A Series of Lectures ByMr Allah Dad Khan Provincial Director IPM KPK MINFAL Pakistan

3. Farmer Field Schools
(Role of Farmers in FFS)
A Series of Lectures
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan Provincial
Director IPM KPK MINFAL
Pakistan

4. Bifurcation of Presentation
1. Introduction of Farmer Field School
2. Farmer Field School Approach
3. Basic Aims of FFS
4. Objectives of Farmer Field Schools
5. Characteristics of Farmer Field Schools
6. . Basic Elements of FFS
7. Method of education in FFS
8.Concepts of Farmer field Schools
9.Training Material for FFS
10.FFS session

5. 1. Introduction to FFS

6. What is FFS
The Farmer Field School is a form of adult
education, which
evolved from the concept that farmers learn
optimally from
field observation and experimentation. It was
developed to help
farmers tailor their Integrated Pest Management
(IPM)
practices to diverse and dynamic ecological
conditions.

7. FFS A Paradigm Shift in Agricultural
Extension
There is an inclination towards FFS because the
extension
service is perceived having a much broader
coverage
That goes beyond the educational processes and
action learning
agenda of the FFS .

8.  Prophylactic, calendar-
based spraying
 Heavy subsidy on
pesticides (80%)
History of Farmer Field School
Outbreak of BPH during 1970-1980s

9. FFS ORIGIN
The term “Farmer Fields Schools” came from the Indonesian
expression Sekolah Lapangan meaning just field school.
The first Field Schools were established in 1989 in Central
Java
during a pilot season by 50 plant protection officers to test
and
develop field training methods as part of their IPM training of
trainers course phase of the FAO-assisted National IPM
Programme.
This Programme was prompted by the devastating
insecticide-
induced outbreaks of brown plant hoppers (Nilaparvata
lugens) that
are estimated to have in 1986 destroyed 20,000 hectares of
rice in
Java alone.

10. History of FFS in Pakistan
The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach evolved from the
concept
that optimal learning derives from experience - in the case of
farmers, from observation in the field. The FFS integrates the
domains of ecology and non-formal education to give farmers the
opportunity to learn about their crop and to learn from each other.
Learning objectives of FFS are;
i) grow healthy crop,
ii) conduct regular field observations,
iii) conserve natural enemies of pests,
iv) farmers understand ecology and become experts in their own
field.
The FFS based IPM approach was institutionalized in Pakistan in
2001.( IPM National Annual Report 2006)

11. 2. Farmer Field School
Approach

12. Sl.
No
Area Conventional
Method
Demonstrations FFS
1 Involvement of Farmers Less Less More
2 Group approach Nil less Working in small groups for
sharing of ideas, knowledge,
skills
3 University
recommendations/
Technology
Create awareness Disseminate
knowledge
Validate recommendations
through field studies
4 Learning Create awareness knowledge learning by doing
5 Farm Management
Decisions
Create
dependence on
external agencies
Create
dependence on
external agencies
Empowering farmers as
decision makers
6 Development of Skills Less Less More Technical, attitudinal skills
7 Provide technology
or science
Provide
technology
Provide
technology
Transfer of science &
Technology
8 Adoptability of Technology
by S.F & M.F
Less Less High
9 Ecological approach Regional specific Regional specific Individual field specific
10 Cost of technical input or
wisdom
High & borrowed High & borrowed Less: Synthesized local
(traditional) & external
wisdom
Difference Among 3 Major Approaches for Educating the Farmers

13. Farmer Field School Approach
Farmer Field School is a school without walls.
Farmers and extension workers are students. The
Farmers Field is the class room and the plant is the
teacher. As the plant grows the students gain
knowledge in the light of their observations. The get
together at a fixed time every week once and make
their own decisions based on observations and data
analysis for the health of the plants.

