From March 24 to 28, 2025, in Koudougou, thirteen master trainers received training to concretely integrate agroecological practices into the curricula of agropastoral Farmer Field Schools (FFS), with a focus on the Centre-West, Boucle du Mouhoun, and Hauts-Bassins regions. This marks a key step toward positioning agroecology as a sustainable response to the challenges faced by agropastoral communities in the Sudan-Sahel zone.

In addition to reviewing the methodological foundations of FFS, the training included both theoretical and practical sessions, strengthening participants’ skills on the following modules: (i) the challenges and stakes of supporting agroecological transition, (ii) the definition and core principles of agroecology, (iii) relevant agroecological practices for the target area, (iv) how to establish an agroecological farm and examples of farm models, (v) the link between FFS and agroecological transition.

At the end of the training, the master trainers identified five ways to better integrate agroecology into FFS curricula, including: (i) proposing agroecological practices as solutions to issues diagnosed within agropastoral communities, (ii) introducing agroecological practices as special topics, (iii) establishing learning tools for agroecology (e.g., comparative experiments, demonstrations), (iv) organizing immersion visits to agroecological farms and FFS sites, (v) setting up collective agroecological farms to serve as training farms.

The training was organized by Direction Générale des Productions Végétales (DGPV) of the Ministry of Agriculture, as part of the project "Improving Climate Resilience of Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Production Systems in Burkina Faso", funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO.