Farmer Field Schools Research Articles

The role of communities in sustainable land and forest management: The case of Nyanga, Zvimba and Guruve districts of Zimbabwe.

Forest benefit analysis is vital in ensuring sustainable community-based natural resources management. Forest depletion and degradation are key issues in rural Zimbabwe and strategies to enhance sustainable forest management are continually sought. This study was carried out to assess the impact of forests on communities from Nyanga, Guruve and Zvimba districts of Zimbabwe. It is based on a Big Lottery Fund project implemented by Progressio-UK and Environment Africa. It focuses on identifying replicable community forest and land management strategies and the level of benefits accruing to the community. Analysis of change was based on the Income and Food Security and Forest benefits, which also constitutes the tools used during the research. The study confirms the high rate of deforestation and the increased realisation by communities to initiate practical measures aimed at protecting and sustaining forest and land resources from which they derive economic and social benefits. The results highlight the value of community structures (Farmer Field Schools and Environmental Action Groups) as conduits for natural resource management. The interconnectivity among forests, agricultural systems and the integral role of people are recognised as key to climate change adaptation.

Role of Education in Technology Adoption:Evidence from Paddy Growers in Odisha

This paper examines the impact of farmer education on adoption intensity of modern paddy varieties (MVs) in irrigated as well as rain-fed farm environments of Odisha. Using tobit model, it is observed that there is a significant threshold effect of education on adoption intensity in the irrigated environment. Again, the pooled sample regression analysis after incorporating an interaction variable in-between farmer education and farm environment dummy has further strengthened the argument that both farmer education and conducive farm environment are complementary to each other. Therefore, the study suggests the development of irrigation and rigorous implementation of Farmer Field School (FFS) programme. The latter brings out all the information about modern farm technology, its usage and crop management practices to the farmers. At the same time, development of irrigation facility creates a favourable environment for the adoption of modern technology.

An Impact Analysis of Farmer Field School in China

In this paper, we investigate the impact of the Farmer Field School (FFS) intervention among small-scale tomato farmers in Beijing. Using data collected by face-to face-interview from 358 households on 426 planting plots in 2009, we evaluate the yield effect and find evidence of positive impact. We then examine the determining factors of farmers’ FFS attendance using the zero-inflated Poisson model. We find evidence of the positive impact of the FFS program on male participants but no impact on female participants. We find that some factors, such as being the household head, wealth level and land size affect both FFS participation decisions and attendance decisions, whereas other factors may affect only one decision but not the other. The results suggest that FFS is a useful way to increase production of farmers in Beijing and that the approach is especially effective for male and wealthy producers with smaller farm sizes and higher literacy.

The Impacts of Farmer Field School Training on Knowledge and Farm Technology Adoption: Evidence from Smallholder Maize Farmers in Oromia, Ethiopia

<p><em>This study examines the impact of Farmer Field School (FFS) training program on farmers’ knowledge and farm technology adoption. The FFS program was sponsored by the Ethiopian government and launched in 2010. The study aims to compare the impact of the training on knowledge and agricultural technology adoption of those FFS graduate and non-FFS graduate maize farmers in Oromia, Ethiopia. For this, data was collected in 2013 from 446 randomly selected households of three districts consisting of 218 FFS graduate farmers and 228 non-FFS graduate farmers. The analytical procedure has involved two stages: in the first stage, descriptive analysis was used to detect existence of difference in the household and farm characteristics of the two groups of farmers. In the second stage, a semi-parametric impact evaluation method of propensity score matching with several matching algorithms was employed to estimate the program impacts. The result reveals that although FFS graduate farmers have relatively higher knowledge test score than the non-FFS gradate farmers, farm technology adoption index of the later farmer group exceeds the former groups. This finding suggests that there is no necessarily linear relationship between increased knowledge and increased technology adoption. This further implies that the mental attitude of the smallholder farmers in study area is not actually shaped by misconceptions of technology as claimed by the Ethiopian government, but rather because of their firm understanding of what works and does not work according to their own realities. The policy implication of this finding is that knowledge can be translated into practices if a set of enabling factors and conditions exist. These factors including farmers’ positive perception of the technology benefits, access to complementary inputs, availability of crop insurance scheme, arrangement of credit facilities and favorable output markets as incentive for adopting full technologies.</em><em></em></p>

