FAO/AGL - Farmer-SPI:Capacity building

Capacity building and material development

One critical success factor that has been identified for the FFS approach for improved land management is the need for capacity building of facilitiators and curriculum development, especially for farmer-led FFS that are seen as the key to scaling-out the approach. Therefore, service providers (farmer group facilitators, extension providers, NGOs, etc.) need supportive materials to illustrate good soil and water management practices that can be tested through participatory technology development and demonstrations, and to help in identifying the most appropriate options for different farm types and contexts. They also need information to highlight and understand aspects of decreasing soil productivity and its' improvement.

Curriculum and material development
For the benefit of farmers and service providers the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), have developed "Guidelines and Reference Material on Integrated Soil and Nutrient Management and Conservation for Farmer Field Schools" for wider dissemination and use of the FFS approach applied in integrated land management. These initial materials are based on the limited experience of pilot testing of the FFS methodology on integrated soil and nutrient management in four Asian countries. So far these materials have not been tested in Eastern and Southern Africa. The aim is to adapt and validate such materials for the specific agro-ecological and socio-economic farming conditions and systems. During 2001-2002 two pilot projects are testing, adapting and validating these materials for 4 districts in Eastern Uganda (Busia, Mbale, Pallisa and Tororo Districts) and one district in Tanzania (Bukoba District). This pilot testing is being implemented by partners through two Letters of Agreements with FAO which are building on and strengthening ongoing field programmes. Through this collaborative process, it is envisaged that a regional loose-leaf handbook will be produced on how to use the Farmer Field School approach to achieve improved (soil) productivity for smallholder farmers, taking into account the national variability of agro-ecological zones and farming systems. In addition, competent resource persons and service providers will be trained, for initiating the process in other districts.

In 2002 a curriculum development workshop and various training of trainers workshops on soil productivity improvement were organised. During these workshops an outline of a soil productivity improvement curriculum was developed, containing the following main elements:

General background on FFS methodology;
Participatory diagnosis of the farming environment, constraints and opportunities;
Land degradation and Water Resources Management;
Sustainable Agriculture and a Farming Systems perspective;
Soil properties and functions;
Crop nutrient management;
Organic resources management;
Soil health and soil biological management;
Soil and water conservation;
Concepts and principles of integrated soil and nutrient management;
Conservation Agriculture;
Soil Productivity Improvement-Integrated Pest Management Interface;
Livestock Management interactions;
Participatory Technology Development and farmer experimentation;
Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation;
Sustainability and Financial Mechanisms;
Socio-economic and cultural aspects;
Policy Dialogue and institutional issues.

By early 2003 training guides, training modules and factsheets will have been developed for all major topics of the SPI curriculum outline (see above) under the guidance of the Land and Water Development Division.

FFS curriculum 'toolbox'
There are many examples of different tools that are available but most of these are limited in terms of what is needed to support farmer learning for improved land management and to integrate farmer knowledge in this area into the research and development activities of different stakeholders. Therefore, there is a gap in our ability to provide extension agents, NGO’s and researchers with the tools they need to work effectively with farmers on improved land management. Many extension and other materials are available but not in a user-friendly or client-targeted format. In many cases they are rather prescriptive and weaker on the process side (effects of practices on the functioning of the system) that farmers need to understand and be able to refine their own experimental and management approaches.

In this regard, it is envisaged that the SPI-FFS partnership programme will develop a SPI-FFS curriculum 'tool box' to enable farmers to develop and implement appropriate natural resource management techniques. This could include diagnostic methods for crop nutrient deficiencies and toxicities, including simple bioassay methods to demonstrate for example procedures for effective fertiliser placement methods, and crop residue management for soil, water and nutrient conservation.

More information: contact the SPI-FFS core support team Farmer-SPI@fao.org.