The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach involves groups of 15-25 smallholder farmers meeting over a crop or animal cycle to learn experientially about agroecology and field management. Since 1989, an estimated 10-20 million smallholders have been trained through FFS globally. To better connect the growing FFS community, FAO launched a global FFS platform including a website and Dgroups discussion forum. The Dgroups forum has over 1000 members from 106 countries who actively discuss topics like climate adaptation and share training materials. It provides an accessible space for practitioners worldwide to engage regardless of internet access.

1. THE GLOBAL FARMER FIELD SCHOOL PLATFORM
DGROUP
Supporting quality
FFS globally
Suzanne Phillips
FFS team
FAO
Dgroups: Simple solutions for
building online communities
Webinar, 22 March 2018

2. Context: The Farmer Field School (FFS)
approach
• 15-25 farmers/pastoralists meet together over crop or animal cycle
• Setup study and experimental fields – ‘the field is the book’
• Learn and experiment about ecology and field management
• Uses non-formal adult education approaches, learning by doing
Since its development by FAO
in 1989 in Indonesia,
the approach was adapted to
different production systems,
regions and organisations.
About 10-20 million
smallholders had been trained
through FFS up till 2012, with
FFS initiatives in at least 90
countries

3. Context: The Global FFS Platform
A global FFS platform to:
• Facilitate exchange of knowledge,
expertise and information
• Document and improve visibility of
achievements globally
• Promote quality of FFS through
harmonization, collaboration among
teams, develop key tools and studies
Suzanne Phillips
FAO
Rome
22 March 2018
❖ How to facilitate the implementation of good quality
innovative FFS?
❖ How to support the growing global FFS community?

4. The global FFS platform
A collaborative multi-stakeholder effort
The FFS platform website was developed and is facilitated by:
 FAO’s crop production and protection division,
▪ Many FAO divisions, regional and national offices
▪ A network of FFS partners
▪ FFS practitioners worldwide
Suzanne Phillips
FAO
Rome
22 March 2018

5. Issue at stake: How to connect the FFS community
of practice?
Suzanne Phillips
FAO
• FFS website makes
documentation, news and expertise
available
• BUT practitioners need a space to
discuss issues and share
questions, innovations and
successes
• Inclusiveness: everyone should be
able to contribute
• no matter how far, where they
work, independently of quality of
internet connection and IT skills…
Rome
22 March 2018

6. How we used Dgroups: the global FFS email-
discussion group https://dgroups.org/fao/fieldschools
Topics discussed: climate change
adaptation, institutionalization, IPM,
livestock, post disaster risk reduction;
exchange of training material ..
FFS Dgroup = Parallel platform for discussions amongst FFS
practitioners
Over the past 14 months…
1000 members
106 countries
174+ discussions
790+ contributions
Upcoming webinars
• Livestock FS
• Gender and FS
• Fisheries FS
Rome
22 March 2018
Suzanne Phillips
FAO

7. Using Dgroups: we would recommend it!
The Dgroup has allowed us to connect
a global community of FFS
practitioners.
We would recommend as it is:
✓ free of charge for end users
✓ easy to use even if have low IT-
literacy
✓ email-based, to overcome poor
internet connection and reduce the
time needed for exchanges (no
passwords, navigating to website…).
✓ easy to moderate (admins’
viewpoint)
Suzanne Phillips
FAO

8. http://www.fao.org/farmer-field-schools/en/
THANK YOU !
Suzanne.phillips@fao.org

9. Dgroups: simple
solutions for building
online communities
Webinar
22 March 2018
dg-coordination@dgroups.org
www.dgroups.info