Impact of Training Bolivian Farmers on Integrated Pest Management and Diffusion of Knowledge to Neighboring Farmers

ABSTRACTTeaching farmers integrated pest management (IPM) in farmer field schools (FFS) has led to reduced pesticide use and safer handling. This article evaluates the long-term impact of training farmers on IPM and the diffusion of knowledge from trained farmers to neighboring farmers, a subject of importance to justify training costs and to promote a healthy and sustainable agriculture. Training on IPM of farmers took place from 2002 to 2004 in their villages in La Paz County, Bolivia, whereas dissemination of knowledge from trained farmer to neighboring farmer took place until 2009. To evaluate the impact of the intervention, self-reported knowledge and practice on pesticide handling and IPM among trained farmers (n = 23) and their neighboring farmers (n = 47) were analyzed in a follow-up study and compared in a cross-sectional analysis with a control group of farmers (n = 138) introduced in 2009. Variables were analyzed using χ2 test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Trained farmers improved and performed significantly better in all tested variables than their neighboring farmers, although the latter also improved their performance from 2002 to 2009. Including a control group showed an increasing trend in all variables, with the control farmers having the poorest performance and trained farmers the best. The same was seen in an aggregated variable where trained farmers had a mean score of 16.55 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.45–17.65), neighboring farmers a mean score of 11.97 (95% CI: 10.56–13.38), and control farmers a mean score of 9.18 (95% CI: 8.55–9.80). Controlling for age and living altitude did not change these results. Trained farmers and their neighboring farmers improved and maintained knowledge and practice on IPM and pesticide handling. Diffusion of knowledge from trained farmers might explain the better performance of the neighboring farmers compared with the control farmers. Dissemination of knowledge can contribute to justify the cost and convince donors and governments in low-income countries to prioritize farmers training.

The Causal Impact of Farmer Field School in Indonesia

Pesticides have many private and social costs to agriculture. To address this problem the World Bank has promoted Farmer Field School. The objective of the study was to estimate the Average treatment on Treated due to exposure of the farmer at Farmer Field School. The outcome variables were yield per acre and expenditures on pesticides. The decision to select Farmer Field School villages or farmers was not random from the point of view of policy makers. It was very important to overcome the problem of selection bias in finding a comparison group. The pre-treatment comparison of socio-economic indicators suggested that exposed farmers were systematically different from non-exposed farmers. I used propensity score matching as the possible solutions for overcoming the problem of selection bias. Indonesia had the most extensive experience with the Farmer Field School approach. The data from a panel survey of Javanese household organised by the Indonesian Center for Agro-Socioeconomic Research, available on public domain of data catalogue of World Bank. The Propensity Score Matching matched the exposed and non-exposed farmer in terms of observed socio-economic variable. The empirical findings suggested that the FFS did not result in any significant improvement in yield or reduction in the expenditure on pesticide.

Impact of Climate Change on the Socio-Economics of Aquaculture in the District of Noakhali, Bangladesh

