Season's greetings from the Global farmer field school Platform
Dear FFS Friends,
As we come to the close of this year, we would like to take a moment to warmly thank each and every one of you for your continued commitment, collaboration, and contributions, and to celebrate the remarkable impact we have achieved together in empowering farming communities worldwide through the Farmer Field Schools (FFS) approach.
Below are some of the key milestones of 2025:
💻🌍 Global FFS Webinar Series
In 2025, the Global FFS Platform organized three thematic webinar series:
1. Climate Change and Farmer Field Schools – Bridging Knowledge and Action
This webinar series was developed in response to expressed needs from FFS practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of climate change concepts and the role of FFS in adaptation and mitigation. The webinars have been delivered in collaboration with universities, research institutes, farmers’ organizations, FAO technical divisions, and national agricultural extension institutions.
2. Leveraging Digital Innovations in FFS – Insights from the Field
Part of the E-Empowerment project, this series explored how digital tools are being integrated into FFS to enhance learning, productivity, and sustainability for small-scale producers, while also addressing challenges such as the digital divide and misinformation.
3. Advancing Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAM) through FFS
This series, developed under the Global Innovation Accelerator, showcased how SAM can be integrated into the FFS approach to address labour shortages, low productivity, and climate pressures. Practical technologies, innovative business models, and country experiences were highlighted to support resilient and climate-smart agrifood systems.
In June 2025, a regional capacity-building workshop on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) for FFS was held in Cotonou. The workshop trained 37 key participants from FAO and partner organizations involved in francophone FFS programmes on the use of the MEL framework and tools. It also served as a valuable platform for experience-sharing among participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Guinea, Niger, Central African Republic, Senegal, and Togo.
Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Rwanda were selected as winners of the FAO Global Innovation Challenge on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization through FFS.
Each country received USD 200,000 to implement their proposals, aimed at increasing productivity, reducing labour burdens, and improving smallholder livelihoods.
The launch of the second FFS Innovation Award attracted submissions from over 350 practitioners, highlighting inspiring, community-driven innovations for sustainable agriculture and rural development.
📚 Expanding Knowledge and Learning
In 2025, we further enriched the global knowledge base through the publication of key resources, including:
- Innovating with Farmer Field Schools to Accelerate Transitions Toward Sustainable, Resilient and Fair Agrifood Systems
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd7051en - Seeds of Resilience – Participatory Plant Breeding and Local Food Plants for Improved Nutrition through FFS
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/CD7138EN - Smart Projectors in Karamoja – Breaking Literacy Barriers in Producer Training
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd7103en - Biodigesters and Women’s Empowerment in Honduras https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd7038en
- Science in Producers’ Hands – The Sayapatri Community IPM Resource Center in Nepal
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd6969en - Reclaiming Roots – Farmer Field Schools with the Batwa in Uganda
https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cd6965en - A Facilitator’s Guide for Farmer Field Schools in the Solomon Islands
https://lnkd.in/etsH_29m - Annotated Reference List of Training Documents on FFS in Forestry and Agroforestry https://doi.org/10.4060/cd4466en
- E-Empowerment Guidance for Facilitators (Arabic) https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6730ar
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we move into 2026, the Global Farmer Field School (FFS) Platform will continue to:
- 🚀💡Strengthen innovation, digital learning, and sustainable mechanization within FFS;
- 🌍🤝Expand country and partners capacity development for quality farmer fields school programmes and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems;
- 🔄🌐Promote South–South learning and global knowledge exchange;
- 🌱🧑🌾Amplify farmer-led solutions for sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient agrifood systems; and
Together, we can make 2026 a year of transformative progress and shared success for both people and the planet.
If you’re not yet part of the FFS Community of Practice, we warmly invite you to join our online discussion group on the Global FFS Platform. Stay updated on the latest news, resources, and opportunities by visiting our official website.
Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
Warm wishes,
The Global Farmer Field School Platform Team