Unit 3. The Potato Programme in Ethiopia

Transcription

1 Unit 3 The Potato Programme in Ethiopia Learning outcomes: Pupils will be enabled to: Materials: Consider the current challenges facing small farmers in Ethiopia Describe the importance of the potato from a historical and nutritional point of view Explore the impact of the Irish Aid supported Potato Programme on the lives of people in Ethiopia Consider the link between the Potato Programme and the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development Create a Global Goals Mr/s Potato Head Activity One: Introducing the Potato Programme Map of the world Ethiopia Country File: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 6) Vita s Potato Programme: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 7) Activity Two: All about the spud All about the spud: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 8) Flipchart sheets Markers Activity Three: Tozene s Story Map of the world Tozene s Story: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 9) Tozene s Wordsearch: Pupil Worksheet (page 10) Activity Four: Global Goals Connections Global Goals Connections: Teacher Resource Sheet (3 rd -4 th class Unit 2, page 7) United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development (child-friendly version): Pupil Information Sheet (3 rd -4 th class Unit 1, page 10) Activity Five: Mr/s Potato Head Sample Mr/s Potato Heads: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 11) Flipchart sheets Markers 1

2 Concluding Reflection/Literacy Activities: 3-2-1: Pupil Worksheet (3 rd -4 th class Reflection/Literacy Activities, page 2) Word Map: Pupil Worksheet (3 rd -4 th class Reflection/Literacy Activities, page 3) Introduction: Unit 3 focuses on The Potato Programme in Ethiopia, set up and run by an Irish nongovernmental organization (NGO) called Vita, with support from Irish Aid. The Potato Programme helps small farmers become food secure by encouraging famers cooperatives, supporting farmers to grow high yield varieties of seed potatoes, and to build potato storage units. Pupils learn how with Irish Aid support Vita is working to overcome the challenges facing small farmers in Ethiopia (Activity One). They use music to reflect on what they have learned about the potato, and its importance in Ireland and Ethiopia (Activity Two). In Activity Three, pupils engage in a literacy activity based on a case study of Tozene Nada, a female farmer in Vita s Potato Programme. Pupils explore the different ways that the Potato Programme is working to achieve the United Nation s Global Goals for Sustainable Development (Activity Four). Pupils put their creativity to use in the final activity, which involves drawing and colouring a Mr/s Potato Head with the Global Goals linked to the Potato Programme in mind (Activity Five). This Unit ends with two (optional) activities which allow pupils to reflect on their learning and build their vocabulary (3-2-1 and Word Map). Step-by-Step instructions: Activity One: Introducing the Potato Programme 1. Remind the class that Ethiopia, a country in north-eastern Africa, is one of Irish Aid s 9 partner countries. 2. Locate Ethiopia on a map of the world. 3. Ask the class what they already know about Ethiopia, and record their responses on the board. 4. Display Ethiopia Country File: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 6). NOTE: Depending on your class and internet access you may wish at this point to facilitate further research into Ethiopia. For example, you could set pupils the task of finding out something about famous Ethiopian sportspeople, religious beliefs in Ethiopia, or common Ethiopian foods etc. 5. Ask pupils to guess what are the most commonly grown crops in Ethiopia? 6. Explain that in Ethiopia the main crops are grain or cereals (such as wheat, barley and corn), pulses (such as chickpeas), oilseeds (such as sunflowers), and coffee. 7. Explain that in Ethiopia most people live on the land and have to make their living from very small plots of land (average = 0.26ha). Nowadays farmers often don t know when the rains will come, due to climate change their crops can sometimes be affected by poor quality soil and farmers often have difficulty getting seeds and 2

3 fertilizers. When they have food left over to sell, farmers can find it hard to get their crops to markets because they don t have transport or the roads are bad. To support small farmers to make better lives for themselves and their children Irish Aid have been working as a partner with an Irish charity, or non-governmental organisation (NGO), called Vita. Vita supports small farmers in Ethiopia to grow good quality potatoes. NOTE: Depending on your class you may wish to explain that non-governmental development organizations (NGOs) are charities which help people in poor countries. NGOs get money from public donations and many also get money from Irish Aid. 8. Display Vita s Potato Programme: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 7) on the board. 9. Read the information on the resource sheet aloud, checking for understanding in relation to terminology and the processes involved in the Programme. Activity Two: All about the spud 1. Draw or display a picture of a potato on the board. 2. Ask pupils to brainstorm what they know about potatoes, for example, is there another name for a potato (Spud), can they name any of the different varieties of potato, how are potatoes cooked etc. 3. Display All about the spud: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 8) on the board. 4. Read the information on board aloud and ask pupils to identify new information/anything that surprises them. 5. Ask the class if anyone knows a song about potatoes? 6. Remind pupils of the children s nursery rhyme One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four. 7. Tell them that they should imagine that they are going to teach the more junior classes in the school about the potato. Explain that they are going to work together in groups to come up with 1-2 additional verses for this nursery rhyme. They should use the information they have learned about the value of the potato for children/people all over the world when making up the new lyrics and should add voice or body percussion if possible. 8. Divide the class into small groups. 9. Distribute a flipchart sheet and markers to each group for them to record their new lyrics. 10. Facilitate the presentations of finished nursery rhymes. 11. Display the nursery rhyme lyrics in the classroom, and encourage pupils to try out their new lyrics with younger siblings or friends. Activity Three: Tozene s Story 1. Explain to the class that they are going to read about a female farmer called Tozene Nada who lives in southern Ethiopia. 2. Ask one of your pupils to locate southern Ethiopia on a map of the world. 3. Explain that in Ethiopia many women work on the land and they play a vital role in terms of supporting their families and producing food. 4. Divide the class into pairs. 5. Display Tozene s Story: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 9) on the board. 3

