1 gisela prasad challenging universities to be relevant to green community development in southern...

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Gisela Prasad

Challenging universities to be relevant to green community development in Southern Africa

SAHECEF Seminar 2 Developing a Green Economy: Renewable Energy, Climate Change and Social Justice

19–20 February 2013, UNISA, Pretoria

Energy Research Centre University of Cape Town

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Outline

· Background

· Brief review of successful initiatives/projects

· Case study: Taung Skill Centre

· Lessons learned

· Challenge for universities

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Background

· About 80% of the population live in poor rural and urban communities but only very limited university research efforts and resources are allocated to solving the problem

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What have others done?

· Good case studies: Some projects have used an integrated approach, eg., Warwick market upgrade in Durban, others were more focused on particular areas, eg, providing improved cook stoves for street caterers in Khayelitsha (Cape Town)

· Inclusive approach

· Respect for the knowledge of the communities, sensitive observations of how systems work

· Where are the entry points for upgrading, income generation, etc

· Discussion and checking with community members

· Community members implement with some assistance from the project

· About 80 % of the population live in poor communities. Why is the university-community engagement so limited?

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University-community partnership for development

Case study: Taung Skill Centre

The concept: Three for all

· The university initiated the project and formed a tripartite partnership of the university, community and donor/government

University

Community

Donor / Government

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The roles of the partners: University

The university · has access to and understanding of the world-wide information

technology and donor system· links the rural community to the opportunities of globally available

information and funding· taps the global system and translates and transfers that

knowledge and funding into appropriate action and· contributes to harnessing education, science and technology for

the progress of the poor and disadvantaged· coordinates the project initially, plays a mediator and motivator role · interprets government structures and donor intentions and

procedures empowering the community to access these resources· Initially assists with needs assessment, planning, training, report

writing, account keeping and conflict management and …

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The roles of the partners: University

· … gradually withdraws from the project, handing over all responsibilities to the community

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The role of the partners: Community

The community members· identify community priorities for the

technical and business centre· plan, set up, run and monitor the centre· provide human and natural resources· select the future instructors for the centre

and send them for training· design and build the workshop (when the

centre opened, staff and learners built all other structures)

· allocate a building site and agricultural land for demonstration and self-sufficiency

· teach and practice sustainable agriculture and rehabilitate the degraded landscape

and …

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The role of the partners: Community

· … gradually take over the roles of the university

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The role of the partners: Donor/government

Donor / government

· support capital investments

· encourage new development that have worked elsewhere

· evaluate the project in collaboration with the other partners

After the centre was established for a few years, government decided to contribute to recurrent expenditure, paying salaries for two teachers.

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The road to community self-reliance

· All participating people share the ownership of the project and support the centre in different ways

· The entire community contributed to the realization of the community skill centre and their primary motivation is to create jobs for their children

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Sustainability of the Centre

· Community owns and manages the centre

· Local unemployable youth are being trained and find jobs

· The centre provides services previously not availablein the village

Environment EconomicSocial

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Sustainability of the Centre

· The degraded landscape is continuously rehabilitated using contour swales, water harvesting, mulching producing food for sale and consumption at the centre

· Local materials are used when appropriate, eg., sand and stones for building

· A traditional rondavel was built with local materials to illustrate thermal indoor comfort as well as reduce the budget for building materials

· All buildings were designed for maximum thermal comfort in summer and winter

· Solar panels are used for electricity when applicable

Environment EconomicSocial

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Sustainability of the Centre

· The Centre is economically sustainable. The community can access services saving transport to the next town as well as time

· Now more money circulates in the village,leading to gradual sustainable development.

Environment EconomicSocial

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Income of the centre

· Students’ fees

· Providing services to the surrounding community and to institutions:

Charging batteries from solar panel Providing computer and internet access

to the community using solar electricity Growing and selling agricultural produce Making, selling and using solar cookers Carpentry, eg, making furniture

for surrounding schools Building houses and classrooms

for schools and other clients Welding Grinding maize and wheat

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Lessons learned

· A poor, marginalized and remote community forged a partnership with the university and donor/government

· The partnership encouraged reflection and a learning process towards empowerment and self-reliance (1999 and still running)

· Linkages and dialogues between the partners. Two-way links to government institutions

· The partners discuss, analyse and interpret the process of generating knowledge

· Recognition and understanding of complex systems and survival strategies in the community

· People from other communities and organisations visit to learn, discuss and replicate, leading to new partnership agreements with other people and organisations

· Some goods and services can now be provided within the community and money now circulates in the community and flows less to the nearest town

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The challenge for universities

1. The university research culture: Traditionally theoretical or high-tech research Not or not easily applicable to poor communities

2. The reward system: Publication in peer-reviewed journals, patentsMostly not relevant and not accessible to communities although the culture is slowly changing

3. Training graduates in specialised fields Too specialised and detailed for communities

4. Discipline approach to knowledge and knowledge creationCommunities need an integrated approach to solving their need to access mainstream development and getting on to the first rung of development

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Thank you

Email: Gisela.prasad@uct.ac.za