“The farmers were surprised and shocked. It was not easy for me to ignore the way they looked at me as a person with special needs who will provide information and good agricultural practices. Believing in myself and my capabilities to benefit everyone was my motivation to keep going as a facilitator,” Ahmad Al Nasser, FAO Farmers Field School (FFS) facilitator in rural Hama, The Syrian Arab Republic.

It is a new career journey for Ahmad Al Nasser as a facilitator at one of FAO’s farmer field schools (FFS) in Ghor Elasi, Hama. Having special physical needs since his childhood because of polio has made him unstoppable and further enhanced his self-esteem. He completed his technical education at the Veterinary Technical Institute 25 years ago and continued his studies by joining a two-year training course on artificial insemination techniques for cows in the year 2000 to become a certified technician.

By becoming an FFS facilitator, Ahmad enjoyed sharing good agricultural practices through discussing the knowledge and carrying out experiments with 25 cattle keepers to improve livestock production. He also regularly visits their farms to follow up and check the correct implementation of acquired practices.

People with special needs have the right to play an effective role and to combine their efforts with their communities. Upholding the values of equality, inclusivity and integration in rural communities, FAO, through the “Building Local Resilience in Syria” project with UK Aid’s support, assists the most vulnerable farmers to become resilient to difficult circumstances.   

Jumana Saleh Al-Ali, a 38-year-old participant at the school and a mother of five children, said: “Having Ahmad as a facilitator was a true motivation for me. His determination and great enthusiasm made us interact with the beneficial information he shared. He is a great communicator and consistent to provide trustful practices for improved livestock production and productivity”.

Ahmed became an inspirational facilitator for livestock keepers in his village. Thanks to his guidance and knowledge, the farmers achieved wonderful results in livestock production, such as processing their own dairy products and benefiting from the profits, instead of selling the milk to the middlemen who control the prices, as well as producing their own fodder such as sprouted barley, silage, dried alfalfa and fodder mixes for their cows, instead of buying them pre-prepared. Producing their own balanced and carefully calculated fodder rations increased the daily milk production rates and lowered the expenses, which meant better profits. They now believe in their ability to improve their livelihoods and income despite the difficulties that may arise.

Muhammad Hassan Al-Sheikh, a cow breeder and one of the school’s participants, said: “Ahmad and I share the same conditions, I also suffer from polio. Being the only breadwinner for my family of six has put me under pressure to make more income. When I joined the farmer field school with Ahmad, I became self-confident, will-powered, and a solution-maker.”

Muhammad added that his experience with the FFS has had a positive impact on his work: “Thanks to the information and techniques I received at the farmer field school, I began making my own fodder mixtures and dairy products, and examining my cows correctly, which was very useful for my production,”.

Ahmed says: “My self-perspective changed after this experience. I realized my potentials and capabilities that driven me towards achieving my dreams, regardless of the circumstances. Being a person with special needs made me a proud person who defeated polio, I became a true influencer for others, thanks to FAO’s farmer field school,”.

Within the framework of the Building Local Resilience in Syria (BLRS) project, FAO is implementing 370 FFSs which are contributing to the enhancement of good agricultural practices (GAP) and climate smart agriculture (CSA) approaches for more than 9 000 farmers in five governorates: Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, and rural Damascus. The BLRS project prioritizes women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PwDs). The schools will make farmers more productive, resilient, and aware of the best agricultural practices they might need.