Farmer Field Schools (FFS) and Water User Groups (WUG) are groups of 25 male and female farmers selected by FAO to participate in practical adult learning programs on improved crop water management and agricultural techniques. The WUG FFS approach involves study plots where participants learn by doing and comparing traditional and improved practices. The goals are to disseminate better water management and increase production, while empowering farmers and helping them become experts. WUG FFS follow a participatory learning model with weekly sessions held over a crop season to build farmers' skills and help them make informed decisions through group discussion and problem solving.

1. Farmer Field Schools
( And water User Group )
A Series of Lectures
By
Mr. Allah Dad Khan Provincial
Director IPM KPK MINFAL
Pakistan

2. • What is Water User Group (WUG) Farmer Field
School (FFS)? WUG FFS are the groups of 25 male
and female farmers selected based on the criteria
developed by FAO Water Management Team. The
functions of WUG FFS are practical oriented adult
learning on improved crop water management,
problem identification and solution, and learning
by doing approach to irrigation water
management, agricultural crop production and
technology transfer for sustainable crop
production and increase economical solvency.

3. • WUG FFS includes study plots and these are used
to understand the practical oriented leaning
process and compare the traditional production
systems. The approach affects the widespread
dissemination of better technologies of crop
water management to be adopted by farmers and
support to increase production quickly. WUG FFS
will provide opportunities for learning by doing. It
will teach basic agricultural, homestead
gardening and water management skills that
make farmers experts in their own

4. • Why FFS for Water User Groups (WUGs)? From the
basic principles and objectives of FFS, the project
realized that to strengthen WUGs as non-formal
education related to crop water management and
homestead gardening need to emphasized on:
Learning by doing though participatory methods
WUG need to bring in an informal institution/boundary
less school education Hence, the Water Users Groups
farmers training as a non formal adult education
needs: To be characterized in a participatory non
formal institutional form Deepening the improved
crop-water management for sustainable food security

5. • Objectives of the WUG FFS The main objectives of WUG FFS
are to build farmers’ capacity on: Empowering farmers
with knowledge and skills on improved crop water
management Identify problems, test possible solutions
and eventually adopt the practices of efficient use of water
for most suitable farming systems Making farmers as
experts in their own fields, agricultural machineries (LLP,
power tiller and power thresher), irrigation systems and
suitable agronomic practices Improving farmers’ ability to
make critical and informed decisions to adopt suitable crop
water technologies Preparing farmers in new ways of
thinking and problem solving Helping farmers learning
how to organize and work together in a group

6. • The major strategies of the Water Users
Groups/FFS approach are: Participatory
centered learning Broader dissemination of
improved crop-water knowledge and skills
through learning shared among the group
members Ongoing changing from facilitator
towards farmer directed action

7. • Step of WUG FFS Key steps for running WUG
FFS
• Water management group member
selection Baseline survey Participatory
meeting Naming of WUG FFS Provider of
related materials Field selection Signboard
placement Session planning Field day
Follow up survey after training

8. • General steps for running WUG FFS
Composition and Farmers Group size: WUG
FFS will be organized in a group of 25 farmers
and a total of 625 famers consist of 25 groups
in each upazilla. This group will be subdivided
into smaller groups of five farmers for allowing
everyone to fully participate in the field
observations, analysis, discussion and
presentations during the training sessions

9. • Training of Trainers (TOT): The facilitator is a technically competent
person who leads farmers groups through the hands-on exercises.
Based on our objectives of the project, the facilitator can be an
extension or a Farmer Field School graduate. All facilitators need
training –WUG FFS facilitators (SAAOs) will be undergone a 5 day
training course in growing the concerned improved crop water
management, these course also include facilitation skills and group
dynamic/group building methods. FFS will take over the
responsibilities of the extension facilitator by providing Farmer to
Farmer training and organizing other local activities to strengthen
the other members of the community. The facilitator imparts
knowledge and experience to farmers who adopt a positive role of
simply receiving information.

10. • Support group: One of the jobs of the facilitator is to assist the FFS in
developing into a support group so that participants can support one
another after the FFS program is over
• Evaluation: All Field Schools include field based pre- and post-tests,
allowing participants to determine follow-up activities. Follow-up activities
may vary from monthly discussion sessions to farmers repeating the FFS
process
• Location: The FFS will be organized in the farm village where farmers live
and adjacent to the fields field.
• Timing: The FFS program is based on crop physiology; seedling issues will
be studied during the seedling stage, fertilizer issues will be discussed
during high nutrient demand stages, etc. Farmers will meet on a weekly
basis over the course of a whole season; the course cycle, generally
comprising 7 training sessions, will have a clear beginning and ending

11. • The WUG FFS Curriculum - The current WUG FFS consists of 25 male and female farmers (rice
growers) and 25 women from the same or different household within the existing WMGs for
homestead gardening. Considering the tight time line the WUG FFS curriculum has been limited to
5 sessions for TOT and 7 sessions for farmers training includes:
• - One inaugural session for each group - Five sessions for facilitators’ Training of Trainers TOT),
which follow a similar approach previously developed FFS curriculum with a change based on the
project objectives.
• - Seven sessions for each WUG farmers (field crops and homestead gardening) with the topics that
were specifically developed to address the needs of improved crop water management. The WUG
FFS sessions for female WUG specially carry the importance with the objective to improve the
nutritional status of the household. These sessions include: creating awareness on, developing
homestead vegetable gardens and planting of fruit trees.
• - Both ToT and farmers training will be in spell system (in each week, 1 day ToT and 1 day FFS
training will be conducted 1 day after ToT) - At end of the sessions there will be `initiative to
develop WUG farmers’ clubs. These clubs will continue the group work after the WUG FFS sessions
are completed, with new activities for men and women in the community; and - A field day will be
organized by male and female participants of the WUG FFS