The study examined the role of technology to aquaculture farmers vulnerable to climate change and the study also identified common categories of aquaculture practices in the coastal district Noakhali, Bangladesh and the vulnerabilities associated with such aquaculture practices. The study used extensive field visits, interviews with the key informants of regional fisheries and livestock development component (RFLDC) and farmers, personal communications, questionnaire survey and focus group discussion as the main procedures to collect data and information. The study found four common categories of aquaculture in the mainland, accreted and newly accreted lands of Noakhali and characterized those with technology level, size, dependencies, markets, ownership, species mix, constraints and vulnerabilities to changing climate. Average net returns from the technology induced aquaculture in community based ponds and waterlogged paddy lands were 905.33 and 362.78 USD/ha/year respectively. The study found the pond aquaculture in the newly accreted lands more vulnerable to climate change than other types. RFLDC, which is a joint collaboration project of Government of Bangladesh and Danish international development agency (DANIDA), had been involved in extending technology to the poor farmers for sustainable development of the farmers’ livelihood through agricultural activities. Farmer Field Schools, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), CBO associations and Union Parishad have been found to be playing very effective role for the development of aquaculture.

Junior Farmer Field Schools, Agricultural Knowledge and Spillover Effects: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Northern Uganda

We analyse the impact of a junior farmer field school (JFFS) project in Northern Uganda on students' agricultural knowledge and practices. Assuming that children are induced to transmit their newly acquired knowledge to their parents and guardians, we also test for the presence of spillover effects at household level. The empirical analysis is based on two sources of panel data: a household survey and a dataset containing results of a test on agricultural knowledge administered to treated and control students before and after the program by the project’s staff. We use matching difference-in-differences estimators, comparing the key outcomes across matched samples of treated and non-treated groups before and after the project intervention. We find that the program had positive effects on students’ agricultural knowledge and adoption of good practices and that it produced some spillover effects in terms of improvements of household agricultural knowledge and food security. However, we find no impact on the propensity to introduce new agricultural good practices and on household agricultural production. Overall, our results point to the importance of adapting the basic principles of farmer field schools to children through junior farmer field schools, as they could improve short and long-term food security and well-being of both children and their households.

Demonstration of an Integrated Pest Management Program for Wheat in Tajikistan.

Wheat is an important food security crop in central Asia but frequently suffers severe damage and yield losses from insect pests, pathogens, and weeds. With funding from the United States Agency for International Development, a team of scientists from three U.S. land-grant universities in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas and local institutions implemented an integrated pest management (IPM) demonstration program in three regions of Tajikistan from 2011 to 2014. An IPM package was developed and demonstrated in farmer fields using a combination of crop and pest management techniques including cultural practices, host plant resistance, biological control, and chemical approaches. The results from four years of demonstration/research indicated that the IPM package plots almost universally had lower pest abundance and damage and higher yields and were more profitable than the farmer practice plots. Wheat stripe rust infestation ranged from 30% to over 80% in farmer practice plots, while generally remaining below 10% in the IPM package plots. Overall yield varied among sites and years but was always at least 30% to as much as 69% greater in IPM package plots. More than 1,500 local farmers—40% women—were trained through farmer field schools and field days held at the IPM demonstration sites. In addition, students from local agricultural universities participated in on-site data collection. The IPM information generated by the project was widely disseminated to stakeholders through peer-reviewed scientific publications, bulletins and pamphlets in local languages, and via Tajik national television.

English

Banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is a primary constraint to smallholder banana production in East and Central Africa. Experiential learning through farmer field schools (FFS) can accelerate the diffusion of integrated pest management (IPM) technologies at community level, consequently rendering production systems more productive, profitable, and sustainable. This paper explores the importance of FFS in successful transfer of the four-pronged ABCC strategy (that is, Avoid disease introduction, Break male buds, Cut down diseased plants, and Clean tools) for effective BXW control in Siaya County in Kenya. About 83% FFS-participants had advanced capacity for BXW diagnosis and control it with the ABCC practices. FFS also contributed to the spillover of ABCC practices to non-participating households in the community. In a paradox, 7.2% FFS-participants disadopted various practices compared to 4.7% non-participants. A few households (21%) deployed the ABCC package in its entirety, whereas majority (79%) dismantled the package, and recreated more user-friendly options. Most widely used reconstituted packages were ABC (Avoid, Break male buds, and Clean tools) (69%), and BC (Break male bud and Clean tools) (74%). An explanation being that adoption decisions are sequential and ultimate choice to adopt being reached after realization of true benefits and costs of the technology. Farmers dismantled the ABCC package after discovering a lack-of-fit within the smallholder’s context, defined by several farm level constraints. Dismantling the ABCC package allows farmers to create user-friendly practices, but also diminishes the prior anticipated impacts, which results in resurgence. Fine-tuning of these alternatives is necessary to ensure sustainable BXW management. Key words: ABCC practices, banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW), farmer field school (FFS), Kenya, Siaya.