4 6. Help pupils to understand the more technical words in the text of Tozene s story, e.g. weaver (person who makes material or fabric), Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia) etc. 7. Explain that each pair is going to work together to solve a wordsearch with clues from Tozene s story. 8. Distribute one copy of Tozene s Wordsearch: Pupil Worksheet (page 10) to each pair. 9. Ask pairs to swap completed worksheets for checking. Activity Three: Global Goal Connections 1. Explain that the 17 United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development are linked to each other. All the Goals are equally important, but that no Goal can be achieved without the others. 2. Display Global Goals Connections: Teacher Resource Sheet (3 rd -4 th class Unit 2, page 7) which depicts a linkage between Goals 2, 3, 4, 14 and Display United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development (child-friendly version): Pupil Information Sheet (3 rd -4 th class Unit 1, page 10). 4. Ask the class to discuss the Global Goals linked to Vita s Potato Programme. 5. Conclude by explaining that the Potato Programme is an example of how good and lasting ways of doing things (sustainable development) because it can make a real difference in the lives of poor people and communities, in terms of their diet, health and access to decent work etc., while at the same time not causing any damage to the environment. Activity Five: Mr/s Potato Head 1. Ask the class if anyone has ever played Mr or Mrs Potato Head (the game or computer version), or remembers Mr and Mrs Potato Head from any of the Toy Story movies. NOTE: Depending on your class you may wish to display Sample Mr/s Potato Heads: Teacher Resource Sheet (page 11). 2. Explain to the class that they are going to design and name their own Global Goals Mr/s Potato Head. 3. Distribute flipchart sheets and markers. 4. Encourage pupils to think about Tozene s story (Activity Three) and the United Nations Global Goals as they draw and choose colours, logos and text or numbers to design and name their Mr/s Potato Head. 5. Display the completed Mr/s Potato Heads on the classroom walls. Concluding reflection/literacy activities Briefly summarise what has been covered in Unit 3: The Potato Programme in Ethiopia. NOTE: You may find it useful to either draw on the learning outcomes listed at the start of the Unit or to summarise the completed activities/content from this Unit. 4

5 Invite each pupil to complete the 3-2-1: Pupil Worksheet (3 rd -4 th class Reflection/Literacy Activities, page 2). Ask for volunteers to share what they have learned, what they found interesting and questions they still have after Unit 3. Record pupil feedback and draw on this when it comes to the project planning stage. Word Map Ask pupils to brainstorm a list of the new words/phrases pupils have come across in Unit 3. Invite pupils to complete Word Map: Pupil Worksheet (3 rd -4 th class Reflection/Literacy Activities, page 3) as a homework task. 5

6 Activity One: Ethiopia Country File Teacher Resource Sheet Location: North-eastern Africa Flag: Population: Life expectancy: 94 million 64 years Currency: Ethiopian birr (1 birr is worth approx. 4c) Capital city: Official Language: Addis Ababa Amharic (hello = tena jistilign) Partner Country with Ireland since: 1994 Interesting facts: Ethiopia won 7 medals for track and field events in the 2012 Olympic Games in London - 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze. All the gold medallists were women. Ethiopia is home to 9 UNESCO world heritage sites, more than any other country in Africa. 6

7 Activity One Vita s Potato Programme: Teacher Resource Sheet Abraham and Tesfe outside their cooperative Vita Vita encourages farmers to set up cooperatives. Farmers cooperatives are a type of club, where a group of farmers work together to grow, harvest and sell their crops. The advantage of being a in a cooperative is that a group of farmers working together can get lower prices when they buy seeds, fertilisers and equipment; they can keep their costs low by sending their crops to the market together, and they can get a higher price for the crops that they sell. When farmers join the cooperative they can get a loan of seed potatoes supplied by Vita. These seed potatoes are better than the seed potatoes that the farmers in Ethiopia used before. This means that farmers can get bigger and better crops of potatoes. Seed potatoes Vita The farmers plant the seeds and use the money they earn from selling their potato crop to pay back their seed loan and buy more seed potatoes. Vita also helps the farmers to build storage for their potatoes. This means that the potatoes are not as likely to rot or get diseases, and they can be stored for longer periods of time, either to be eaten by the farmer s family or to be brought to market when the price is right. Irish Aid supports Vita s Potato Programme because it is one way of making sure that rural families are food secure (have enough good, nutritious food to eat all year around). Shege Shemana in her potato storage shed Vita 7

