Dr. P. S. RaoFormer FAO-UN staff

National Workshop on "Farmers’ Field School "

February 6-7. 2015

NIPHM, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

Farmer field schools (FFS) are a commonapproach used to transfer specialistknowledge, promote skills and empowerfarmers around the world(Waddington,2014).

FFS are implemented by facilitators usingparticipatory “discovery-based” learningbased on adult education principles.

Emerged out of a concrete and seriouschallenge – high usage of toxic pesticides forpest control in crops – health andenvironment problems

In Indonesia – in 1980’s – offshoot of greenrevolution

Govt sought a massive large scaledecentralised education program forfarmers – to reduce pesticides – but protectincomes and production

Inadequacy of govt. extension systems to make this happen

Demand from large no’s of poor farmers to be part of the program

IPM-FFS designed to address the above in 1989

Holistic view of Elements of agro-eco system (AES)

Impact of Human interventions – enhance or diminish

Large and highly Heterogeneity of the large farm lands

Farmers becoming experts and decision makers

How to enable the numbers

Application of IPM principles in the farms

Master the process to support other farmers to learn and apply

Collaborative activities/experiments by communities to institutionalise the principles

Drawn from adult non-formal education approaches

The FFS approach was designed to address the challenge of ecological heterogeneity and local specificity by placing the control of small-scale agro ecosystems in the hands of the people/farmers who manage them (Pontius et al., 2002).

First wave of FFS in 1989 in the rice fields of Indonesia

200 FFS’s in four districts of Yogyakarta

Indonesian National IPM program

Funded by Govt. of Indonesia, USAID

Technical support by FAO-UN

1800 FFS’s for rice by 1990 as part of upscaling of GoINIPM in 6 provinces

By 1991, pilot FFS’s for rotation crops and spreading to other countries in Asia

From 1991 to 1994, with support from the FAO Inter-country IPM Programme, rice IPM-FFSs reached to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

First Farmer-to-Farmer FFS in Indonesia in 1990 - an initiative of farmers who graduated from the first round of FFS

By 1993, Farmer-to-Farmer FFSs were established in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam.

From 1995 to 1999, the Farmer-to-Farmer Programme took roots in China, Lao PDR, Nepal and Sri Lanka

From 1991 to 1994, with support from the FAO Inter-country IPM Programme, rice IPM-FFSs reached to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Lao PDR, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

First Farmer-to-Farmer FFS in Indonesia in 1990 - an initiative of farmers who graduated from the first round of FFS

By 1993, Farmer-to-Farmer FFSs were established in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam.

From 1995 to 1999, the Farmer-to-Farmer Programme took roots in China, Lao PDR, Nepal and Sri Lanka

FFSs are now active in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East and North Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe, and in the United States and Western Europe (Denmark)

FFS implemented in a total of 87 to 90 countries reaching 15 to 20 million farmers(A. Braun, 2008)

2012-14; a systematic assessment of 80+ evaluations of various FFS’s carried out

FFS now includes PPM, INM, PCM, Livestock, Water, Climate Variability, etc.

The Field Schools differ from other extension methods with the following characteristics:

FFS are season-long crop and field based experiential learning

based on pre-identified challenge and curriculums

Support each participating farmer to get deeper insights regarding their crop ecosystem through individual assessment

Facilitate farmers in discovering knowledge and the methodology to learn more

Developing capacities in farmer to farmer dissemination of the process/technologies/options.

1. Group of farmers with a common interest

2. The Field – for collaboration and experimentation

3. Trained FFS Facilitators

4. The Curriculum – follows natural cycle of its subject

5. The Program Leader

6. Financing

With a common interest – pesticide reduction, yield improvement, etc.

Could be an established one – Self Help Group, User Commiitee, Rythu Mitra, youth clubs, etc

Mixed – male and female – or separate – depending on culture and tradition

New groups based on the need

Practical and hands on

Field is the teacher – plants, insects, soil particles, etc

NO classroom teaching / lecturing

Community’s own farm/plot

Un-learning of previous knowledge

Change of attitudes to that of facilitators

Skills in participatory learning

Discovery based learning

Technical domain knowledge

Group’s learning and action process

Farmer Facilitators – most effective than outside extension agent

Facilitation skills

Learn to grow crops soiling their hands

Organisation skills

Management skils

Preparing training materials, documentation, etc.

Must follow the natural cycle of the topic – crop / animal / soil etc - Seed to seed or egg to egg

Different aspects of subject goes in sync with what is actually - happening in the farmer field

Relevant technical topics simplified in pictures

All activities based on experiential learning

Action, observation,

analysis and decision making

Direct application of acquired knowledge in their field

Emphasis on ‘How’ and ‘Why’ – innovation and local adaptation

Season long experiments, short term activities

Icebreakers / Energisers / Team building exercises

Special topics – need based – Swach Bharat Abhiyan, HIV/AIDS

Resource Persons from research institutes, etc.

Enabling and overall lead

Support the facilitators

Negotiate challenges in transition to participatory approach

Organise the training materials

Identify resource persons – scientists, govt. staff, social leaders, etc.

Monitoring and evaluation

To support group learning activities – can be low cost or expensive

Training – key recurrent component

In extension – it is transport

Innovative ways to raise local funds – FFS plots?

Initial start-up costs – moderate

Running costs will be much lower

Scaling up costs will be reasonable and much less than traditional extension activity

Innovative ways to raise local funds – FFS plots?

The IPM Field School is field based and lasts for a full cropping season

A crop (rice) FFS meets once a week with a total number of meetings that might range from at least 10 up to 16 meetings.

Each FFS meeting includes at least three activities: the agro-ecosystem analysis, a “special topic”, and a group dynamics activity.

Between 25 and 30 farmers participate in a FFS. Participants learn together in small groups of five to maximise participation. (Pontius, J. et.al., 2002)

The primary learning material at a Farmers Field School is the crop (rice) field.

The Field School meeting place is close to the learning plots often in a farmer’s home and sometimes beneath a convenient tree.

FFS educational methods are experiential, participatory, and learner centred.

In every FFS participants conduct a study comparing IPM with non-IPM treated plots.

An FFS often includes several additional field studies depending on local field problems.

All FFS’s include a Field Day in which farmers make presentations about IPM and the results of their studies.

A pre- and post-test is conducted as part of every Field School for diagnostic purposes and for determining follow-up activities.

The facilitators of FFS’s undergo intensive season long residential training to prepare them for organising and conducting Field Schools.

Preparation meetings precede an FFS to determine needs, recruit participants, and develop a learning contract.

Final meetings of the FFS often include planning for follow-up activities

Users should be encouraged to monitor and manage their own groundwater system

Blending of science and indigenous wisdom is possible

Introduction of simple tools and skills would enable users to manage their groundwater systems

Lasts a full hydrological year

25 and 30 farmer participants

Once every 15/20 days

Primary learning material: HU

& farmer field

Sessions at farmer plots

Small groups of five to

maximize participation

Experiential, and participatory

methods

Hydro-ecosystem analysis, special topic, and group dynamics activity

Compare farmer and experimental plots

Several additional field studies depending on local field problems

Ballot Box Exercise: Pre- and post-test

Field Day: share learning and results of their studies

HU area calculationCrop Water requirement

Hydrologic cycle

Borewell discharge

measurement Pumping wells

In a basin Recharge Rate

Land Use Pattern

Hydrologic Basin

Annual Water Balance