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Farmer Field School
About: Farmer Field School is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 341 publications have been published within this topic receiving 7357 citations.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a longitudinal impact evaluation with quasi-experimental methods to provide evidence on economic and production impact of a farmer field school (FFS) project in East Africa.
456 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluated the impact of Farmer Field Schools, an intensive participatory training program emphasizing integrated pest management, focusing on whether participation in the program has improved yields and reduced pesticide use among graduates and their neighbors.
Abstract: This paper evaluates the impact of Farmer Field Schools, an intensive participatory training program emphasizing integrated pest management. The evaluation focuses on whether participation in the program has improved yields and reduced pesticide use among graduates and their neighbors who may have gained knowledge from graduates through informal communications. The study utilizes panel data covering the period 1991-1999 in Indonesia. The analysis, employing a modified "difference-in-differences" model, indicates that the program did not have significant impacts on the performance of graduates and their neighbors. Several plausible explanations for this outcome are discussed, and recommendations for improvements are suggested.
418 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an assessment of a participatory training approach in changing crop protection by farmers from chemically dependent, to more sustainable practices in line with the tenets of Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
363 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used panel data from Indonesia to assess the extent of diffusion of knowledge regarding integrated pest management from trained farmers to other farmers, and they found that better knowledge leads indeed to reduced pesticide use, and that trained farmers make a modest gain in knowledge.
Abstract: Farmer Field Schools (FFS) are an intensive training approach introduced in the last decade in many developing countries to promote knowledge and uptake of ecologically sensible production approaches, and in particular, integrated pest management which minimises pesticide use. Because of the high training cost, the viability of the program depends crucially on the effectiveness of knowledge diffusion from trained farmers to other farmers. This paper uses panel data from Indonesia to assess the extent of diffusion of knowledge regarding integrated pest management from trained farmers to other farmers. The results confirm that better knowledge leads indeed to reduced pesticide use, and that trained farmers make a modest gain in knowledge. However, there is no significant diffusion of knowledge to other farmers who reside in the same villages as the trained farmers. These results imply that revision in the training procedures and curriculum need to be considered if the FFS approach is to become viable and effective.
314 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the impact of a pilot farmer-field-school (FFS) program on farmers' knowledge of integrated pest management (IPM) practices related to potato cultivation.
Abstract: Using survey data from Peru, this article evaluates the impact of a pilot farmer‐field‐school (FFS) program on farmers’ knowledge of integrated pest management (IPM) practices related to potato cultivation. We use both regression analysis controlling for participation and a propensity score matching approach to create a comparison group similar to the FFS participants in observable characteristics. Results are robust across the two approaches as well as with different matching methods. We find that farmers who participate in the program have significantly more knowledge about IPM practices than those in the nonparticipant comparison group. We also find suggestive evidence that improved knowledge about IPM practices has the potential to significantly improve productivity in potato production.
300 citations