8 Activity Two All about the spud: Teacher Resource Sheet Is there another name for potato? Spud. Can you name any of the different varieties of potatoes? There are over 3,000 different species of potatoes growing in the world today. In Ireland we can buy Roosters, Kerrs Pink, Queens, Golden Wonder, Records etc. In Ethiopia Vita is helping famers to plant potato varieties called Gudene and Jelena. List some of the different ways you can cook/serve potatoes? Baked, mash, roasted, fried, chips etc. Where does the potato come from, i.e. where was it grown originally? The Inca Indians in Peru were the first to cultivate potatoes, around 8,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. That s over 10,000 years ago! When did the potato arrive in Ireland? The Spanish brought the potato from Peru in South America to Europe in the sixteenth century. People began to grow potatoes in Ireland in the late sixteenth century. In Ethiopia people began growing potatoes 200 years later as a way of making sure that they had enough to eat if their other crops failed. Why is the potato so important in Irish history? Potatoes are easy to grow, they don t need much water and they can grow even in poor soil. Most importantly, potatoes can feed more people than other crops, so lots of people depend on the potato to survive. The problem with depending on only one crop is that if something happens to that crop, then there is nothing left to eat. In the 1840s a potato disease, or blight, swept through Europe. The blight had a terrible impact on Ireland because by then so many people depended on the potato crop for food. Over one million people died, and another million left Ireland when the potato failed. Is the potato a good source of nutrients (i.e. can it help you grow and develop)? The potato is an incredible source of nutrients. Potatoes are a source of: Fibre - one baked potato in its skin contains more fibre than two slices of wholemeal bread. Potassium, which you need for your muscles to work well. Folate, which is really important for pregnant women to help their babies to develop properly. Magnesium, which keeps your teeth and bones healthy, and stops you feeling tired. Zinc, which helps your body to fight sickness and disease. Copper, for your nervous system which sends information from one part of your body to another; for example, if you put your hand on something hot your skin would tell your brain to move your hand away. Why do you think that the potato is an important crop in developing countries such as Ethiopia? Growing potatoes, alongside other crops, is a way for small farmers to make sure that their family stays healthy and is food secure (have enough good, nutritious food to eat all year around). The potato can be grown in soil that isn t suitable for other crops, and unlike other crops in Ethiopia, the potato doesn t need very much water. This is very important because in Ethiopia one of the impacts of climate change is frequent drought (lack of rainfall). 8

9 Activity Three Tozene s Story: Teacher Resource Sheet Tozene Nada on her potato farm Vita Tozene Nada lives in the beautiful mountains of the Great Rift Valley in southern Ethiopia. Aged 38, Tozene has three children, one boy and two girls, and works on the family farm. Fifteen years ago Tozene took over the running of her family s two hectares farm after her husband, Teste, was forced to leave home to find work as a weaver in Addis Ababa. Tozene found it difficult to grow enough good quality potatoes to make a living because the land was overworked. Another problem was that the main market for her potatoes was a small local market nearby, and according to Tozene: All the local farmers were harvesting potatoes at the same time as me, and this meant that prices were at their lowest when I brought my produce to market. I needed to find a way to grow more potatoes and store them for longer, until prices rose again. Four years ago Tozene got involved with Vita s Potato Programme. Tozene and some other farmers formed a cooperative (type of club) which means they can access quality, high-yielding seed potatoes, and can get better value when buying seed, and fertilizers. Being a coop member also means that Tozene can send her potatoes to the market in Addis Ababa, and Vita has helped her to improve the quality of her potatoes to get a better price. Teste, Bahiru from Vita and Tozene Nada Vita Tozene now has a potato store on her farm. This means that she can sell good quality potatoes, keep seed potatoes back to plant the following season, and store some potatoes for her family s use, so that her family is food secure for the entire year, with no hunger gaps. Tozene and Teste in the potato store Vita Tozene, Teste and two of their children at home Vita 9

10 Activity Three Tozene s Wordsearch: Pupil Worksheet You ve read Tozene s story...now let s see if you can find some of the key words from her story in this wordsearch. To make things easier the first word (Tozene) is already done. The words that you are looking for are: 1. The name of the woman farmer from Ethiopia taking part in Vita s Potato Programme 2. The number of children in Tozene s family. 3. The size of Tozene s farm. 4. The crop Tozene grows on her farm. 5. A type of club for farmers. 6. A place where potatoes are kept dry and safe from rot. 7. If you have enough good food to eat all year around you are C T A I E M A N E T I X U C P O T A T O E S R V O B A O A Z Z C A P M E A B Z A T O Q E A K L M N W F L K W G P W N S J Q Z B E N N T T G E E E D R A S V S X A H O M R R G F F Z X C G B J R K N A T W O H E C T A R E S S T T H W E R T Y U I O E M X I Y J S D F G H J K L G N D V U K Z X C V B N M K B B D E I L K C A S U C A L V V E M O P F O O D S E C U R E E 10

11 Activity Five Sample Mr/s Potato Heads: Teacher Resource Sheet 11