Performance of Soybean's Farmer Field School-Integrated Crop Management in Central Java and West Nusa Tenggara Provinces, Indonesia

Indonesia is challenged by a shortage of soybean production to meet local demand. The Ministry of Agriculture has developed a strategy to increase soybean production through an integrated crop management (ICM) program, which was implemented through a farmer field school (FFS) approach in 2008. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of FFS-ICM implementation in two of the main areas for soybean production—Grobogan Regency in Central Java Province and West Lombok Regency in West Nusa Tenggara Province. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews of 120 farmers. The before and after performance of the FFS-ICM program was evaluated using paired sample t-tests. The study found that FFS-ICM has increased soybean productivity significantly both in Grobogan Regency (1,854 kg/ha) and West Lombok Regency (1,492 kg/ha). However, this was less than the optimal productivity, which can reach 2,490 kg/ha in Grobogan Regency and 1,680 kg/ ha in West Lombok Regency, therefore a soybean productivity gap remains. In order to improve the implementation of soybean FFS-ICM, four policy recommendations were suggested: improving the understanding of extension workers and participant farmers on the philosophy of FFS to dispel the perception that FFS-ICM is "an aid distribution" project; intensive assistance and monitoring by field extension workers during the FFS-ICM implementation; ensuring that inputs (especially seeds) are available on time by strengthening breeding institutions at the local level; and strengthening the research and dissemination of new high-yielding varieties that are suited to local agroecosystems and in accordance with market demand.

Learning impact of farmer field schools of integrated crop–livestock systems in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

Four FFSs concerning integrated crop–livestock systems were implemented by a R&D project namely “Adaptation to Climate Change in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) Marginal Environments through Sustainable Crop and Livestock Diversification (ACC project)” during the summer season 2013 in three villages namely Village 4, Village 7 and Village 1750 in Sinai Peninsula. This study aimed to do the following: (1) assess the learning impacts of farmer field schools of integrated crop–livestock package and (2) explore the factors that affect the respondents’ learning index. Data were collected from the enrolled farmers (96 farmers) using an ex-post facilitator-made knowledge and implementation test during the period from April to October 2013. Mean, mode, standard deviation, range, frequencies, percentages, Learning Index (LI), and Chi-Square were used for data analysis and presentation. The study revealed that the mean scores of each item of the studied package were raised as a reason of respondents’ attendance of learning modules of FSSs. With regard to learning index, results showed that the mean scores reached about 38.25 for knowledge (KLI) and decreased to 32.98 for implementation (ILI). The majority of respondents (61.5%) have moderate level of KLI. Similarly around one half of respondents (51%) have also moderate level of ILI. With respect to factors affecting respondents’ learning index, the study findings indicated that number of family members, large animal ownership, leadership degree, and tendency to change were significantly related to respondents’ KLI, while large animal ownership, belonging degree, leadership degree, and tendency to change were significantly related to respondents’ ILI.

