The Farmer Field School: a method for enhancing the role of rural communities in malaria control ?

Henk Van Den Berg,Bart Gj Knols

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-5-3

Henk Van Den Berg, Bart Gj Knols

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-5-3

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Abstract

Malaria has strong linkages with agriculture, and farmers in malarious regions have a central position in creating or controlling the conditions that favour disease transmission. An interdisciplinary and integrated approach is needed to involve farmers and more than one sector in control efforts. It is suggested that malaria control can benefit from a complementary intervention in rural development, the Farmer Field School (FFS) on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This is a form of education that uses experiential learning methods to build farmers' expertise, and has proven farm-level and empowerment effects. The benefits of incorporating malaria control into the IPM curriculum are discussed. An example of a combined health-agriculture curriculum, labeled Integrated Pest and Vector Management (IPVM), developed in Sri Lanka is presented. Institutional ownership and support for IPVM could potentially be spread over several public sectors requiring a process for institutional learning and reform.

Highlights

Malaria has major and multifaceted linkages with agriculture, both in a rural and peri-urban context [1,2]
This is expected to reduce the efficacy of indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated bednets, the efficacy of the latter intervention has, so far, only been marginally unaffected even in areas with high frequency of the kdr gene in the vector population [5]
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Farmer Field School programmes located in malarious areas will inadvertently influence malaria epidemiology if income and living standards are raised and if agro-pesticide use is reduced

Summary

Introduction

Malaria has major and multifaceted linkages with agriculture, both in a rural and peri-urban context [1,2]. A variety of interpretations of participation exist, ranging from passive participation (where people are told what is to happen) and functional participation (as a means to achieve external goals), to self-mobilization (where the people take initiative), with the latter most likely to lead to positive change [14] In this commentary, the potential value of a popular participatory approach for malaria control, called the Farmer Field School, is discussed, while drawing on experience from a project in Sri Lanka. IPM Farmer Field School programmes located in malarious areas will inadvertently influence malaria epidemiology if income and living standards are raised (by improving people's access to health care) and if agro-pesticide use is reduced (by lowering the risk of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors). Considering the flight radius of anophelines, field-level management would need to be implemented over a sufficient area to have an effect on vector populations This requires active participation of large numbers of farmers.

Mosquito breeding habitat 3 Adult mosquito sampling

Conclusion

Georghiou GP