14. Why the Farmer Field School
approach?
Extension work has traditionally been seen by research and extension institutions as a mechanism to
transfer technologies to farmers. This approach, however, has proved inadequate in complex situations
where farmers must frequently adjust their activities to changing conditions (crop protection, soil
nutrient management, animal health and production).
Technology packages, delivered in a ‘top-down’ approach, were often too complex, expensive or
poorly adapted to farmers’ needs. Extension workers realised that farmers were not sufficiently
involved in identifying problems, selecting and testing options, and evaluating possible solutions. With
declining government support for traditional extension work, it became clear that alternative methods
were needed to identify the problems faced by farmers and to disseminate appropriate technologies.
The FFS approach, in contrast, strengthens the capacity of farmers and the local communities to
analyze their production systems, identify their main constraints and test possible solutions. By adding
their own knowledge to existing information, farmers eventually identify and adopt the most suitable
practices and technologies to their farming system and needs to become more productive, profitable
and responsive to changing conditions.

15. Why FFS for Farmers
 Only farmer can make the “right” Farm Management decision
based on his own perceptions of economics and technologies.
So farmer should be trained in decision-making
 There are too many farms (5.00 mill) and too few extension
workers to be able to service them all.
A self multiplying training programme for farmers need to
be established.
 Each farmer field is different in pest, beneficial fauna, soil and
other eco-system elements and cannot be treated on a generalized
technology package message.
 Technologies requiring decision-making and management need
skill transfer training.
IPM cannot be implemented simply by demonstration, field days,
TV Ads, radio, publications etc.

16. Technology Transfer
Products vs Knowledge based
Technologies
Knowledge vs Skill Development
Learning by doing vs. by seeing
Discovery based learning
Decision making vs following advice
Situation based vs Technology based
development
Participatory vs Empty barrel approach

17. 3. Basic Aims of
FFS

18. Basic Aims of Farmer Field School
1. Skill
Development
2. Empowerment
3. Will power
4. Capacity of
Decision Making

19. Basics of a typical farmer field
school
The FFS meeting place is close to the study plots.
 FFS educational methods are experiential, participatory and learner-centered.
Each FFS meeting includes the following activities:
 Recapitulation of the previous week’s session,
 The agro-ecosystem analysis,
 A special topic,
 Insect zoo,
 A group dynamics activity
 Evaluation of the day’s
 Session and planning for the following week.
All FFS include a field in which farmers collect information and materials to learn about, develop
observation skills and practice making informed management decisions.
A pre- and post-test are conducted as part of every field school.Preparation meetings precede
a FFS
To determine needs and develop a learning contract.Final meetings of FFS often include plans
for
Follow-up activities.

20. Management and organization
Activities such as recapitulation and briefing provide opportunities
for farmers to increase their management skills and to experience
how to organize activities to prepare them for farmer-led
programmes. Leadership of small groups is rotated among members
weekly and each FFS participant becomes the session Day’s Team
Leader. Through this process, participants take over the management
of the FFS.
A Field Day at the end of the season showcases the management
and organization skills that participants gain in the FFS. The Field
Day is attended by non-IPM farmers, local leaders, and other members of
the community. FFS participants share with other farmers what they
learned and inform local leaders about IPM and the need to support the
programme.

21. Essential Elements of FFS
4.Weekly
meetings
2.Field
3.Facilitator
1. Farmers-group
Empowerment
5.Ecological
approach

22. Conditions for successful FFS
Based on our experience, the following conditions are
necessary to
ensure the success of FFS:
 Well trained, technically competent facilitators
 Well defined priority problem(s)
 Adequate resources and logistical support
 Clear understanding of the FFS concept and
procedures by all stakeholders
 Support and good will by authorities at various levels
 Availability of appropriate technical knowledge and
interventions
 Availability of an FFS curriculum

23. Need of FFS
1. Declining soil productivity and inappropriate imbalanced
nutrient use.
2. Indiscriminate use of pesticides leading to increased cost
of cultivation
3. Poor water management resulting in low Water Use
Efficiency (WUE), soil
4. salinity and alkalinity problems
5. Inadequate research and extension support to Small &
Marginal farmers

