2. Farmer Field Schools ( FFS Presentation) By Mr. Allah Dad Khan By Mr. Allah Dad Khan Former DG Agriculture Extension KP

3. Farmer field School Term Originated The term “Farmer Fields Schools” came from the Indonesian expression Sekolah Lapangan meaning just field school.

4. Origin of FFS By the end of the 1980s, a new approach to farmer training emerged in Indonesia called the 'Farmer Field School' (FFS). The broad problem which these field schools were designed to address was a lack of knowledge among Asian farmers relating to agroecology, particularly the relationship between insect pests and beneficial insectsagroecology

5. First FFS The first IPM Farmer Field Schools were designed and managed in 1989 by experts working for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Indonesia. This was not, however, the first attempt made by FAO to extend IPM techniques to farmers in South East Asia.

7. IPM In 1957, “Integrated Pest Management” was first proposed as a concept which promoted the use of biological control (mostly free), good agronomic practices (good for crop yields), and other means before investing in chemical pesticides (costly, destroy natural enemies, create environmental and health social costs) to control pests.

12. What Are Pesticides?

13. What is FFS? Farmer field schools (FFS) is described as a Platform and “School without walls” for improving decision making capacity of farming communities and stimulating local innovation for sustainable agriculture. A Field School is a Group Extension Method based on adult education methods. It teaches basic agro-ecology and management skills that make farmers experts in their own farms

14. What is its Process? The Farmer Field School (FFS) is a group-based learning process that has been used by a number of governments, NGOs and international agencies to promote Integrated Pest Management (IPM). It is a participatory approach to extension, whereby farmers are given opportunity to make a choice in the methods of production through discovery based approach. A field school therefore is a process and not a goal.

15. Retaining Information Method of Instruction Recall 3 hours 3 days Telling 70% 10% Showing 72% 20% Telling + Showing 86% 65%

16. Remember Learning is an internal process. Teaching is an external activity. Carefully think through and plan all of your teaching activities to enhance learning.

17. Farmer Field School Approach Farmer Field School is a school without walls. Farmers and extension workers are students. The Farmers Field is the class room and the plant is the teacher. As the plant grows the students gain knowledge in the light of their observations. The get together at a fixed time every week once and make their own decisions based on observations and data analysis for the health of the plants.

18. Objectives of FFS Broad Objectives To bring farmers together to carry out collective and collaborative inquiry with the purpose of initiating community action in solving community problems Specific Objectives 1. To empower farmers with knowledge and skills to Make them experts in there own fields. 2. To sharpen the farmers ability to make critical and informed decisions that render their farming profitable and sustainable. 3. To sensitize farmers in new ways of thinking and problem solving 4. Help farmers learn how to organize themselves and their communities

19. Basic Principles of Farmer Field School 1.Grow a healthy crop 2.Conserve natural enemies 3.Conduct regular field observations 4. Farmers understand ecology and become experts in their own fields

20. The basic features of a typical IPM Farmer Field School are as follows The IPM Field School is field based and lasts for a full cropping season. A FFS meets once a week with a total number of meetings that might range from at least 10 up to 16 meetings. The primary learning material at a Farmers Field School is the field. The Field School meeting place is close to the learning plots often in a farmer’s home and sometimes beneath a convenient tree. FFS educational methods are experiential, participatory, and learner centered. Each FFS meeting includes at least three activities: the agro- ecosystem analysis, a “special topic”, and a group dynamics activity.

21. The basic features of a typical IPM Farmer Field School are as follows Contd In every FFS, participants conduct a study comparing IPM with non-IPM treated plots. An FFS often includes several additional field studies depending on local field problems. Between 25 and 30 farmers participate in a FFS. Participants learn together in small groups of five to maximise participation. All FFSs include a Field Day in which farmers make presentations about IPM and the results of their studies. A pre- and post-test is conducted as part of every Field School for diagnostic purposes and for determining follow-up activities. The facilitators of FFS’s undergo intensive season-long residential training to prepare them for organising and conducting Field Schools. Preparation meetings precede an FFS to determine needs, recruit participants, and develop a learning contract. Final meetings of the FFS often include planning for follow-up activities

22. STEPS IN CONDUCTING FFS (CLASSICALL APPROACH) There are 8 key classical steps in conducting FFS 1. Ground working activities 2. Training of Facilitators 3. Establishment and running of FFS 4. Evaluating PTDs 5. Field days 6. Graduations 7. Graduations 8. Follow up by facilitators

23. TOF 25 Facilitators 10 FFS 3 days TOF per week 2 days FFS per week Innovations Partial residence Single district participants Pakistan Model

24. Non-Formal education Specialist/ Facilitators Researchers/ Subject matter Specialists ToF 25 Facilitators Facilitators are further divided into 5 groups each group comprises of 5 facilitators Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4Group 5 FFS Training of Facilitators

26. TOF/FFS Crop Cycle Activity Chart L Land Preparation/ Group formation AESA Insect Zoo Special topic AESA Insect Zoo Group Dynamics AESA Insect Zoo Group Dynamics S Topic AESA Insect Zoo Group Dynamics Data Analysis

27. Agro-Ecosystem Training Crop Calendar Water Beneficials Cultural Practices Nutrients Pests Weather Soil Plant Ecosystem Analysis

28. Agronomic Data Weekly u Plant Height u # of leaves/plant u # of flowers/plants u # of fruits/plants u Weight of harvested fruits Plant Protection Data Weekly Counting insect pests Counting natural enemies Diseases incidence General Data Weekly u Variety u Days after planting u Weather conditions u Soil conditions Agro-ecosystem Analysis (AESA)

29. 01/08/2007 29 Citrus FFS Orchards

30. 01/08/2007 30

32. 10/12/2018 32 Visit of Secretary Agriculture NWFP to Citrus FFS at Nowshera

33. Farmer Field Schools Give a man a fish …...and feed him for a day Teach him how to fish …..and feed him for life