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INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY PROFILE 2
Federating Farmer Field Schools in
Networks for Improved Access to Services
Arnoud R. Braun,Wageningen University
Godrick Khisa, Farmer Field School Promotion Services
Deborah Duveskog, Consultant
Kristin Davis, Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS)
SYNOPSIS
Field school networks, which mostly developed spontaneously,
consist of informal or formal groupings of
FFS groups with a common interest that draw their
membership from all the FFSs within a given geographical or
administrative boundary. Common interests at the network
level are mainly marketing, advocacy, sharing information and
experience, access to finance, and representation. From an
innovation systems perspective, the role of extension and
advisory services here is to assist in developing the needed
capacity and linking producers to markets and service
providers. Network operations are supported through subscription
fees from constituent FFSs and other sources of
income, such as interest on revolving funds, commissions on
sales, registration fees, profits from input sales, and grants.
Many networks operate a revolving loan system and therefore
generate more funds to support operations and activities.
Although the networks have shown themselves to be sustainable,
their strength varies. Management, leadership, and
organizational skills are needed to federate FFS networks.
Networks are also vulnerable to individual motivation and
capacity, since they are mostly managed by voluntary efforts
among members and committee members. The networks that
have been most successful are those with very committed,
dynamic, and democratic leaders. Facilitating the formation of
FFS networks should be considered in large-scale agricultural
projects as a means to make a larger impact and make greater
use of the social capital they generate. Lessons learned from
the networks are that market information, while needed, is not
obtained easily, and that network capacities for financial
management, standards, and use of ICTs must be developed.
CONTEXT
Networks of Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) (see box 3.5 in this
module’s Overview) started emerging in East Africa in 2000
as an unforeseen effect of the IFAD/FAO East African Integrated
Pest and Production Management project conducted
with the Government of Kenya. The FFS networks
took off because farmers wished to continue with the
dynamics and positive attributes generated by the first
phase of the project, even without external funding. To
date, at least nine FFS networks in Eastern Africa support
about 2,000 FFSs with close to 50,000 direct beneficiaries.
They have no support from the initial project that established
the field schools but have established new partnerships
and collaboration with other stakeholders.
Definition of an FFS network
FFS networks consist of informal or formal groupings of
FFS groups with a common interest that draw their membership
from all the FFSs within a given geographical or
administrative boundary. Each FFS elects one representative
to the higher network level. These networks offer a number
of services to FFS member groups and individual farmers.
The networks are characterized as FFSs clustered in an association
or not-for-profit company. They usually have an
elected core executive board and at least three working committees,
such as finance and planning, loans, and market
information service. They have a constitution, by-laws, are
registered, and have a bank account. The operations are
supported financially by member FFS through subscription
fees, commission on bulk sales, shares, or profit from the
sale of farm inputs.
Evolution from individual groups into networks
As the number of FFS groups in the program grew and
broadened their level of operation, new challenges and
issues emerged that could not be solved by individual
groups. There were also increased opportunities for the FFS