Ibrahim Ngah

Participatory approach in planning for low carbon and eco-village: A case of Felda Taib Andak

Participatory approaches have becoming an important tool in planning of sustainable communities. Although participation is conceived as a malleable concept there are certain methods that planners can adopt to ensure a meaningful participation. This paper will provide some experiences and lessons on how participatory planning could be carried out with local people, the role of planners in the process of plan preparation, implementation and the outcome. This paper first explores some of the meanings of participation, the criteria of participation and the approaches of participation in planning for sustainable community. The second part is a description and discussion of how participatory approach in planning was applied in planning for low carbon and eco-village in Iskandar Malaysia based on a case study of planning of Felda Taib Andak scheme. The participatory approach involved a series of meetings, site visit and focus group discussions with representative of the Felda Village to come out with action plan and actual implementation. From focus group discussions a roadmap consisted of a vision and objectives and a dozen actions were formulated and adopted. In the process of implementation the main implementation & coordination committee was form in which the author (planner) is one of its members to look into fund raising & implementation strategies together with the local people. Several task forces or sub committees responsible to implement the dozen actions were also formed. The outcome was encouraging in which some of the actions such as planting of bamboo trees, reduction of pollution from oil palm factory and bicycling activities has been implemented and shown progress. The paper also highlights some of the issues and challenges in participatory planning.

Eco-friendly kitchen gardening by Pakistani rural women developed through a farmer field school participatory approach

A joint venture was made by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Society of Facilitators and Trainers Pakistan to train rural women of eight districts of Pakistan in kitchen gardening and off-season vegetable cultivation using a farmer field school (FFS) approach. Overall, 42 females were trained as master trainers who in turn established 48 season-long FFS where 1227 rural females were facilitated to establish home gardens and field plots with emphasis on minimizing chemical inputs in crop production and protection. Observatory skills regarding regular plant growth and ecology were enhanced through agroecosystem analysis, which, in turn, improved their crop management decisions. The largest portion of FFS participants (38.2%) was illiterate and with regard to age, the largest category (36.6%) was 21–30 years old. The participatory FFS activities not only enhanced the awareness of participating rural women folk but also provided a forum to share their experiences. They gained confidence and improved their social interactions and awareness about their role in improving livelihoods and agriculture. The cost–benefit analysis showed home gardens and field plots of vegetables to be economically beneficial activities.

The Perspective of Students on Factors Affecting Their Academic Performance at the Tertiary Level

Aims: To determine the factors that affect students’ academic performance at tertiary institutions with the view of enhancing learning. Study Design: Survey was adopted as the research method for this study.

Facilitating earthquake-affected rural women communities toward sustainable livelihoods and agriculture

Women open school participatory learning approach was used to build up the capacity of 1055 rural women of selected earthquake-affected areas of Balakot, district Mansehra, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province of Pakistan in kitchen gardening and off-season vegetable cultivation, integrated pest management, pesticide risk reduction, poultry and livestock management, health and hygiene, and income-generating approaches. Community-based collective learning was found to be effective for changing rural womens perception about pesticides, role in agriculture, home, and contribution to household income as well as in decision making. It also improved knowledge, awareness, confidence, self-awareness, agricultural practices, social interactions, and enhanced motivation for revival of livelihood.