Introduction to the Farmer Field School Approach

Farmer Field School (FFS) is a participatory education approach that brings together a group of small-scale food producers to solve production problems through sustainable agriculture. The FFS approach offers space for hands-on group learning, enhancing skills for observation and critical analysis and improved decision making by local communities. This course provides an overview of the FFS approach, starting from its fundamental principles and its brief history to its key elements.

Audience:

This e-learning course is intended for a cross section of audiences at various levels, from government actors to FFS practitioners, researchers and academics who wish to familiarize themselves with FFS.

Content:

• Basics of the FFS approach
• The principles of non-formal education
• The objectives and benefits of FFS
• The origin and expansion of FFS in terms of locations, topics and modalities
• The key elements of FFS sessions: the Agro-EcoSystem Analysis (AESA), Field Studies, Group Dynamics, Special Topics, Recap, Evaluation
• The FFS basic learning cycle