Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Adoption of Soil Water and Nutrient Management Technologies in Dry Areas of Zimbabwe: Global Theme on Agro-Ecosystems Report no. 14

Abstract

Agricultural extension systems in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly using participatory approaches to improve technology adoption by smallholder farmers. This approach has been successful particularly in low-rainfall areas, where adoption is traditionally slow. Crop productivity, farm incomes and food security have improved as a result. ICRISAT worked with Zimbabwe’s Department of Agricultural Research and Extension to pilot-test the effectiveness and efficiency of one such participatory approach – Farmer Field Schools, FFS – for delivering extension messages on improved soil and water management technologies in drought-prone areas. FFS are costlier to implement than traditional Master Farmer and community-based Participatory Extension approaches; but they provide more opportunities for experimentation, and collective learning-by-doing and learning- by-using. This improves farmers’ understanding of new technologies, their capacity to effectively use the technologies and to make better decisions, and improves adoption rates. To introduce FFS more widely into national programs and make them sustainable, the study recommends that part of the government extension budget be re-allocated from Master Farmer training to FFS; and that NGOs and commercial agribusinesses be encouraged to target their investments towards developing a nation-wide FFS system