Curriculum vitae

Mundie Salm

Personal information

Full name Amunda Nenemoosha Salm
Nationality Canadian and Dutch
Specialisation Communications on sustainable development

Key Qualifications

My activities of the last two decades focus on education and communications about sustainable development. Topics of special interest are agriculture, rural development, food security, fair trade, social justice and HIV/AIDS. I have degrees in International development (BSc) and Ecological agriculture (MSc). My work experience includes production of various publications (research, writing, editing and translating), teaching, training and curriculum development; as well as project management (proposal writing, planning and budget reporting, M&E, capacity building, and network co-ordination). Countries of work experience are the Netherlands, Canada, Mozambique, Lesotho and Australia. I am a "people person", good at networking, and function well in a (multicultural) team as well as independently. My particular skill is in making complex concepts more accessible to a wide audience.

Professional Experience

Writer, editor and educator for Banana hill Consultants (2011-present and 2000-2007)

Various communications and educational projects for NGOs, a university, companies and private individuals.
Some examples:

  • KIT: Editor for writeshop on Innovation platforms in Africa;
  • Van Hall Larenstein: Guest lecturer and examiner for Master's programmes;
  • FOS Mozambique: Producing video on this Belgian NGO’s Mozambican food security programme;
  • IFAD: Research, writing and editing for guide on participatory M&E (sub-contracted by Learning by Design).

Learning AgriCultures co-ordinator/resource developer and Editor for ILEIA (2008-2011)

ILEIA is the Centre for learning on sustainable agriculture, a Dutch NGO that focuses attention on family farmers and sustainable agriculture.
Main tasks: Designing and developing a new series of educational modules (Learning AgriCultures); Managing a team of writers, researchers, students, illustrator and graphic designer; Regular reporting and strategic planning; and Editing and writing for ILEIA's quarterly magazine (Farming matters) and for the blog.

Consultant and JFFLS project officer for FAO Mozambique (2005-2007)

Based in Chimoio, the Junior Farmer Field and Life Skills (JFFLS) project provides a two-year training programme to vulnerable youths in regions of high HIV/AIDS prevalence, on sustainable farming, marketing and life skills.
Main tasks: Management, planning, monitoring and evaluation tasks; Co-ordinating the production process of the JFFLS facilitators’ training manual; and Organising JFFLS facilitator training programme and special workshops.

Information co-ordinator for the Network of European World Shops (NEWS!)(1997-99)

Based in Utrecht (the Netherlands), NEWS! was the secretariat for a European network of 15 Fair trade associations.
Main tasks: Co-ordinating and writing publications reporting on network activities and fair trade developments around the world.

Journalist for Wageningen University newspaper (1998-99)

Responsible for filling the international page of the weekly newspaper, aimed at the multicultural community of Wageningen University and Research Centre.
Main tasks: Interviewing, researching, writing, translating and editing of articles on a wide range of topics (from scientific studies to life as a foreigner in the Netherlands).

MSc Researcher on a farmers' direct marketing approach in Canada (1996-97)

Carrying out the first nation-wide survey of Canadian farmers' perspectives on the alternative CSA local food system.
Main tasks: Survey design, interviewing, analysis and writing up of results.

Programme assistant in Development education for the PWRDF (1992-93)

Based in Toronto, the PWRDF is the development organisation of the Anglican Church of Canada and supports a nationwide volunteer network with various educational activities.
Main tasks: Organising educational campaigns, workshops, a national conference, travel seminars of international partners; and Writing of proposals and evaluations.

Project Assistant for USC Canada in Lesotho (1989-90)

USC's focus is food and livelihood security for smallholder farming communities in the South; I was based in the USC project office in the capital, Maseru.
Main tasks: Conducting project evaluations and financial reports; Participating in a rural needs assessment survey; Organising a conference to improve collaboration among Lesotho's NGO community; and Carrying out my BSc research on USC-assisted co-operatives throughout the country.

Other experience

Board member of Vereeniging familie Salm

Part of six-member board managing 100-year family association that includes organising annual meetings, a family archive and an educational fund.

Parent representative in (primary) school boards - Mozambique and Netherlands (2005-2011)

Member of parent-teacher policy-making council at the Nudeschool in Wageningen; and perviously a leading member of the Chimoio International School (CIS) Board in Mozambique.
Main tasks: Formulating a strategic plan for CIS that led to improved management structure, new curriculum, evaluations systems, financial monitoring and PR; Contributing to and co-formulating policies (including an anti-bullying protocol) in Dutch primary school.

Advisor for HIV/AIDS-mitigation NGO (Kubatsirana), Mozambique (2004-2005)

Helping establish six nutritional and medicinal urban gardens targeted at families living with HIV/AIDS in Manica province.

Member of sales team in De Uitbuyt Fair Trade and book shop (1997-2002)

Assisting with sales, various management tasks and production of PR material development.

