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New approaches to generating knowledge are needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participatory action research (PAR) builds on and expands the scientific process through engagement of scientists (ecological, agricultural, and social) with stakeholders in a systematic manner. To illustrate iterative co‐learning cycles, we report on two decades of PAR in rural communities in Malawi. Novel findings include the expansion of agricultural diversity beyond agroforestry to meet farmer requirements while enhancing redundancy and supporting a broad range of functions. Insights from farmers facilitated identification of the value of intermediate growth habits (such as those of shrubs and vines) as "goldilocks" crop types that tighten nutrient cycles in mixed farming systems while providing multiple harvests of nutritious seeds and forage. This illustrates how PAR involves co‐design with stakeholders and learning by doing, to meet local needs and mediate trade‐offs, as well as generate knowledge that addresses SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve equitable sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI), it is essential to understand differential access and control over agricultural resources by women and youth, and to assess how intensification interacts with gendered and age-dependent relationships. Existing packages for assessing women's empowerment in agriculture tend to be large-scale surveys that do not provide timely results, nor are they easily integrated into a gender-transformative process. This paper applies concepts from Kabeer on gender analysis and empowerment to evaluate promising tools available for assessing inequities in SAI and supporting a gender-transformative approach. We interviewed decision makers in Malawi and Ghana to understand their needs and practices for equityanalysis. We evaluated, adapted and tested tools to detect inequities from SAI. Our results demonstrate the suitability of tools to decision makers' needs for ex-ante assessment and early detection of disparities. We synthesize information from the testing and adaptation of tools about the resources required, the equity issues they can reveal and their potential role in a gender-transformative approach. The use of the tools needs to be part of an inclusive and culturally specific process for identifying gaps and facilitating a more equitable sharing of SAI responsibilities and benefits through iterative cycles of action and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Courses in Computer Programming and Information Technology are in high demand, as industry embraces the needs and requirements to embed technology in every business need. The authors of the paper are from a Technical College located in Pittsburgh, PA who have implemented and developed their departments' first mid-point student assessment towards their curriculum. This paper will focus on the data finding results and action plans from the student assessment for Computer Programming and Information Technology Associate degree programs and academic curriculum outcome results from the students' mid-point test assessments. This research hopes to add assistance to other Computer Programming / Information Systems and Information Technology / Data Communications curriculums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation agriculture is a set of practices widely promoted to increase agricultural productivity while conserving soil through reduced tillage, mulching and crop rotation. Adoption levels are low across southern Africa and farmers often use only some components on small portions of their land. This study uses in-depth interviews and partial budget analysis to explore adoption of conservation agriculture in Mozambique's Angonia highlands. Farmers described many benefits but there was little sign of adoption beyond plots where non-governmental organizations promoting conservation agriculture had provided inputs. Most farmers were adamant that conservation agriculture could perform better than conventional agriculture only if they applied fertilizer or compost. With current costs and prices, conservation agriculture is unprofitable except on small plots for farmers with low opportunity cost of household labour. These findings suggest that conservation agriculture can improve maize yields but capital and labour constraints limit adoption to small plots in the absence of free or subsidized inputs. Given the current ranges of prices for grain and inputs these manual forms of conservation agriculture will not be adopted on a large scale in Angonia. Nevertheless, small conservation agriculture plots can provide farmers with high yields where constraints are lowest. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]