Education for Sustainable Development

The Farmer Field Schools (FFS) initiative is a participatory approach to education that promotes hands-on learning through active engagement. Its non-formal nature involves experiential learning techniques and participatory trainings in the fields, encompassing the full cycle of growing and cropping. The main objective of the introduction of FFS as an alternative to the conventional extension approaches was to sharpen farmers’ knowledge and skills through season-long FFS training in farmers’ demand-driven technology (Bunyatta and Mureithi, n.d; FAO, 2001). The initiative was introduced in Kenya in 1996, with four FFSs opening in Kakamega District, Western Province. Since then, hundreds more have been opened, mainly in Western Province (Kakamega, Busia and Bungoma), Coast Province (Kilifi and Kwale) and Central Province (Kiambu). Initially, the programme focused on maize; however, it has developed to include other crops and livestock production.

In 2010, the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education launched its Blueprint on Enculturation of Lifelong Learning for Malaysia (2011–2020) with the aim of incorporating lifelong learning into the daily lives of its citizens; lifelong learning being considered to be one of the three pillars of human capital development, alongside school and tertiary education. Implementing the initiative would mean taking a step towards prioritizing lifelong learning and forming a mainstream attitude towards education (ASEM Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning, 2018).

In 2005, Okayama City, Japan, established an ESD Promotion Commission with various stakeholders to develop a plan to harness formal and informal learning to promote sustainability and environmental awareness. In 2015, a new plan was developed that identified eight priorities and was further supported by the 2016 initiative of emphasizing the intention to make Okayama a learning city. The aims of the plan included assisting people who have a vision for the future that coincides with the principles of education for sustainable development (ESD) to participate in the process of city development, facilitating traditional culture and fostering intercultural exchange, protecting the environment and strengthening the economy (UIL, 2017).

The initiative of transforming Gelsenkirchen from an industrial hub into a learning city was implemented as an attempt to revive a city suffering from high unemployment rates that had reached 15 per cent by 2016. In 1998, after careful consideration of the current situation, aGEnda 21 was initiated to increase the city’s sustainability and incorporate new learning strategies that would improve the quality of life. Since 2008, efficient measures have been implemented to promote lifelong learning based on education for sustainable development (ESD). In 2016, more than 120 businesses, institutions and organizations signed a Joint Declaration on Learning as a confirmation of commitment to the development of the city and the community.

Kenya Vision 2030 is a development programme implemented between 2008 and 2030. Its objective is to transform Kenya into a ‘newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment’ (Kenya Vision 2030, 2021).