Livestock Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) are “schools without walls” where groups of small-scale livestock producers test and adapt good agricultural and marketing practices that help them to sustainably improve their, and their families’, livelihoods. Over the past two decades, Livestock FFSs have been implemented/supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and other development stakeholders in a wide range of environments and livestock production systems including pastoralism and agro-pastoralism, dairying, poultry production, pig production, beekeeping, and camel production. Today, the FFS approach is used to spur livestock growth across developing regions, with governments, NGOs, the private sector and other stakeholders increasingly interested in applying it.

FAO has recently published the document “The Farmer Field School for Small-Scale Livestock Producers- A Guide for Decision Makers on Improving Livelihoods” aimed at helping decision makers involved in policy formulation and project planning to have a better understanding of Livestock FFS and of their potential in a wide range of different contexts and environments. It has also launched the Global FFS Platform for sharing knowledge and expertise on farmer field schools.

FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division (AGA) and FFS Global Knowledge Product (AGP/SP2) are co-organizing a seminar to launch the new FAO guide and raise awareness on Livestock FFS. The seminar targets FFS and livestock development practitioners, particularly from the FFS Dgroup, Pastoralist Knowledge Hub, FFS Regional Networks, as well as staff from FAO and partner organizations.

The event will be webcasted on 15 May, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (GMT +2)

Agenda

11.00-11.10 Opening remarks: Berhe G. Tekola, AGA Director 

11.10-11.15 Video “Schools Without Walls, (Agro)Pastoralist Field Schools in the Horn of Africa”

11.15-11.20 Presentation of the guide “The farmer field school for small-scale livestock producers- A guide for decision makers on improving livelihoods” (Giacomo de’ Besi, AGA)

11.20-11.45 Stories from the field

• Poultry FFS in Lebanon (Imad Nahhal and Bruno Minjauw, FAO Lebanon)
• Dairy FFS in Tanzania (Mwatima Juma, IFAD Country Office in Tanzania)
• Pastoralist field schools in Kenya (Paul Mutungi, FAO Resilience Team for Eastern Africa)

11.45 -11.55 Questions and comments from the audience 

*During the seminar, please send any questions or comments to [email protected]

11.55-12.00 Closing remarks: Matthias Halwart, SP2 FFS focal point

*For further information, please contact [email protected]