Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251315698
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
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.

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools

Farmers taking the lead: thirty years of farmer field schools PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251315698
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Get Book Here

Book Description
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 School Guidance Document

Farmer Field School Guidance Document PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251091269
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112

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Book Description
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.

Monitoring, evaluation and learning in farmer field school programmes

Monitoring, evaluation and learning in farmer field school programmes PDF Author: van den Berg, H.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251377839
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
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.

Bringing climate change adaptation into farmer field schools

Bringing climate change adaptation into farmer field schools PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251348464
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
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.

Farmer field school curriculum for the integrated crop management of paddy, oil seed and pulses crops in central dry zone of Myanmar

Farmer field school curriculum for the integrated crop management of paddy, oil seed and pulses crops in central dry zone of Myanmar PDF Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 925136723X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 67

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Book Description
In this curriculum, integrated pest management (IPM) for these selected crops, paddy, groundnut, sesame, green gram and chickpea will be briefly outlined. The general concept of IPM will be the same for these crops although the insect pests, diseases and weeds may differ from one crop to another. The name of pests will be listed for information and important messages those are unique for Myanmar situation will be briefed if necessary, rather than giving detailed account of morphology, biology, ecology and management which can be readily available in published literature. It is aimed to improve the knowledge of farmers on the pests including insects, plant diseases, weeds and rodents causing reduction in the yield of field crops and how to manage the crops to boost the crop production without deteriorating environmental resources for sustainable agriculture.

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

Stepping-stones to Improve Upon Functioning of Participatory Agricultural Extension Programmes PDF Author: Prossy Isubikalu
Publisher: Brill Wageningen Academic
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
"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."

Making Markets More Inclusive

Making Markets More Inclusive PDF Author: K. McKague
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 113737375X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 377

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Book Description
Most studies of doing business at the "bottom of the economic pyramid" focus on viewing the poor as consumers, as micro-entrepreneurs, or as potential employees of local companies. Almost no analysis focuses on the poor as primary producers of agricultural commodities a striking omission given that primary producers are by far the largest segment of the working-age population in developing economies. Making Markets More Inclusive bridges the management literature with original research on agricultural value chains in developing and emerging economies. This exciting work is the first to delve into the skills, capabilities, strategies and approaches needed for inclusive value chain development. McKague shows how NGOs and companies can connect poor producers in developing economies with the right markets to better create social and economic impact. He also analyzes one of the leading agricultural value chain initiatives in the world, which is being replicated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in several different value chains in Malawi, Tanzania, Ghana, India, and Mali. Want more? Check out these compelling videos, which provide a glimpse into the stories and examples used throughout the book. Video Trailer for Making Markets More Inclusive. Farmer Training. Kallani Rani increased the productivity of her cows, become a cattle feed seller in her village (Chapter 6), and opened a fresh milk canteen in her local market (Chapter 7). She now trains other women farmers and works to improve opportunities for women in her community (Chapter 5). Animal Health Care Services. Asma Husna trained to be an animal health worker with CARE to provide important animal health services and education to local farmers on a fee-for-service basis (Chapter 6). Cattle Feed Shops. Fulera Akter started a business as a cattle feed seller after demand for nutritional animal feed grew due to farmers' improved knowledge of nutrition (Chapter 6). Savings Groups. Coauthor Muhammad Siddiquee, the Coordinator of Agriculture and Value Chain Programs at CARE Bangladesh, discusses the value of farmer savings groups (Chapter 6). Milk Collection. Sarothi Rani became a milk collector to earn an improved income for her family and provide an important service to other dairy farmers in her community (Chapter 7). Digital Fat Testing. Introducing digital fat testing machines into the dairy value chain helped reward farmers for making investments in producing higher quality milk, as well as ensuring transparent and timely payments (Chapter 7). Microfranchising. Supporting agricultural input shop owners with training, relationships to suppliers, common branding, and standardized customer services improves the productivity of smallholder farmers and the profitability of shops (Chapter 12). Bangladesh Dairy Value Chain Learning. Reflections from some of the 40 CARE staff from 17 countries who came to Bangladesh to learn from the experience of the dairy value chain project (Chapter 15).

Cassava Farmer Field Schools

Cassava Farmer Field Schools PDF Author: Martin Ameu
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
This manual is part of FAO's effort to promote sustainable intensification of smallholder crop production. It has been developed from experiences with farmer field schools in four African countries. It provides background information on the farmer field school approach and a compilation of field exercises as they are used in cassava farmer field schools. The guide is intended for use by farmer field facilitators during training of facilitators or during the farmer field school itself.

Guide to Extension Training

Guide to Extension Training PDF Author: Peter Oakley
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9789251014530
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 156

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Book Description
The framework of development; Understanding extension; Social and cultural factors in extension; Extension and comunication; Extension methods; The extension agent; The planning and evaluation of extension programmes; Extension an special target groups.

How can the farmer field school approach be used to support agroecological transitions in family farming in the Global South?

How can the farmer field school approach be used to support agroecological transitions in family farming in the Global South? PDF Author: Bakker, T., Dugué, P., Roesch, K., Phillips, S., Poisot, A.S.
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
ISBN: 9251361347
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
The key to implementing farmer field schools (FFS) is to trigger an experimentation process based on collaboration between a group of farmers and a facilitator. The purpose of this document is to provide project managers, technicians and designers with practical information on how to use the FFS approach and adapt it to their context of intervention to support the agroecological transition (AET). It also will be useful for research staff, leaders of farmers' organizations (FOs), teachers and students interested in using the FFS approach or better understand its benefits. The findings and recommendations proposed in this document are the result of a partnership between three institutions working to support AET in the Global South: CIRAD, FAO and the NGO AVSF (Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders). This document has four parts: -Definition of the FFS approach and its principles, and characterization of the advantages of this approach to supporting family farm AET in the Global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. -Presentation of several important points for a successful FFS, i.e. to strengthen farmers' skills to practically and collectively solve the problems they encounter. This second part is aimed specifically at development project managers and field technicians and facilitators. -Recommendations for project designers and managers for including FFS in development projects. -Proposal of ways in which FSS could evolve to better take into account the needs of farmers and other actors engaged in AET.