On 6 December 2021 FAO in collaboration with the Government of Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture kicked off a 21-day farmer field and life schools (FFLS) course for facilitators in Mchinji district. This course aims to build the capacity of extension workers with the goal of empowering teen mothers and adolescent girls with skills and knowledge to increase their income levels for improved livelihoods.

According to the Malawi health and demographic survey of 2015-16, girls and young women in Malawi are more exposed to violence, sexual abuse and exploitation in school and at home. In addition, 50 percent of girls who drop out of school early do so due to pregnancy, gender-based violence, including child marriage, or lack of school fees. The lack of economic opportunities only exacerbates the vulnerability of girls and young women to these challenges. Within this context, the roll out of the FFLS course recognizes the need for a holistic approach that is able to address the unique needs of adolescent girls and teen mothers.

“The farmer field and life school has been previously used to support vulnerable communities such as child soldiers in conflict zones, where it has proved effective in contributing to food, nutrition and income security. Here in Mchinji, the approach will be used to provide a safe space for strengthening the life and entrepreneurial skills of teen mothers and adolescent girls. We hope that the kick off of this training marks a good starting point for rolling out FFLS in Mchinji beyond the three targeted traditional authorities,” said James Okoth, Deputy FAO Representative in Malawi. 

The FFLS is a modification of farmer field school, which is tailored towards providing safe spaces for vulnerable segments of communities, including victims of gender-based violence, sexual abuse, teen pregnancies or people living with HIV.

The course targets twenty-nine extension workers from the fields of agriculture, health and community development who gain the skills and knowledge, to enable them to impart good agricultural production practices, essential life and entrepreneurial skills to contribute to youths attainment of decent livelihoods. 

Speaking to the course participants during the kick off session, George Kapelemera Phiri, Programme Manager for the Government of Malawi’s Kasungu Agricultural Development Division (ADD) said,

 “You will be provided with skills to improve the lives of others. For the adolescent girls’ lives to change, they will depend on you. You have a very important role to play and I urge you to take this seriously so that you leave a footprint in your respective areas of work.”

The FFLS course is being implemented under the FAO component of the ‘Action for teen mothers and adolescent girls programme,’ which is being funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency and is being implemented jointly with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from 2020 to 2024.

The programme is multi-sectoral, involving the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Gender, Education and Youth. It will contribute towards the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all; SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; and SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.