Professor Peter Scott, President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), delivered a commencement address to Dominica’s Farmer Field School graduation ceremony – a partnership of the University of the West Indies Global Campus and COL’s Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) initiative.
The Farmer Field School project was developed to provide practical, farm-based training opportunities in sustainable agriculture to farmers and other agricultural workers, including young persons, women and men, located in the farming communities of the Commonwealth of Dominica. This project, designed to promote lifelong learning, enhance food security, and leverage technology for skills development, provides equitable access to training for individuals within farming communities.
VUSSC has successfully concluded the first iteration of this groundbreaking training initiative to support local farmers in Dominica.
As a collaborative network of small states, VUSSC develops and shares open learning materials for post-secondary and skills-based courses in tourism, entrepreneurship, disaster management, assistive technologies, information and communication technology, and sustainable agriculture. This latest initiative underscores its commitment to fostering agricultural resilience in the face of climate change and food insecurity, which are critical challenges for small island nations in the Caribbean.
Through a blended learning approach, the programme trained 26 participants –18 women and eight men. Practical, hands-on sessions occurred at Portsmouth, Dominica’s One Mile Agricultural Station. At the same time, theoretical instruction was delivered via Moodle – an online learning platform featuring readings and multimedia resources. A key component of the course was integrating artificial intelligence in agriculture, equipping participants with the knowledge and tools to implement SMART Farming techniques in small states.
As an adaptable, open-access programme, this initiative is designed for replication across other Commonwealth nations, ensuring a broader impact on sustainable agriculture. Today, the achievements of the newly-certified farmers are being celebrated, with 70 per cent earning a Mastery certificate and 30 per cent receiving a Certificate of Achievement.
In his virtual address to the event, Professor Scott reaffirmed COL’s dedication to open educational resources and capacity building through technology-based learning, stating, “COL remains committed to supporting the small states of the Commonwealth through the VUSSC initiative, ensuring access to quality education that drives sustainable development and economic resilience.”
Dr Schontal Moore, Adviser: VUSSC, commented, “The farmers are building capacity by integrating AI as their assistive technology into community-based training to support lifelong learning and agricultural sustainability for the Commonwealth of Dominica. This will be a remarkable income earner, not just for the learners, but also a game-changer for the Commonwealth of Dominica in its efforts to improve agricultural resilience, considering climate change.”
Full video address by Professor Scott here: https://youtu.be/FaKmAZfvrB8
