The document summarizes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) for farmer education and action research within the context of the SRI LMB project in Cambodia. Some key strengths included existing networks to access farmers and experienced coordinators. Weaknesses included the quality of farmer education depending on trainer capabilities and cumbersome data collection. Opportunities included government policies supporting sustainable intensification. Threats included effects of drought/floods on experiments. The way forward focuses on taking a holistic training approach, evaluating trainer performance, and strengthening implementation capacity.

1. Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats
for farmer education and
action research within the context
of SRI LMB project and way
forward for next year’s work
FAO presentation for Regional Review
and Planning Workshop
Siem Reap, Cambodia
2-3 June 2015

2. FAO Asia Regional IPM/PRR Member Countries
Bhutan
India
Sri
Lanka

3. Strengths
Building on existing networks of FAO regional and national IPM programmes
• Access to governments, communities and farmers through
the regional and national IPM programmes facilitated the
implementation of farmer education and action research
• Experienced PMU/LMU Coordinators and National
Training Experts facilitated the design and coordinated the
implementation of training activitiescurr & and mats; Natl Coords
• Trained local Extension Workers and Farmer Trainers
contributed to implementation of the project and
facilitated farmer education and action research

4. Strengths
Adaption of participatory methods & approaches for farmer training and
research
• Farmers (many women), particularly those farming in rainfed
production systems, have a keen interest in learning about better
and more efficient rice production possible engagement in post FFS; Self-help groups
• The decision to implement different SRI practices in larger
demonstration plots facilitated farmers’ understanding of how
various practices come together and influence rice yields at scale.
• Creative logistical arrangements, e.g., organization of the CFPAR
in one venue, allowed participants to share and learn from
experiments carried out by other provinces tradeoffs

5. Weaknesses
Design and implementation of farmer education and research
• Originally planned to be Farmer Trainers with facilitation skills,
basic technical background on rice production and
experimentation – and provide them with more knowledge on
SRI. However, given the rainfed production focus of the project,
most Farmer Trainers were not FFS alumni. The quality of farmer
education and research (FPAR) depended largely on the
capabilities of the Farmer Trainers which would have been better
if most had been FFS graduates.

6. Weaknesses
Design and implementation of farmer education and research
• The amount of data that farmers had to collect was
cumbersome, compromising limited available training time for
learning about SRI. Idem ditto, for government facilitators who
had to provide backstopping and follow up with Farmer
Trainers to ensure the quality of data.
• A large part of the FPAR sessions were used for data collection
and discussions on other – equally important- technical
content areaswere dropped out or crammed into the sessions.
This is particularly problematic when having to work with
farmers who have not previously been engaged in FFS training.

7. Opportunities
Environment in favor of SRI-LMB project
• Government policies in favour of sustainable intensification of
rice production in the face of climate-related environmental
changes support the SRI-LMB project objectives
• Trade agreements and opening up of regional markets will
require farmers to produce more efficiently as to remain in
business; in order for farmers to grow, they will need to learn
how to save. The SRI-LMB project can provide lessons for the
way forward
• Capturing funding opportunities for climate-smart agriculture
could help upscale SRI related training and action research
work as initiated by this LMB-SRI project 7200

8. Threats
Environment of the SRI-LMB Project
• Results of experiments affected by delayed planting due to
prolonged drought (and or floods)
• Farmer Trainers were trained in a different (dry) season and
will conduct FPARs in a different (wet) season with likely
different production challenges

9. Way forward
Project Goal: Enhance rainfed smallholder farmers’ capacity
confronting climate change sustainably by applying SRI
through Participatory Action Research in order to improve
food security, income and occupational health status.
• Taking a holistic approach to farmer training curriculum
development and field researchbeyond - resilience; informed decision making
• Evaluating the performance of Farmer Trainers and re-
defining roles and responsibilities
• Strengthen capacity building through Refresher Training
for Farmer Trainers to upgrade their knowledge and skills

10. Way forward
Project Goal: Enhance rainfed smallholder farmers’
capacity confronting climate change sustainably by
applying SRI through Participatory Action Research in
order to improve food security, income and occupational
health status.
• Defining what is the “essential” data for farmers to
collect as part of FPAR
• Strengthen PMU and LMU implementation capacity for
more effective and timely delivery of project outputs