This document discusses farmer-led extension approaches. It defines farmer-to-farmer extension as training provided by farmers to other farmers, often through farmer promoters and trainers. Farmer field schools are discussed where groups of farmers meet to study topics like conservation agriculture through learning by doing. Criteria for selecting lead farmers and principles of farmer-led extension are outlined, emphasizing that farmers and local institutions should play a key role in selection and evaluation. Farmer field schools are explained as creating awareness, supporting learning, and helping communities solve problems. Their origins in Indonesia in 1989 are also summarized.

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WELCOME

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FARMER TO FARMER EXTENSION (F2F)
Speaker
Sipai Salman A.
(Rg. No: 04-2661-2015)

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Farmer Led Extension/Farmer to Farmer Extension
• F2F extension is defined here as “the provision of training by farmers to
farmers, often through the creation of a structure of farmer promoters
and farmer trainers” (Scarborough et al., 1997).
• We use ‘farmer-trainer’ as a generic term, even though we recognize
that different names (e.g. lead farmer, farmer-promoter, community
knowledge worker) may imply different roles.
• F2F extension programs date back at least to the 1950s .Currently such
programs are widespread.

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Criteria used for selection of lead farmers
 Farming expertise/hard working/can be a role model
 Literacy : able to read and write
 Residence in the community
 Able to communicate
 Good behavior, trustworthy, acceptable to community
 Reachable/available
 Trainable/teachable
 Good track record (has not defaulted on loans in past, no criminal record)
 Innovative

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Philosophy and principles
 Farmers and local institutions (e.g. producer organisations or village leaders)
should play a key role in selecting farmer-trainers and monitoring and
evaluating them. This helps make the programmes more accountable to the
community or groups that they serve.
 Farmer-trainers are ‘of the community’; they communicate in local languages
and are more sensitive to local cultures, mannerisms, farming practices, and
farmers’ needs.
 Farmer-trainers should be selected on the basis of their skills and interest in
sharing information, not just on their farming expertise.

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 Farmer-trainers need strong linkages with and support from development
agents (whether government, non-government organisation (NGO), or
private), the people who train and backstop them. Farmer-trainers generally
serve as a complement to existing extension systems, rather than being a
substitute for them.
 Facilitating organisations and local institutions need to be proactive in
ensuring that women as well as men become farmer-trainers.
 Simple and appropriate reference materials should be made available to the
farmer-trainers.

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Farmer Field School
What are Farmer Field Schools?
• Farmer Field Schools (FFS) consist of groups of farmers who get together to study a
particular topic.
• The topics covered vary from conservation agriculture, organic agriculture, animal
husbandry, and soil husbandry, to income generating activities such as handicrafts.
• FFS provide opportunities for learning by doing. It teaches basic agricultural and
management skills that make farmers experts in their own farms.
• FFS is a forum where farmers and trainers debate observations, experiences and
present new information from outside the community.

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Thus,
• FFS creates awareness, supports learning, transfer
technology and assist rural communities in problem
solving.

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Historical Background of FFS
• First wave of FFS in 1989 in the rice fields of Indonesia
• 200 FFS’s in four districts of Yogyakarta
• Indonesian National IPM programme
• Funded by Govt. of Indonesia, USAID
• Technical support by FAO-UN
• 1800 FFS’s for rice by 1990 as part of upscaling of GoIN IPM
in 6 provinces
• By 1991, pilot FFS’s for rotation crops and spreading to other
countries in Asia

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• From 1991 to 1994, with support from the FAO
Inter-country IPM Programme, rice IPM-FFSs
reached to Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India,
Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

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Basic concepts
If I listen, I may forget ;
If I see, I may remember ;
If I do, I may remember ;
If I discover, I may own it ;
If practice, I may perfect ;
In FFS, one can see, do, discover & practice.
Hence, an extension officers should know more about this method to be
efficient in his professional work

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Essential Elements of FFS
 The group
 The Field
 The Facilitator
 The curriculum
 Programme leader
 Financing

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• The goal of FFS is mobilization, sensitization and
empowerment of rural farming communities
• In small groups (20 – 30 people) they identify their production
gaps, test for themselves best on – farm options and practices
which are adaptable and sustainable to their farming situation
Goal/Objective of FFS

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 All learning is field based & it is primary venue for learning
 FFS is group learning constantly over the experimentation period
 FFS learning promotes healthy decisions & quality decisions
 Farmers conduct their own field studies with comparisons or treatments
 Learning continue until a full crop season
Special features of FFS

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 Facilitates Farmer-to-Farmer communication
 Field staff serve as facilitators
 Farmer Field Schools is a unique way to educate farmers
 It is an effective platform for sharing of experiences and collectively solving
agriculture related problems.
 Since 1989 more than two million farmers across Asia have participated in this
type of learning.

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• “Farm schools are established in the fields of such innovative
farmers or farmer achievers who are actually enhancing
productivity and profitability in their farms through
scientific and sustainable agriculture”.
FARM SCHOOL

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FARM SCHOOL IS A…
• Farm School is powerful instrument for participatory research and
knowledge management.
• It is an alternative extension tool and facilitate farmer-to-farmer
learning.
• It also reduces the widening gap between scientific know-how and
farmers practices.
• This would facilitate development of farming situation / system specific
packages.
• The host achiever farmer is designated as Farmer Scientist / Farmer
Professor in the respective crops / enterprises considering his area of
expertise

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