Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools
Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2019-06-01

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 9251315698

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The Farmer Field School (FFS) has been one of the most successful approaches developed and promoted by FAO over the past three decades, empowering farmers to become better decision makers in their own farming systems. Initiated by FAO in 1989, and subsequently adopted by many other organizations and institutions, the FFS programs constitute one of the most important “results of the collective action of millions of small-scale farmers” that FAO has supported. FFS is an interactive and participatory learning by doing approach that offers farmers, pastoralists, fisherfolks, foresters and their communities a place where they can learn from each other,share experiences, co-create knowledge and try new ways of doing. Participants enhance their understanding of agro-ecosystems, resulting in production systems that are more resilient and optimize the use of available resources. FFS aims to improve farmers’ livelihoods and recognize their role as innovators and guardians of natural environments. FFS has attained plenty of outstanding achievements in all aspects of agriculture and rural development.

Farmer field schools, gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment
Farmer field schools, gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment

Author: Chocholata, L.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2023-03-16

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 9251376514

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Senegal has had extensive experience with the development and implementation of the farmer field school (FFS) approach across almost two decades. Building on this experience and that of the first phase of the scoping exercise conducted in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region (and using the same methodology), a field visit took place in order to support the efforts of FAO Senegal in its FFS-related work and assessments, as well as assist with the production and sharing of information at the regional level. The main objective was to collect and analyse the experiences of FFS members, graduates and practitioners in relation to gender equality, social inclusion, and individual and community empowerment, as well as changes to these as a result of participation in an FFS, while also confirming the relevance and/or importance of certain related thematic areas. The purpose of the initiative is to make farmers’ experiences more visible, and not only demonstrate the impact of FFS programmes, but also use these experiences in future implementations of the FFS approach. By identifying gaps in knowledge and opportunities, achievements and challenges, best practices and lessons learned, this exercise aims to provide an insight into and deeper understanding of the FFS’ gender and social dimensions. It offers the opportunity to reflect on this cross-cutting issue to allow these aspects to be better incorporated into the broader FFS discussion and its wider work. The exercise also identifies the needs of FFS facilitators in relation to gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment, and examines the relevance of related concepts and approaches and its modalities. A review of the existing work on strengthening gender equality and improving access for vulnerable groups within the context of FFS programmes has also been conducted.

Sending Farmers Back to School
Sending Farmers Back to School

Author: Gershon Feder

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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This paper evaluates the impact of farmer field schools, an intensive participatory training program emphasizing integrated pest management. The evaluation focuses on whether program participation has improved yields and reduced pesticide use among graduates and their neighbors who may have gained knowledge from graduates through informal communications. The study utilizes panel data covering 1991-99 in Indonesia. The analysis, employing a modified "difference-in-differences" model, indicates that the program did not have significant impacts on the performance of graduates and their neighbors. Several plausible explanations for this outcome are discussed, and recommendations for improvements are suggested.

Farmer Field School Guidance Document
Farmer Field School Guidance Document

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2018-06-08

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 9251091269

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This FFS Guidance Document focuses on the process and critical decisions that are necessary when starting a new FFS programme, and guides the reader through the essential steps required to establish a solid basis for such programmes, in tune with the specific local conditions. It also defines the essential elements and processes required to ensure programme relevance, quality, growth and sustainability. The document differs from most of the FFS manuals and guidelines available in that it focuses on providing support to FFS programme managers and formulators, as opposed to FFS field facilitators or trainers, who are the primary target group for most existing manuals.

