Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Section 2 • General Topics for Farmer Field Schools
How long will this exercise take?
• At least 30 minutes for field walks and observations;
• At least 30 minutes for brainstorming and participatory discussions for development of
questionnaires in small groups; and
• At least one hour for presentation and participatory discussions in big group.
learning objectives
• To familiarize participants with commonest field problems of organic vegetable production;
• To improve participants’ knowledge and skills in identifying field problems of organic vegetable
production; and
• To improve participants’ skills in developing appropriate and functional ‘Ballot Box’
questionnaires for FFS evaluation of farmers’ knowledge and skills in organic vegetable
production.
materials
• Fields of organically-grown vegetables at different stages near each other where commonest
field problems can be observed;
• Cartolina cardboard or folders;
• Vials, rubber bands, marking pens, masking and scotch tapes, ball pens, threads or plastic
straws, thumb tacks;
• Bamboo sticks, glue, organic fertilizer samples (e.g., solid, extract, and microbial-based organic
fertilizers); and
• Actual, live or preserved specimens.
methodology
• Field walks and observations, brainstorming or participatory discussions
steps
1. Divide big group in five smaller groups, assign each small group to a specific group of vegetables,
go to organic vegetable fields, as shown below:
5 Legumes (e.g., cowpea and string beans)
5 Solanaceous vegetables (e.g., eggplant, pepper, and tomato)
25