Gardener and Tree-planter (Canada, Australia and the Netherlands) (1988-89, 1994-97)

  • Working in a consumer-member urban garden in Wageningen;
  • Participating in WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) Australia where I also achieved a Permaculture design certificate; and
  • Working three summers as a tree-planter in several remote regions of Canada

Volunteer awareness-raising and educational activities with community organisations (Canada) (1987-95)

  • Organising public awareness and PR activities about Indonesia (East Timor Alert Network, Montreal) and Nicaragua (Tools for Peace, Toronto);
  • Teaching literacy and numeracy skills to adults (St Christopher House, Toronto);
  • Cooking in a “collective kitchen” (Montreal); and
  • Active participation in two student committees at University of Toronto (WUSC Student Refugee Sponsorship Committee, and Pugwash)

Education

Certificate in making Strategic communication plans at Hogeschool Utrecht, Netherlands (2011)

Eight sessions on the theoretical and practical foundation for making a strategic communication plan.

MSc in Ecological Agriculture at Wageningen University and Research Centre (1995-97)

Systems approach to the principles of ecological agriculture, with examples from around the world; courses ranged from physical to social sciences. Research and thesis on “Community shared agriculture” in Canada.

BSc Honours in International Development(specialist) & Geography (major) at University of Toronto, Canada (1987-92)

Multidisciplinary programme integrating the various issues involved in development co-operation: social and political sciences, agricultural sciences and project administration. Thesis on producer co-operatives funded by USC Canada in Lesotho.

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing
English fluent fluent fluent
Dutch very good very good good
French good very good good
Portuguese moderate good moderate
Spanish basic good basic

Passed the Netherlands State examination of Dutch as a Foreign Language in 1998. In Canada, attended a French immersion programme during primary and secondary schooling, and studied Spanish for three years. In Mozambique, practised and worked in Portuguese for four years.

Selected list of publications

Mundie Salm (2009-2010)
Learning AgriCultures series (Insights from sustainable small-scale farming). Modules 1, 2 and 5 (lead author), 3 (sole author), 4 (second author) and 6 (co-editor). Amersfoort: ILEIA. 120-150 pp each module

.

Lengkeek Ard, Marian Koster & Mundie Salm (2008)
Mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS in small-scale farming. Agromisa Agrodok. Wageningen: CTA. 76 pp.

Mundie Salm (2007)
Facilitators' Manual for the Junior Farmer Field and Life School programme in Mozambique (in Portuguese: 8-module course plus Facilitators' Guide and Cultural Activities Guide). Maputo: FAO. 350 pp. (Final publication pending: 2011)

Guijt I and Woodhill J, with support from J Wright and M Salm. (2002)
Managing for Impact in Rural Development. A Guide for Project Monitoring & Evaluation. Rome: IFAD.

Salm M, M Korteweg and M Gloge (1999)
NEWS! Yearbook 1997-98: “Made in Dignity”. Utrecht: Network of European World Shops.

Salm A (1997)
Direct Connections: Farmer-consumer communication in a local food system. Community Shared Agriculture in Canada. MSc thesis in Ecological Agriculture. Wageningen: Wageningen Agricultural University.

Salm A (1991)
Co-operatives in Lesotho: A comparative case study of nine associations sponsored by the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada. BSc thesis in International Development Studies. Scarborough: University of Toronto.

Shortlist of (over fifty) journalistic articles

Salm M (2010)
Learning about... Multi-stakeholder processes. Farming Matters Vol 26(4):33.

Salm M (2010)
Making education work for pastoralists. Farming Matters Vol 26(1): 35.

Salm M (2010)
Feeding the world 2. Leisa's Farm blog (Sept. 6 - part of a series on food security and small-scale farming.

Salm M (2009)
No-one should have the right to own life. Leisa's Farm blog (July 21).

Salm M (2008)
Living soils: Foundation of better agricultural practices. LEISA Magazine 24(2):4-5.

Salm A (4 March 1999)
The challenge of team-building: “Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing”. Weekblad voor Wageningen UR. Wageningen: Cereales.

Salm A (25 February 1999)
Dutch PhD Defence a public event. Weekblad voor Wageningen UR. Wageningen: Cereales.

Salm A (11 February 1999)
War in Sierra Leone affects agro-biodiversity: “Even the rebels need to grow food”. Weekblad voor Wageningen UR. Wageningen: Cereales.

Salm A (29 October 1998)
Dunglish: a persistent virus common to “Wageningers”. Wageningen Universiteitsblad. Wageningen: Cereales.

Salm A (1 October 1998)
Health promotion should build on how people think. Wageningen: Cereales.

Salm A (1997)
Eight Tips from the Experts to Make Your CSA Project a Success. COGNITION: The Voice of Canadian Organic Growers. Summer 23-24. Ottawa: COG.