Research & AnalysisHistory & Background

Farmer Field Schools

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. One of the most important insights emerging from the conference was that the causes of food insecurity and famine were not so much failures in food production but structural problems relating to poverty, and to the fact that the majority of the developing world's poor populations were concentrated in rural areas. Working with poor rural people, governments, donors, non-governmental organizations and many other partners, IFAD focuses on country-specific solutions, which can involve increasing poor rural people's access to financial services, markets, technology, land and other natural resources.

The Agricultural Sector Development Program – Livestock (ASDP-L) was implemented in nine rural districts of Zanzibar under one management unit in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The support program targets poor farmers who are held back by lack of access to technology, financing, markets and natural resources. It aims to improve agricultural productivity by promoting farmer’s organizations capacities to set development priorities and manage development needs. ASDP-L focuses on strengthening linkages between farmers and the private sector; improving access to relevant agricultural and livestock knowledge and technologies; and promoting a participatory approach to natural resource management.

Farmer Field Schools (FFS) provides a proven people centered learning platform where farmers can learn about, the costs and benefits of alternative management practices for sustaining and enhancing farm productivity.The FFS approach aims at exposing farmers to a learning process in which they are gradually exposed to new technologies, ideas, situations and ways of responding to problems. The knowledge acquired during the learning process can be used build on existing knowledge, enabling farmers to adopt technologies becoming more productive, profitable, and responsive to changing environments.

Impact assessment methodology.

1. Research and all relevant organizational operations with regards to farmer field schools in order to tailor and design a context specific participatory impact evaluation.

2. Inquire for guidance from Berkeley faculty and other farmer field school survey research. Design a context specific participatory evaluation plan ensuring my survey collects information capable of assessing and measuring services.

3. Familiarize myself with the Pemba and Unguja islands (Zanzibar) with consideration to the locations of Farmer Field Schools while identifying potential caveats.

4. Identify quantitative and categorical variables to collect data on through surveys.

Your text would go here.

IFAD

ASDP-L

Survey and Impact Assessment

Lessons Learned & TakeawaysLessons Learned: Surveying is never as difficult as analyzing the data you receive. Choose your questions wisely.

1. Time management is crucial to being an effective development practitioner.

2. Flexibility will make your life easier working in developing countries.

3. It is very difficult to get unbiased information from surveys.

4. Even when the context might suggest otherwise, do your best to leave assumptions and opinions out of the surveying process. Takeaway: Farmer field schools in Zanzibar are helping farmers to produce more food, however a better data collection method to monitor farmers production is needed as well as increased access to market.

Recommendations: ASDPP-L should take the time, energy and money to retrain FFS members on the importance of data collection. Additionally, food storage facilities should be implemented in order to help farmers limit food loss.