Page 182 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

11 Developing a Sustainable Agricultural Curriculum in Malawi: Reconciling a Colonial Legacy 159

Fig. 2 Sample lesson plan on sunken plots

Most of the initial questions were about methods of composting using the Delia
plant and organic pest control. During this time, Timothy was downloading videos
and text from Dr. Chinkhunatha’s farming practices on his mobile phone. He was
also able to access the lesson plans on gravity-fed irrigation, composting, sunken
plots, and organic pest control. Timothy was able to purchase tools such as hoes,
spades, and watering cans, as well as seeds using project funds.
In July and August of 2008, Timothy posted photos and captions of the progress
of the garden (see Fig. 4). In these photos, the use of irrigation was documented.
Children were also busy digging ridges for planting corn, weeding the garden, and
harvesting the crops. The research and curriculum development team were very
excited with the data that was being collected using mobile phones and postings on
the project website. Although technical difficulties existed, the project demonstrated
that mobile phones were a viable tool for curriculum delivery and communication