Integrated Soil Water and Nutrient Management and Dry ... - Icrisat

The farmers appreciated the fact that in the FFS approach the main role
of AREX officers is to facilitate rather than to teach. They agreed that learning
in the field “proved to be the best teacher”; discussion and sharing of ideas
among farmers helped to build an integrated, farmer-driven curriculum; and
observing crops throughout the season as a group builds the confidence of
individual farmers to apply the knowledge in their main arable fields. The
group also felt that building leadership and problem solving through doing is
important to get all members to support the program; farmer-farmer and
farmer-extension officer interaction builds diverse knowledge and skills in
individual farmers and putting theory into practice; and farmers’ contributions
being pooled ensured that no-one felt inferior or superior to others.
During the 2002/03 season the group placed an order for sorghum Macia
seed and every member is growing this crop variety using techniques learned
in FFS. The farmers are working to form more FFS groups in the
neighborhood and adjacent communal areas, and are more than willing to
share information with farmers outside the group. For example, they held
field days in April 2001 to advertise the work of the FFS. Farmers in the area
have been late receiving food aid this year because officials knew that FFS
groups had better harvests. The group wants to encourage farmer-led FFS, and
its message to other farmers is: “Just as iron sharpens iron, a farmer can
sharpen another farmer. Please take this message back home and apply it”.
Farmers’ perspectives: Zvishavane: Ziruvi
Josephine Mpesi, Secretary, Mubatanidzwa Farmer Field School,
Zvishavane
The Mubatanidzwa Farmer Field School started in October 2000. The farmer
members proceeded to select a three-person committee composed of a
chairperson, secretary, and treasurer, and formulated a constitution and
bylaws. The bylaws specified that members would be expelled if they were
absent more than thrice during a season.
They chose a learning strategy involving learning-by-doing and carrying
out experimental trials. One member gave a field to establish the FFS trials,
and the farmers used their draft animals to till the plot. They then established
trials to compare planting on tied ridges versus flat. They set up a recordkeeping
system including maps of the area, with a rain gauge for recording
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