Participatory Evaluation of our 2008 - Action Against Hunger

17. ACF FFS programme planning should include greater engagement with the sub-county
level FFS network for increased linkages and experience sharing. Even if network level
processing equipment is unrealistic in practice, the FFS network could still offer tangible
benefits such as networking related to complementary activities, marketing opportunities, new
ideas, etc. FAO will continue to encourage FFS networks, so engagement can only be to group
advantage. Otherwise, some groups may feel marginalised from the network and some
activities, as reported in Minakulu.
18. Cassava multiplication and transfer should be included in future FFS activities and
curricula as a complementary initiative that increases food access and availability. The
FFS group can be used as a locus for cassava distribution and practices, further strengthening
the group as a local source of innovative practices and varieties. This would also create an
additional opportunity for non-FFS participants to see what the groups are doing and learn
from their experience, ultimately benefiting from increased access to disease resistant
cassava. ACF first should confirm which variety is most appropriate. The 2008 programme
promoted akena, which reportedly has been replaced by MH97 as the recommended choice
for its greater resistance. This should be verified.
19. Goat restocking should continue to be included in future FFS design, including
neighbours not participating directly in the programme. Animals are key financial assets
and any opportunity to diversify income and food sources will benefit households over time.
Including neighbours could help reduce resentment about not receiving other programme
inputs while at the same time spreading benefits more widely (either receiving their own animal
at the same time as participants or receiving the first kid). Planning should ensure inclusion of
activities and costs associated with animal treatment, not only procurement and distribution.
20. Future FFS programming should explore how income generating opportunities could be
increased without distracting from core activities. The emphasis here is with increasing
income opportunities. Stand alone IGA initiatives like those facilitated in other ACF Uganda
programmes could prove too demanding in terms of participant time and could distract from
the programmatic focus of FFSs. Nonetheless, at individual and group level there are
possibilities to increase income sources and levels. Possibilities include processing, value
addition, direct market linkages, product bulking and sale, etc. All such activities could be
linked with the commercial and study plot production, ideally extended to household level for
particularly active participants.
21. Future ACF monitoring and surveillance should explore the correlation of high market
prices, months with inadequate household food provisioning, feeding centre
admissions, and possibly even groundwater levels. 1 The seasonality of programming
should also be considered alongside the seasonality of household shocks and stresses.
Identifying and understanding such linkages might lead to programmatic approaches to
prevent or minimise their effect on household food security and livelihoods. Greater seasonal
analysis can also guide the timing of activities and inputs. This type of cross-referencing would
also strengthen departmental integration, or at least coordination, while increasing the
relevance of ACF monitoring and surveillance. Complementarity of methods within the FSL
unit might also be improved in the process, such as how approaches to farmer
experimentation and cash transfers might overlap and when they should be done.
22. Alternatives to depending on FAO procurement are required to ensure seasonally
appropriate timing of inputs and related activities. Rather than depending on FAO
procurement and release of in-kind programme inputs, other farmer groups such as those in
the FFS network or those working with other NGOs in the North could be viable sources of
seed, livestock, or cassava cuttings. Victoria Seeds could also be a source of seeds, offering
ACF FFS participants the additional income opportunity of direct access to commercial
1 Anticipating this discussion, the evaluator sought nutrition programme enrolment data for the 2007-2008 period so that
the annual trend could be compared with others like market prices and MIHFP. Price data ultimately were incomplete
and could not be used.
Action Against Hunger Uganda - 10 - Farmer Field School Evaluation