Farmers' perception of stable schools as a tool to improve management for the benefit of mink welfare

The aim of the study was to explore farmers' perception of stable schools as a tool to improve management for the benefit of mink welfare. Stable schools are knowledge exchange between farmers working towards a common goal, being able to give practical advice to each other. The concept is based on farmer field schools, developed and used in developing countries. Several Danish mink farmers are familiar with erfa-groups which also are farmers meeting, often with an advisor taking part, but the stable schools with only farmers and a facilitator have never been tested on mink farms.In 2013, we therefore established two stable schools with farmers from five Danish mink farms in each group. The meetings were on the respective farms, and every farm was visited once within a year. The host-farmer presented one success story and two challenges he/she wanted to work with and get contributions to from the group. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the farmers to evaluate their perception of stable schools.Based on the results from the study, and results from other studies of stable schools, we can conclude that farmers generally are positive to the structural way of working in stable schools, and that motivation for working towards a common goal is very important for the process of common learning among the farmers. The uniform production system at mink farms gives special challenges in how to work with the different subjects to ensure farmer ownership of the process. The farmers did not see the seasonal production as any constraint, but express that they like to work with the specific problems and challenges related to the respective production periods.

Perbedaan Tahapan Pembelajaran Sekolah Lapang Pengelolaan Tanaman Terpadu Padi Sawah antar Komunitas Petani di Lampung

<p>Enhancement of paddies production in Lampung done with implementation of agriculture technology innovation. The effort done with farmer field school of integrated crops management (FFS-ICM) of paddies. The learning of field school occured on various ethnic community of rice farmers. The effectivity of learning process can be occured with impersonation by the stages of attention, retention, behavior production process and motivation. The purpose of this study to analyze the difference effectiveness of learning farmer field school for farmers from ethnic Lampung, Java and Bali. The research methods with survey on rice farmers FFS-ICM of paddies participant. The sample total 286 farmers.The research located in Lampung. The research carried out Juni-September 2013. The data analysis done with the difference variance. The result indicate that only the motivate stages of process learning FFS-ICM between Bali-Java ethnic shows that the obvious difference.That implications need a preparation of learning material which capable to increase farmers motivation, need an improvement empowerment of farmers group, empowering figure roles and farmer society figures.</p><p>Keywords: stages of learning, farmer field school, paddies, Lampung-Bali-Java ethnic</p>

Learning and Technology Adoption Impacts on Farmer’s Productivity

The integrated farmer field school program was implemented to empowered farmers with scientific knowledge, skills, positive attitudes and suitable technology. However, the impact of this program on farmer’s productivity has not been comprehensively investigated. Thus, this research examines the farmers’ participation in the learning process, technology transfer, adoption of new technology and productivity. This study was conducted in Kabupaten Maros, South Sulawesi, and the total sample size was 168 farmers who have participated in this program. A survey research questionnaire was distributed randomly to the participants from four selected villages after the program. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were carried out on the data. The results showed that the integrated farmer field school program improved the farmers’ knowledge and that extension services were effective in transferring technological expertise. The empirical evidence showed that farmers who participate in the program have significantly increased in paddy productivity. This implies that program is useful to fill gaps in local knowledge with the dissemination and adoption of new agriculture technology. To further improve the farmer field school program, appropriate technological innovations should be identified and issues relating to farm quality and the availability of credits to enable farmers to purchase agricultural equipment and supplies should be addressed. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s3p126

Farmer Field Schools: Unexpected Outcomes of Gendered Empowerment in Wartime Nepal

<p>This article is the outcome of an empirical study of technical training of women and men through Farmer Field Schools in rural Nepal during the last decade. When the Farmer Field Schools started in Nepal as part of the FAO Integrated Pest Management project in 1997, this was also the year that the Maoists declared the People’s Revolution. The article describes the increased participation of women in FFS and its positive effect on food security of their families. After initial failure of FFS to include gender in its policy and activities, the article discusses the gradual acceptance of gender issues in the training. Empowerment is seen as a developmental process rather than as a product somebody or a group can gain access to or own. Different forms and objectives of empowerment of both women and men are discussed, and the unintended outcomes of FFS intervention in the context of rapid social-economic and political change during the Maoist revolution in Nepal.</p><p><strong>Keywords: </strong>Farmer Field Schools, gender, empowerment, Maoist revolution</p>

