CATIE concludes diploma course on Water Harvesting in Nicaragua

• 22 officials from public institutions and 23 professors from national universities received their certificate of completion of a diploma course offered by CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza), which contributes to strengthening the capacities of the public sector in Nicaragua.

November 28, 2023. CATIE, through the project "Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change through Water Harvesting in Nicaragua", held a diploma course with the purpose of contributing to the training processes of professionals from development organizations, academia and public entities for capacity building, knowledge management and scaling up of water harvesting.

The diploma course, entitled "Water Harvesting Systems for Agriculture Resilient to Climate Variability and Change," included 6 courses. Some of the topics covered were water harvesting as a nature-based solution, site selection, design and construction of runoff water harvesting works, establishment and management of productive systems, drip irrigation, and planning and use of water for agricultural and livestock purposes, for a total of 172 hours.

To consolidate the theoretical and practical knowledge of the diploma course, two field visits were made to the farms of producers who are beneficiaries of the Water Harvesting project and are part of the learning routes. During these visits, the techniques and practices of water harvesting were deepened.

The participants expressed that the diploma course exceeded their expectations and they felt very satisfied with everything they learned. In addition, they highlighted the challenge of sharing their new knowledge and, above all, applying it in the work and institutional field, and in the case of university teachers, being able to transmit knowledge to their students.

This diploma course lasted 7 months and was taught by specialists from CATIE and the Water Harvest project, using participatory and procedural instruments and methodologies that promoted a creative manifestation of thought, encouraging discussion, analysis, reflection and active participation during the courses. To complete their studies, the students developed a final group project, with which they had the opportunity to develop project profiles on water harvesting systems for both productive and academic purposes, in support of agricultural research.