24. 4. OBJECTIVES OF
FARMER FIELD
SCHOOL

25. Objectives of Farmer Field Schools
Broad Objectives
To bring farmers together to carry out collective and collaborative
inquiry with
the purpose of initiating community action in solving community
problems

26. Objectives of Farmer Field Schools
Specific Objectives
To empower farmers with knowledge and skills to
Make them
experts in there own fields.
To sharpen the farmers ability to make critical and
informed
decisions that render their farming profitable and
sustainable.
To sensitize farmers in new ways of thinking and
problem
solving
Help farmers learn how to organize themselves and

27. Objectives of Farmer Field Schools
FFS also contribute to the following objective;
Shorten the time it takes to get research results from the stations to adoption in farmers’
field by
involving farmers experimentation early in the technology development process.
Enhance the capacity of extension staff, working in collaboration with researchers, to
serve as
facilitators of farmers’ experiential learning. Rather than prescribing blanket
recommendation that
cover a wide geographic area but may not be relevant to all farms within it, the methods
train
extensionist and researchers to work with farmers in testing, assessing and adapting a
variety of options
within their specific local conditions.
Increase the expertise of farmers to make informed decisions on what works best for
them, based on
their own observations of experimental plots in their Field schools and to explain their
reasoning. No
Matter how good the researchers and extensions, recommendations must be tailored
and adapted to local
conditions, for which local expertise and involvement is required that only farmers
themselves can supply.

28. 5. Characteristics
of
Farmer field
Schools

29. Essential of Farmer Field School
1.Group:-Comprises of 20-25 Farmers, having interest
.FFs tends to
strengthened existing group or may lead to formation of
new group.
2. Field : -Field is the teacher provide training material
such as
plants, pests and other facilities
3. Facilitator :-Technical person who leads group
members through
hands on exercises . The facilitator can be an extension
agent or a
farmer field school graduate .
4. Curriculum :-The curriculum follows the natural cycle
of crops ,

30. Characteristics of FFS Approach
 1. Farmers:- Farmers are experts conducting their own field
studies.
 2. Farmer Field :-The field is a learning place where farmers
working in small groups , collect data , analyze and arrived at
decision.
 3.Extensin Workers :-They are facilitators not teacher .
 4. Curriculum:-This is integrated to include crop husbandry in
relation to ecology, economics, sociology and education
 5.Training :- Related to seasonal cycle of practice being
investigated such as land preparation , cropping harvesting .
 6.Meeting:- These are held at regular interval depending on what
activities need to be done.
 7.Learning Material :- Theses are generated by farmers and are
consistent with local conditions.
 8. Group Dynamics:-Training include communication skill
building problem solving , leadership and discussion methods .
Farmer implements their own decision in the own fields.

31. 6. Basic Elements
of FFS

32. Basic Elements of FFS
 The FFS consists of a group of 30 farmers and 5
agriculture extension officers.
 The FFS is field based and lasts for at least one
cropping season (seeding to harvest) (14-15
weeks).
 The FFS farmers have regular weekly meeting
during the cropping season.
 In the FFS, farmers conduct a study comparing
IPM strategy with common farmer’s practices.
They have an IPM and a Farmer’s Practice plot
(Non-IPM

33. Basic Elements of FFS
 The FFS includes special topics that deal with
specific issues selected by the farmers.
 Each meeting includes at least an Agro-
ecosystem Analysis (AESA) conducted in the field
ending with a discussion of crop management
decision.
 FFS educational methods are experimental,
participatory, learner-centered and based on non-
formal education.
 The FFS group is guided by at least one facilitator
offering experimental learning opportunities,
rather than delivering top-down instruction.