Farmer field schools, gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment
Farmer field schools, gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2020-11-26

Total Pages: 107

ISBN-13: 9251331987

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The main objective of this exercise has been to collect and analyze the experiences of Farmer field schools (FFS)/Agro-pastoralist field school (APFS) members, graduates, and practitioners in relation to gender equality, social inclusion, and individual and community empowerment, as well as changes to these as a result of participation in an FFS/APFS. Furthermore, the purpose of the initiative is to make farmers’ experiences more visible, and not only demonstrate the impact of FFS/APFS programs but also use these experiences in future implementations of the FFS/APFS approach. By identifying gaps in knowledge and opportunities, achievements and challenges, and best practices and lessons learned, this exercise aims to provide an insight into and deeper understanding of the FFSs’/APFSs’ gender and social dimensions. It offers the opportunity to reflect on this cross-cutting issue to allow these aspects to be better incorporated into the broader FFS/APFS discussion and its wider work. The exercise also identifies the needs of FFS/APFS facilitators in their work with issues of gender equality, social inclusion and community empowerment, and examines the relevance of related concepts and approaches and its modalities . A review of the existing work on strengthening gender equality and improving access for vulnerable groups within the context of FFS/APFS programs has also been conducted. The exercise’s main thematic areas of the exercise are gender equality and women’s empowerment, social inclusion and community empowerment, with additional areas including nutrition-related decision-making and sustainable agricultural production, and in some cases, access to and control over natural resources.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning in farmer field school programmes
Monitoring, evaluation and learning in farmer field school programmes

Author: van den Berg, H.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2023-04-06

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 9251377839

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This document focuses on the implementation phase of farmer field school (FFS) programmes and provides guidance and tools that will help farmer field schools to bring about the change expected by the programme and the communities it supports, by setting up a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) system. It also introduces impact assessment as an integral management function linked to monitoring, evaluation and learning in FFS programmes. It is aimed at project and programme designers, managers and staff involved in planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning of project/programmes with a farmer field school component. It also targets those who will be involved in the initial design, planning, follow-up of monitoring, evaluation and learning and impact assessment to improve programme implementation. The document outlines background information and tools to help ensure that implementation of FFS programmes will lead to the anticipated outputs, outcomes and impacts, by setting up a robust MEL system and impact assessment methodology/framework for the improvement of ongoing FFS projects and programmes and the design of new ones.

Stepping-stones to Improve Upon Functioning of Participatory Agricultural Extension Programmes
Stepping-stones to Improve Upon Functioning of Participatory Agricultural Extension Programmes

Author: Prossy Isubikalu

Publisher: Brill Wageningen Academic

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13:

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"The Farmer Field School (FFS) originated in the 1980s in the context of integrated pest management in Indonesian rice farming. With the hope that it is the remedy for agricultural extension system, FFS has been promoted as a tool for participatory learning and experimentation all over the world. This work results from a critical analysis of the introduction of the FFS concept into the agricultural innovation system in Uganda. Ideally, an FFS produces new technical knowledge in the context of application through the input of local human resources. The analysis, framed as a technography, shows that implementation and operation of an FFS is hugely complex. This detailed study of institutional factors, from the level of international donor organizations down to the level of local leadership and gender relations, and analysis of technical factors in different rural areas of Uganda makes clear that and FFS is more than a local tool for farmer participation in agricultural improvement. Implementation of a FFS requires adjustment of the agricultural innovation system at all levels and an integrated tackling of agricultural problems in order to meet its objectives. Isubikalu shows that it is imperative to 'demolish' existing organizational structures and create new ones, which align scientific with local structures to produce an appropriate people-centered system that is more responsive to agricultural and rural development. She provides stepping stones in redesigning FFS to fit the specific conditions in Uganda."

Bringing climate change adaptation into farmer field schools
Bringing climate change adaptation into farmer field schools

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2021-09-24

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9251348464

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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed this guidance note to assist FFS master trainers and facilitators bring about climate change adaptation in FFS. The guide provides key information on how the climate is changing, and how these changes are impacting the agricultural (crops and livestock), aquaculture and agroforestry systems of smallholder farmers. The note provides guidance to FFS practitioners so that they can better work with individual farmers and communities – using a “climate change lens” – in identifying, testing and adapting new practices that respond to changes and variability in local weather. The guide is not intended as a textbook on climate change but is prepared for easy understanding of basic concepts of climate change to support the interpretation of climate information in specific farming contexts and steps that FFS facilitators “must know” in starting FFS programmes that respond to climate change challenges.