Coffee Industry News

Coffee Nursery Program providing Field Laboratory for Pupils (19/02/2010)

The School Nursery Program, a component of the much marveled Coffee Curriculum, provides a ‘field laboratory’ for students to learn the important and initial stages of coffee production.

Following its launching last week, the School Nursery Program is an add-on to the Coffee Curriculum so that it is not merely taught in the classroom but practically applied, hence, coffee planted in the field and not on classroom chalkboards.

The Coffee Curriculum is a joint development of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) Ltd and the National Department of Education (NDoE) and was officially launched in 2008. Its purpose is to educate and train students with the appropriate coffee knowledge and skills to be productive and purposeful citizens in the community when they leave school. In 2009, the first in-service was held to empower teachers and discuss the implementation of this innovation.

Financial support in developing, printing, launching and trialing the Coffee Curriculum came from the Agricultural Innovations Grants Scheme (AIGS) and is much appreciated by CIC and NDoE. 

CIC Industry Operations manager, Mr Ellison Pidik, whilst delivering
a speech on behalf of his Chief Executive Officer, Mr Navi Anis, during
the nursery launching, pointed out that the benefits of the innovation
is shared equally between partners-CIC and the government through
the NDoE. However, Mr Pidik emphasized, “the hands-on knowledge
that will be imparted to the many children is a lifetime experience and this kind of partnership would establish a socio-culture for our young future generation.”

Under the District by District Village Coffee Rehabilitation Program funded by the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), the CIC budgeted K300,000 for the School Nursery Program.

Each of the pilot schools in the Eastern and Western Highlands, Simbu, Morobe and East Sepik provinces will establish a nursery. All nursery materials will be supplied to all the schools. One set of nursery costs K13,000 and can hold 10,500 seedlings. These seedlings, when planted in an area of four hectares, can produce parchment valuing K30, 000 to K35, 000 at current prices. With the Program, schools become partly self-reliant financially. 
In line with the industry goals of increased productivity of high quality coffee, the Coffee Curriculum and the Nursery Program fits CIC’s vision for ‘prosperous farming communities’ and a ‘vibrant competitive and sustainable coffee industry’. 

Mr Pidik stressed that CIC was utilizing schools as vehicles for extension of coffee knowledge and teachers as the change or extension agent. “CIC does not have resources to put enough extension officers in all districts, thus utilizing the education system, we can realize our corporate visions and mission,” said Mr Pidik.

The second launching of the School Coffee Nursery Program will be at the end of February in East Sepik province, it being a significant Robusta coffee growing area.

 

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Updated: October 20, 2010