34. Comparison between FFS and conventional T&V
PARAMETER FARMER FIELD SCHOOL CONVENTIONAL T & V
1. Learning method By doing, experimenting,
participating, discovering
By listening ( Element of
experimenting and
discovering still absent)
2. Training venue Subject of learning (field, crop,
animal etc)
Training shade or tree
3. Duration Complete study (Season long
cycle)
One or two sessions
4. Extension Agent and
their role
Trained expert. Spends most of
their time assisting farmers
convince themselves about a
given technology
Jack of all trades. Spends
most of their time trying to
convince farmers

35. Comparison between FFS and conventional T&V
Comparison between FFS and conventional T&V Com
PARAMETER FARMER FIELD SCHOOL CONVENTIONAL T & V
5.Farmer and his/her
role
Participator, Contributor,
Decision-maker.
Assumption- farmer is a cup of
tea full of knowledge but needs
steering.
Listener. Management
decisions usually
prescribed.
Assumption- farmer is an
empty cup of tea that needs
to be filled
6. Qualification to
participate
None discriminatory Need to be able to write with
some intensive programmes
(Master farmer training)
7. Programme Planning Done and agreed upon by/with
farmers. Extension agent
commits themselves
Office work. Extension
commitment not quaranteed
8. Evaluation and
adoption
Together with farmers. Adoption
is the choice of the farmer
Office. Usually
persuasion/force

36. 7. Method of
Education
in FFS

37. Formal Education
Teacher
* Teacher is the centre of instruction
* Information push (teacher decides
what trainees are being taught).
* Teacher has to prepare all sessions.
* Trainees are passive receivers of information.

38. Non Formal Education
A. Facilitator
B. Participants can give inputs
C. Information pull (focus on actual information
needs)
D. Facilitator ensures that participants learn basic
contents and involves participants to determine
additional learning goals.
E. Informal, open exchange, equal chance to
participants

39. Types of non-Formal Education Approaches used in
FFS
Key non-formal Education (NFE) Approaches used in the
Farmer Field School learning include:
 Sharing
 Case study
 Role play (dramatized sessions)
 Problem solving exercises
 Panel discussions
 Group dynamics
 Small group and large group discussion
 Brainstorming
 Simulation game
If I hear it, I forget it.
If I see it, I remember it.
If I do it, I believe it for life.”

40. 8. Concepts of Farmer Field
Schools

41. CONCEPT OF WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THAT?
(Learning to answer questions with questions)
Definition:
1. It is a discovery-based learning in which questions are used to
answer questions.
2. It leads the learner to the answer by asking questions.
3. It promotes learning by discovery and leads learners towards their
own analysis
4. It guides farmers to critically analyze and make better decisions on
their own fields.
The goal of discovery-based learning is to provide a more enlightened
educational
opportunity for participants. The methodology of learning is very important
for achieving
the goal of education. Oneimportant method is to ask questions that allow
the participants
to develop their own analysis and understanding. You are stealing an
opportunity for
education if you reply directly with an answer. Ask questions. Lead the
participant to the
answer by asking questions.
There are many ways to answer the question: What is this? For most of

42. Concepts
 Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
 Agroecosystem Analysis
 Living Soils and Growing
 Healthy Root Systems
 Biological Alternatives
 Adult Nonformal Education
 Community IPM
 Rural Ecology and Agricultural Livelihoods
(REAL)
 Farmer Life Schools
 IPM and Marketing
 Pesticides and Health
 Food Safety

43. Key Training Activities
 Training of Trainers
 Farmer Field Schools
 Farmer Trainers & Farmer-to-Farmer FFS
 Farmer Field Studies
 Farmer's Congress

44. 9.Training
Material
for FFS

45. Training materials in an ICM FFS
The most important training materials in an FFS are the field, the plant, the soil, insects, weeds,
etc. All these are
readily available at the FFS location. Some other materials need to be supplied to facilitate
drawing of an Agro
Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) and to set up small field trials. Here is a list of materials that are
often needed in an FFS:
 Paper (flip chart paper for AESA drawing)
 Notebooks and pens (for each participant)
 Pencils, crayons, markers (need extra green colors)
 Rulers
 Paper tape
 Glue
 Hand lenses
 Sticks, ropes, signboards
 Materials to prepare insect zoo 13
 Boxes
 Bottles
 Mosquito netting
 Cotton
 Pots

