1. Research & AnalysisHistory & Background
Farmer Field Schools
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a
specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as
an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the
major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. One of
the most important insights emerging from the conference
was that the causes of food insecurity and famine were not so
much failures in food production but structural problems
relating to poverty, and to the fact that the majority of the
developing world's poor populations were concentrated in
rural areas. Working with poor rural people, governments,
donors, non-governmental organizations and many other
partners, IFAD focuses on country-specific solutions, which
can involve increasing poor rural people's access to financial
services, markets, technology, land and other natural
resources.
The Agricultural Sector Development Program – Livestock
(ASDP-L) was implemented in nine rural districts of Zanzibar
under one management unit in the Ministry of Agriculture and
Natural Resources. The support program targets poor farmers
who are held back by lack of access to technology, financing,
markets and natural resources. It aims to improve agricultural
productivity by promoting farmer’s organizations capacities to
set development priorities and manage development needs.
ASDP-L focuses on strengthening linkages between farmers
and the private sector; improving access to relevant
agricultural and livestock knowledge and technologies; and
promoting a participatory approach to natural resource
management.
Farmer Field Schools (FFS) provides a proven people
centered learning platform where farmers can learn about,
the costs and benefits of alternative management practices
for sustaining and enhancing farm productivity.
The FFS approach aims at exposing farmers to a learning
process in which they are gradually exposed to new
technologies, ideas, situations and ways of responding to
problems. The knowledge acquired during the learning
process can be used build on existing knowledge, enabling
farmers to adopt technologies becoming more productive,
profitable, and responsive to changing environments.
Impact assessment methodology.
1. Research and all relevant organizational operations with
regards to farmer field schools in order to tailor and
design a context specific participatory impact evaluation.
2. Inquire for guidance from Berkeley faculty and other
farmer field school survey research. Design a context
specific participatory evaluation plan ensuring my survey
collects information capable of assessing and measuring
services.
3. Familiarize myself with the Pemba and Unguja islands
(Zanzibar) with consideration to the locations of Farmer
Field Schools while identifying potential caveats.
4. Identify quantitative and categorical variables to collect
data on through surveys.
Your text would go here.
IFAD
ASDP-L
Survey and Impact Assessment
Lessons Learned & Takeaways
Lessons Learned: Surveying is never as difficult as analyzing
the data you receive. Choose your questions wisely.
1. Time management is crucial to being an effective
development practitioner.
2. Flexibility will make your life easier working in developing
countries.
3. It is very difficult to get unbiased information from surveys.
4. Even when the context might suggest otherwise, do your
best to leave assumptions and opinions out of the
surveying process. Takeaway: Farmer field schools in
Zanzibar are helping farmers to produce more food,
however a better data collection method to monitor
farmers production is needed as well as increased access
to market.
Recommendations: ASDPP-L should take the time, energy
and money to retrain FFS members on the importance of data
collection. Additionally, food storage facilities should be
implemented in order to help farmers limit food loss.