Bi-National Agroecological Youth Engagement in Kamuli District, Uganda

Resumo

In order to provide agroecological food to rural public schools in the Kamuli District of Uganda, service learners from the Iowa State University- Uganda Program aided primary students in the construction and management of school gardens. A group of undergraduate service learners from Iowa State University and Makerere University worked at Namasagali and Nakanyonyi Primary Schools over the course of 8 weeks, working with students ranging from 4 to 14 years of age. Service learners worked as teachers at the schools, instructing environmental science and sustainable agriculture classes, while also constructing agroecological research projects. During this experience, service learners engaged in knowledge exchange with Ugandan students, studied agroecological farming techniques of the region, and developed agroecological research projects. As a result, the schools gained improved gardens, binational bonds were formed, and rural knowledge was exchanged amongst the youth involved.