46. Training materials in an ICM FFS
 Plastic bags
 Rubber bands
 Stand for flip chart and clips
 Sweep nets (not only in rice FFS, but also in other crops. Used to catch
flying insects, adult butterflies, dragonflies, hoverflies, etc.)
 Aspirator (make one yourself to catch small insects)
 Knife, scissors
 Plastic sheet or straw mat (for sitting)
 Some inputs and materials for field experiments, for example:
1) Fertilizer
2) Seed / seedlings
3) Bio-control agents
4) Sticky traps
5) Signboards
6) Sometimes special designed forms to take data

47. 10.FFS
SESSION

48. FFS session
In an ICM FFS a typical weekly session
will take
about 3 to 4 hours and will generally have
the
following schedule:
Introduction
Summarize what was done last week
(recapitulation)
Present today’s program

49. FFS session
Field visit / Field observations
 IPM/ICM plot
Farmer Plot
Field experiments
Collect data
Collect samples
Start analyzing the field situation. The
facilitators observe
 the field together with the farmers and ask
questions to
start discussions.

50. FFS session
AESA drawing / discussions within small
group
 Detailed analysis of the field situation.
The facilitator asks questions to stimulate
critical thinking.
AESA presentation
Decision making for the management of the
ICM plot
Agree on work to be done
Who is responsible?
When will it be done

51. FFS session
Insect zoos
 Set up insect zoos
 Observe and record insect zoo activities
Short break
Snacks
Group dynamics exercise
If possible as an introduction to a special topic
Special topic(s)
Could be related to the field situation (e.g. a pest which was
discovered in
The field) or a topics selected by farmers
Summarize and plan for next week
Discuss special topic requests for next week

52. A tYPIcAl FARmeR FIeld scHool
sessIon
Here’s what an average session looks like, in
chronological order:
1. Opening (20 - 30 minutes)
 Prayers
 Roll call
 Brief recap
 Review of evaluation results
from previous session
 Handover to host team of the
day

53. A tYPIcAl FARmeR FIeld scHool
sessIon
2. AESA (1 hour 30 minutes)
 Mini groups carry outfield observations and generate data
 Mini groups analyze data and create AESA sheets
 Presentation of AESA results and conclusions by the respective mini
groups
 Synthesis of the mini group presentations by the facilitators
to help the group make appropriate management decision(s)
3. Group dynamics (10 – 15 minutes)
 Host team or the facilitator leads the group in an enerrgiser/icebreake
4. Topic of the day (45 minutes)
 Building upon the outcomes of the AESA results, the facilitator introduces the topic of
the day and leads a group discussion

54. 5.Updating of records (30 minutes)
 Members submit their passbooks and update their savings and
loan
commitments
 All financial and production records are updated
 Treasurer reports on the status of the
records
6. Planning (10 – 15 minutes)
 The facilitator/chairperson leads the group to discuss any issue
of concern
 plan for the upcoming enterprise management activities and next
session. reports on the status of the record.
7. Closing (10 minutes) Announcements ., Update of roll call
sheet to capture ,late comers , Closing remarks
bychairperson/facilitator ,• Closing prayer
8. Evaluation exercise (5 minutes)
 Hostteam displays evaluation sheet (mood meter) for
participants to fill in as

55. Thus, FFS intends to:
1. Increase the income of Wet / Dry land Small and Marginal Farmers
thereby increasing their standard of life.
2. Increase the WUE of farmers / WUA members under Major and
Medium irrigation projects.
3. Thrust the role of WUAs in increasing the productivity and WUE.
To achieve the above, the approach to improved
management techniques (Integrated Crop
Management techniques) has to be demonstrated
through organizing FFS at field level involving
Farmers/ WUA members.
ICM = INM + IPM + Water Management + Agronomic
practices including farm mechanization

58. FarmerField
Schools Give a man a fish
…...and feed him for a
day
Teach him how to fish
…..and feed him for
life