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3 Cases from Tanzania the eotulelo group’s experiment The Eotulelo group had several questions: should they plough as usual, use a ripper before planting, or plant without using a ripper? And would it be better to plant lablab (Lablab purpureum, a type of legume) or pigeonpeas in between the rows of maize? They rented an acre (0.4 ha) of land to use as their field school site. They divided the field into five plots, each with a different combination of techniques: • Ripped plot, planted with maize intercropped with lablab. At the end of the season, this plot yielded 58 kg of maize, and no lablab because of drought. • Direct planting without ripping plot, maize intercropped with lablab (yield: 40 kg of maize, no lablab because of drought). 68 Box 14 Farmer field schools A farmer field school is a school without walls. A group of farmers gets together in one of their own fields to learn about their crops and things that affect them. They learn how to farm better by observing, analysing and trying out new ideas on their own fields. The farmers meet every week from planting to harvest, to check on how the crops are growing, look at the amount of moisture in the soil, and count the numbers of pests and beneficial creatures such as earthworms and spiders. They use an approach called “agro-ecosystems analysis” to do this (Figure 13). They do experiments in the field. For example, they may divide the field into several smaller plots, and try out different types of crops or technologies (such as intercropping, different ways of preparing the land for planting, and so on). They compare the various plots each week and discuss what they see. If they see pests, weeds, nutrient deficiencies or other problems, they discuss the situation, look for solutions and act immediately. They also keep records of the type of work done in the field, the number of people involved, the time taken to do the work, the types of implements used, the inputs used, and so on. At the end of the season, they record the yields of the crops from the different sub-plots. The facilitator of a farmer field school is normally an extension worker or another farmer who has graduated from another field school. The facilitator guides the group, helps them decide what they want to learn and think of possible solutions, and advises them if they have questions. The farmers draw on their own experience and observations, and make decisions about how to manage the crop. The group must hold one or two field days (depending on the time they have and their financial capability) to show other farmers what they are doing. In conservation agriculture field schools, the first field day is a demonstration of how to use the implements and manage crop residue. The second field day, held just before harvest, is to demonstrate the effect of different technologies. The farmers also host exchange visits for members of other field schools, and visit the other field schools themselves. This allows them to share ideas and see how others are dealing with similar problems. At the end of the crop season, the farmers “graduate”: they receive a certificate from the field school organizer (in this case, the CA-SARD project). The members are then qualified to start a new field school as farmers’ facilitators. The field school includes team building and organization skills, as well as special topics suggested by the field school members themselves. The field schools are a way for farming communities to improve their decision making and stimulate local innovation for sustainable agriculture. The emphasis is on empowering farmers to implement their own decisions in their own fields.
Name of farmer field school: AESA no.: Group no.: Plot no.: Problem addressed: Date: week no.: General information Measurement treatment Variety: Date planted: Age of crop: Spacing: Fertilizer: Weather: Time of observation: Plant population: Germination %: Length of leaves: Width of leaves: No. of leaves: No. of diseased leaves: No. of dead leaves: Length of plant: No. of pods: CA-SARD: The Eotulelo farmer field school Treatment schedule: Management practices: insect pests plant drawing Natural enemies Pests seen: Natural enemies seen: observations recommendations Soil moisture: Diseases: Insect pests: Plant health: Deficiency: Weeds: Predators: What management practices should be applied?: Figure 13 A typical sheet used by farmer field schools for agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA) 69
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