ACT in partnership with the University of Bobo Dioulasso (UPB) has since 2008 built capacities of rural development staff by hosting and offing academic internships will full scholarships to 21 students of IDR/UPB including 8 BSc and 13 MSc. These students conducted their researches in the fields of CA-based climate smart cropping systems, knowledge management and, CA technical and organizational innovation process and farm and territory scales. Most of the support was provided under the IFAD –financed smallholder conservation agriculture project (SCAP) http://scap.act-africa.org/. In the framework of the setting of its MSc II training programme in Rural Development, the Institute of Rural Development of the University of Bobo Dioulasso has decided to introduce a 30hrs training module on agroecology - sustainable intensification of agricultural production. The ACT West and Central Africa sub-regional Coordinator Dr Patrice Djamen animated this module during 2012/2013 academic year. 52 MSc students preparing specialization in the field of crop production, forestry, animal production or rural economics and sociology attended the course. During the course, students reflected on the application of CA in their specific fields but also on the linkages and complementarities that CA as a systemic innovation requires between their different disciplines. The objective of the module is to develop capacities of future senior rural development staff to enable them to use meaningfully CA as an effective and sustainable alternative to meet the rampant food security, economic and environmental challenges the agricultural sector is facing. The course addressed the necessity of intensification of agricultural production, the potential contribution of CA to make the transformation more sustainable, modalities for the implementation of CA and strategies for the management of potential constraints related to the application of CA. Through the engagement and support to Students, ACT is significantly enriching the existing local human resources and expertise on CA; to be mobilized for further research activities and/or the dissemination of CA both at national and sub-regional level. The ACT - IDR/UPB collaboration is envisaged to culminate in developing IDR/UPB a centre of excellence for CA. For more information visit: http://scap.act-africa.org/ or contact: info.bf@act-africa.org