Investing in Farmers—The Impacts of Farmer Field Schools in Relation to Integrated Pest Management

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk Van den Berg ◽  
Janice Jiggins
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
Field Schools

scholarly journals Human and Technical Dimensions of Potato Integrated Pest Management Using Farmer Field Schools: International Potato Center and Partners’ Experience With Potato Late Blight Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oscar Ortiz ◽  
Rebecca Nelson ◽  
Modesto Olanya ◽  
Graham Thiele ◽  
Ricardo Orrego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Blight ◽  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Participatory Research ◽  
Potato Late Blight ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Potato Seed ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
International Potato ◽  
Field Schools

Abstract In the 1990s, the integrated pest management (IPM) team for potato late blight (IPM-late blight) at the International Potato Center (CIP) began to address the management of this complex potato disease by combining crop protection with social and behavioral sciences. Since the early 2000s, the team has worked with research and development organizations in countries in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and South America to develop farmer discovery-based learning methods using farmer field schools (FFS). The principles of late blight control were more visible and understood by farmers when they could test options for managing late blight, particularly new potato clones with resistance to the disease, for themselves. CIP and partners have since adapted an approach combining FFS and participatory research to facilitate farmers’ access to information, knowledge, and technologies. Several manuals to implement FFS-IPM-late blight with farmers were subsequently developed. Results indicated that farmers using this approach learned new knowledge, assessed new potato clones, and changed crop management practices. Hence farmers realized a 32% average increase in potato productivity and income in Peru; similar changes occurred in other countries. The participatory research and training approach had a significant impact beyond IPM-late blight. In Peru and Bolivia, for example, more than 2,000 FFS were implemented between 2005 and 2012 on IPM for potato, other crops (coffee, cocoa, fruit trees), and livestock. In Uganda and Ethiopia, the experience expanded to potato seed management with the formation of seed cooperatives. Lessons have been drawn from this experience.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Integrated Pest Management Dissemination Techniques: A Case Study of Potato Farmers in Carchi, Ecuador

2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 765-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Mauceri ◽  
Jeffrey Alwang ◽  
George Norton ◽  
Victor Barrera
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Pesticide Exposure ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
Chemical Inputs ◽  
Field Schools

Potato farmers in Ecuador rely on chemical inputs to manage pests and optimize yields. Integrated pest management techniques lower production costs, reduce pesticide exposure, and improve long-term agricultural sustainability. Public extension does not, however, exist in Ecuador, and cost-effective means of communicating complex messages to producers are needed. We analyze cost-effectiveness of alternative dissemination methods, including farmer field schools (FFS), field days, pamphlets, and word-of-mouth transmission. Field days and pamphlets have strong impacts on adoption, especially considering their low costs. FFS are effective, but expensive. Evidence also indicates significant diffusion from FFS to non-FFS farmers, indicating high complementarity across methods.

scholarly journals WHAT ORCHARDISTS EXPECT FROM FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS ON INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT: A CASE OF IRAN

AGROFOR ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoumeh FOROUZANI ◽  
Saeid FAZELI ◽  
Masoud YAZDANPANAH ◽  
Abbass ABDESHAHI
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Plant Diseases ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
West Part ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Field Schools ◽  
Tree Pruning

Since 2002, the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) programthrough farmers’ field schools (FFS) approach has gained some priority on theagenda of Iran’s extension services. Different nature of agricultural activities andthe specific context of farming in each area of the country have raised somequestions regarding the suitability of these training programs to meet the needs ofparticipants. In line with this, a need assessment survey in the summer of 2015wasconducted to extract the educational needs of orchardists living in west part of Iran.The study population consisted of all the grape and pomegranate growers thatparticipated in the IPM/FFS programs (N= 420). A sample of 201 individuals wasselected through a simple random sampling manner. To collect data, aquestionnaire based on Borich model was administered. Results indicated that themost important need was “to be skillful in tree pruning” and the least importantwas “to train participants based on lecturing and formal classes”, scoring 4.30 and3.24 out of 5, respectively. Moreover, “the ability to recognize the best time tospray pest-herbicides”, “practical identifying of the symptoms of plant diseases anddirect observations”, “pre-assessment of participants’ information before launchingthe programs” and “acquisition of the know-how knowledge to use bio-fertilizersand manures” were the first four priorities of respondents’ needs among a total of49. The study concluded with the idea that most of orchardists were aware of theneed to conserve the environment and produce safe crops but IPM/FFS trainingprograms could not provide them with adequate skills to perform the sound methodand practice in their professional activities.

EVALUATING COTTON INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) FARMER FIELD SCHOOL OUTCOMES USING THE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS APPROACH IN INDIA

2007 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANCESCA MANCINI ◽  
ARIENA H.C. VAN BRUGGEN ◽  
JANICE L.S. JIGGINS
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Pest Management ◽  
Pest Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cotton Production ◽  
Farmer Field Schools ◽  
The Social ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Field Schools

Farmer field schools (FFSs) were conducted in southern India to reduce pesticide input and enhance sustainability of cotton production systems. This study was carried out to determine the additional benefits of FFSs in the social and economic arena, using the sustainable livelihoods (SL) concept to frame the evaluation. Farmers who had participated in the integrated pest management (IPM) FFSs perceived a range of impacts much beyond the adoption of IPM practices. The reduced cost of cultivation allowed for financial recovery from debt and the building of physical assets. IPMFFS households and production systems were perceived by the participants to have become more economically resilient than Non-IPMFFS control groups when faced with adversity. In the participants' view, IPMFFSs also led to enhanced individual and community social well-being, a benefit valued in particular by the women participants. The study tested a new application of the SL conceptual framework as a tool for evaluation.

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