Thirty-two farmers in Trinidad graduate from Farmer Field School supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
June 25, 2019, Port of Spain, Trinidad – Thirty-two (32) farmers from Penal and Exchange in Trinidad working with their Extension Officers, expanded their production knowledge of cassava through the Farmer Field Schools (FFS). The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) funded the sessions, executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries (MALF), under a Government Cooperative Programme (GCP) Agreement worked in close partnership with FAO technical assistance services.
During the 9-month training, farmers received critical information on cassava development including the latest information on varieties and yield-boosting production technologies as well as on consumer and market potential for cassava and its by-products. The strength of the FFS methodology is that it transfers skills for on-farm research, working with farmer groups and it develops farmers to participate in farming research and innovative solutions. The FFS approach emphasizes learning-by-doing techniques during the crop’s production cycle, along with The Agro Eco-System Analysis (AESA), which is a term used to describe the activities of observation, scouting and collecting samples, then analysing the findings. AESA is an integral part of FFS learning, conducted at important stages of crop growth, therefore each crop stage is a learning session of the FFS.
The peer-to-peer setting of farmers’ group reinforced the practical learning experience over the 9 months of FFS. The training was facilitated by local crop production experts, who presented on a range of topics such as the growth and development stages of cassava, safe application of pesticides, pest, disease and weed management and harvesting and post-harvest techniques done in the field. Additionally, twenty-four (24) MALF Extension Officers benefitted from the Training of Trainers (TOT) course prior to their training of the farmers in agri-production. The MALF divisions that contributed to the entire TOT and FFS were the Extension, Training and Information Services (ETIS), Regional Administration South (RAS) and Regional Administration North (RAN) and the Communications Unit. Other agencies that contributed to specific FFS sessions were the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO), the Agricultural Development Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (ADB) and The University of the West Indies (UWI).
Dr Vyjayanthi Lopez, Plant Production and Protection Officer at FAO expressed her satisfaction on the overall execution of the Farmer Field School, which she noted would not have been possible without the support of CDB and the partners previously mentioned. She stated that with the knowledge gained, the farmers are better equipped to provide for themselves and their families, with the possibility of providing jobs for others and stimulating the spirit of entrepreneurship in Trinidad.
Dr Lopez indicated that, “some farmers have already started their own cassava production and with their high level of confidence and determination, I have no doubt they will succeed. This augurs well for us at FAO as we will soon complete similar training that is ongoing in Tobago and Suriname, and embark on two new FFSs in Dominica under the project”.
Meanwhile, Bernadine Ramoutar, one of the FFS graduands from Exchange stated, “I am a better farmer now and I am thankful for the experience. I have applied my new knowledge to the other crops I grow”. Her sentiments were echoed by Romulus Ramoutar also from Exchange who expressed, “I learnt practices that I would not have considered before and I now have a better understanding of the importance of good agriculture practices”.
Stephanie David, who hails from Penal was grateful for the training and indicated, “After this experience I am planting cassava on the land, and I’m now linked with a buyer of cassava”.
It is important to note that the local consumption rate of cassava and its value chain products including cassava flour and frozen cassava products has increased in Trinidad. Therefore, it was important and forward thinking that the FFS exposed farmers to relevant topics, such as, the improvement of cassava crop production strategies. The MALF’s technical units have also received training in the efficient handling of in-vitro cassava plants and in-vitro multiplication techniques for the improved cassava varieties and seed supply.