, then in skills development, then in community extension, building sustainable livelihoods. In April 1990 NULC hosted a Land Use Design Workshop, and was awarded UN funding to implement the design that emerged from that Workshop for the 52 ha of NULC. In 1993 NULC was awrded the UN Global 500 prize for this implementation. In 1995, NULC separated into two: the Nyahode Union High School, and the Nyahode Union Technical College, still under NULC, and ownership was vested in a local Community Trust.
NULC (NUHS, NUTC) remains focussed on under-entitled youth and on peasant homesteads and associations. An initial focus on Permaculture Land Use Design led to a focus on PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management), which led to a focus on 'Sustainable Agriculture', which led to the current focus on Agroeology: Integrated Land Use Management through Participatory Approaches.
The NUTC has formally evolved and negotiated accreditation with HEXCO (the Zimbabwean Higher Education Council) two entry level, National Foundation Syllabuses, with handbooks: 'Agroecology: Integrated Land Use Management: Soil', and 'Agroecology: Integrated land Use Management: Water'. These two syllabuses were piloted at NULC, all the way through external examination and moderation to issuance of HEXCO NFC Certificates.
This was followed by a new syllabus, again with a handbook: a National Certificate, 'Agroecology: Agrarian Reform through Particiaptory Methodologies'. This too was piloted at NUTC through implementation, external examination, moderation, and the award of HEXCO-accredited National Certificates to the pioneer trainees.
Currently, NUTC is drafting a syllabus and handbook for a 'National Diploma in Agroecology', for presentation to the HEXCO Board, and for piloting at NUTC.
The overall programme is post O-Level (matriculation) and runs for three years: the two NFCs in one year, the NC in the second year, and the National Diploma in the third year. HEXCO qualificatons are valid across SADC.
The focus of the whole training programme is on young adults who have and farm a smallholding, who are basically literate and numerate, and who aspire to be 'Farmer Facilitators' in their own Communities.
Each trainee, from day one, initiates a Project at his or her own home. In the first year, they introduce basic soil and water innovations in their own fields, to manage their local watershed, and to build soil fertility. Their Project is marked and contibutes to their accreditation. In the second year, each trainee involves a few neighbours in watershed management and soil fertility improvement, while further developing their own Project. This involvement by neighbours is assessed and marked. In the third year, each trainee involves his or her broader community, still with a focus on watershed management and soil fertility, but introducing local processing and packaging and marketing of local products. Again, this extension is assessed and marked, as is the continued development of the trainees own homestead as a living working example.
Considearble impact is visble in the community of the Nyahode Valley, where basic agroecological principles have been taken up on a large scale, and sustainable livelhoods are developing. Literally hundreds of groups of smallholder farmers, mostly women, have over the decades come to NULC for training and facilitation in garoecological concepts and methods.
Once the full Agroecology Curriculum is complete, and has been finally validated by HEXCO, the intention is to introduce the Agroecology Curriculum at Rural Service Providers across Zimbabwe, such that each Rural Service Provider can identify potential Farmer Facilitators within their own communites, provide them with the training and faciliation, and conrinued support as they develop their own communites, from below and from within.
On its 52ha, NUTC operates an intensive set of agroecology working examples, in an extensive watershed management system, in fields and gardens and orchards. NUTC in principle does not train in an agroecological technology in which it is not itself involved in practice. Trainees are thus able to hear theory in the classroom, and see and experience reality on the ground.
Funding, and the political climate, have been and continue to be restraining factors, but progress is being made, slowly but surely. Brot fuer die Welt of Berlin, and Tudor Trust of London, have been the main supporters of the NUTC Agroecology Training and Facilitation programme.
Rob Sacco