Extension programmes through the Department of Agriculture (DOA) have typically focused on production and productivity. With research showing that marketing extension is essential in a sustainable agricultural extension programme, FAO launched a project in partnership with the DOA in November 2010, with the objective of establishing marketing linkages and enabling farmers to produce on the basis of market demand. This extension system is being tested in pilot areas of the country.

Under this system, farmers are being engaged through meetings and training programmes to develop farm business schools. Training manuals have been developed for farmers for this purpose. The Farm Business School (FBS) concept is a continuous process that will run over a period of a cultivating season or even beyond. After evaluating the progress at the end of the season, farmers will re-plan their activities for the next season. This is mainly to identify and overcome short comings during that particular season. This training method is completely new to the farmers as well as officers and it is based on the learning-by-doing concept. All the farmers in the FBS will learn the relevant lessons by doing it as a team and this will bring a novel experience to the farmers and will easily grab the ideas. Most of the lessons are done as role plays, dramas and stories by the farmers.

This project has supported the training of 48 Agricultural instructors through a Training of Trainers (TOT) programme, who have in turn initiated 27 FBS in the piloted districts. To date, an estimated 540 farmers have been trained in FBS in the districts of Anuadhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Kandy, Matale, Nuweraeliya, Hasalaka, Moneragala and Badulla. In addition to conducting the FBS training, the project is developing a database in respective pilot districts to help farmers, officers and buyers have access to marketing and business information.

Most officers and the farmers who underwent this training mentioned that this was a very important learning process and they believed that this will help them to gain the necessary marketing and entrepreneurial skills they need to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of farming. Following observation of the progress of the farmer training programmes, Provincial Directors and Deputy Directors requested FAO to train more officers on the FBS concept. As a result, FAO has trained an additional 108 officers to date.

These officers will establish new FBS classes in the field during the coming maha season in these piloted areas. Where ever possible, these farmer groups will be linked with the private sector to enable them to produce for the market. The DOA will monitor the progress of farmers in this concept and will decide if the new extension approach is acceptable and is preferred by farmers.