Do Institutional Programs Aimed at Groundwater Augmentation Affect Crop Choice Decisions under Groundwater Irrigation? Empirical Evidence from Andhra Pradesh, India

Crop choices made by farmers can make important contributions toward the sustainable management of groundwater resources in drought prone regions. However, farmers who would tend to maximize profits under normal circumstances face a trade-off between the choices of risky but more profitable high water intensive (HWI) crops on one hand and the low risk but less profitable low water intensive (LWI) and drought resistant (DR) crops on the other. In drought-hit regions of South India, institutional programs, such as crop water budgeting and farmer schools, have been promoted to provide support and information to the farmers in helping them make judicious crop choices. A multivariate probit (MVP) analysis reveals that crop water budget exercise and farmer field school participation, in fact, are positively associated with HWI crop choices, whereas participation in soil moisture conservation efforts is positively associated with growing LWI and DR crops. Our findings indicate that the objective of groundwater augmentation through institutional interventions that are solely based on educating and training farmers have been ineffective and have even been providing perverse incentives, and that there is a need for adding water extraction compliance components to such support programs in order for them to be efficacious.

Modelling boom and bust of cocoa production systems in Malaysia

Shaded plantation of cocoa is not only a promise for chocolate and cocoa farmers but also shaded cocoa production can significantly support biodiversity. However, boom and bust of cocoa production systems due to pest and diseases have prompted the farmers to abandon the cocoa cultivation. This paper presents system dynamics model to address the boom and bust of cocoa production systems in Malaysia as a case study. The simulated results indicate that the collapse of cocoa production systems can be avoided through biodiversity conservation and insect control resulting sustainable production systems and implementation of such policy demands adequate subsidy to retain high biodiversity, control pest and disease and attain acceptable yields through extension services through farmers field schools.

The Rise and Demise of Integrated Pest Management in Rice in Indonesia

Indonesia’s 11-year (1989–1999) National Integrated Pest Management Program was a spectacularly successful example of wide-scale adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) principles and practice in a developing country. This program introduced the innovative Farmer Field School model of agro-ecosystem-based experiential learning, subsequently adapted to different crops and agricultural systems in countries throughout the world. Since the termination of the program in 1999, Indonesia has undergone profound changes as the country enters a new era of democratic reform. Government support for the national IPM program has wavered during this period, and pesticide producers and traders have taken advantage of the policy vacuum to mount an aggressive marketing campaign in the countryside. These factors have contributed to a reappearance of the pesticide-induced resurgent pest problems that led to the establishment of the National IPM Program in the first place.

Farmer field school and farmer knowledge acquisition in rice production: Experimental evaluation in China

We collaborate with the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of farmer field schools (FFS) on the knowledge acquisition by farmers in rice production in Anhui, China. The intensification of China’s agricultural production has raised widespread environmental concerns. Lack of advisory services to increase awareness and knowledge has been found to be the primary constraint to improving farming and environmental outcomes. However, training millions of small farmers is a significant challenge. To impart the knowledge of sustainable and low-carbon farm management, the MOA recently piloted a FFS program through its public extension system. A participatory approach to rural advisory services, FFS was initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization during the late 1980s in Asia, and at present is being practiced in more than 90 developing countries. However, the effectiveness of the FFS program has not been conclusively demonstrated, and the results of previous impact evaluations have varied greatly according to evaluation methods. A major drawback of previous studies has been selective participation in the program, leading to biased estimates of program effects. We use an RCT to overcome these problems. The results are heterogeneous: FFS effectively improved farmers’ knowledge of pest management and agro-environment; however, we find no effects on nutrient management and cultivation knowledge. Furthermore, the effects were smaller for female and old participants. Being a “best-design” approach of agricultural extension initiated by FAO, FFS faces challenges to be “best-fit” in China, where urbanization and agricultural transformation are emerging.