THE CATIE EXPERIENCE IN AGROFORESTRY TEACHING AND TRAINING IN LATIN-AMERICA

CATIE has been involved in agroforestry training at the MS level, shor t courses for professionals, and in-service training since 1976. Appro ximately one hundred MS degrees with theses in agroforestry subjects h ave been awarded during this period, and well over one hundred profess ionals have participated in short courses. Almost all of these activit ies have been funded by various short-term projects. Although CATIE ha s maintained a staff with experience in agroforestry research and trai ning throughout this period, the dependence on short-term funding has resulted in changes in the personnel available to give courses. These changes have, however, to some degree reflected changes in the concept s of what areas within agroforestry should receive the greatest emphas is. The training program at CATIE has always maintained a strong on-fa rm orientation, but long-term experiments established at CATIE over th e past twenty years are employed to give more basic training in resear ch methodology.