A CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS: FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS, EMPOWER KAZUNGULA FARMERS

AS they say, seeing is believing. Learning by doing has resulted in positive development for the 54-year-old farmer–Kaini Bubala of Sialumba village of Katapazi camp in Zambia’s Kazungula district, Southern Province. He has lived to testify to the benefits of acquiring farming knowledge, skills, and experience through a participatory learning system provided by Farmer Field Schools (FFS).

Mr Bubala had long adhered to traditional farming ways. Planting under the plough, utilising recycled seed, mixing basal and top-dressing fertilisers, and other approaches common among small-scale farmers. Engaging in these improper practices, combined with the effects of climate change effects such as droughts, resulted in low yields, leaving Mr. Bubala struggling to feed his family and maintain his livelihood due to insufficient income. This, however, is the case for many other small-scale farmers who do not practice best farming practices such as climate-smart agriculture, which includes ripping, minimum tillage, and basins among others.

The Ministry of Agriculture in Kazungula district has been implementing Farmer Field Schools in 10 camps for the past six years, (FFS are also implemented across 15 other districts) which benefit over 300 farmers, as part of the Green Climate-funded project Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro Ecological Region I and II (SCRALA). This is an attempt to improve the extension service provision to farmers who are involved in farm-based experimentation in all the stages of land preparation, seed selection, fertilizer application, and pest management, among other activities.

A farmer field school is usually made up of 15 - 25 farmer members who meet once a week, and under the guidance of the extension officer, they learn by doing - and their classroom is the field. This extension approach increases the chances and likelihood that small-scale farmers will adopt best practices in their own fields.

Libala farmer field school has been in operation for three years and has provided various benefits to its members. Mr Bubala says prior to the programme’s implementation, he knew little about best farming methods such as crop diversification and climate-smart farming.  

He notes that during the 2021/2022 farming season, the first demonstration plot was established at the FFS, and numerous lessons were learned. This entailed investigating a wide range of topics such as land preparation using the conservation farming method of ripping, hybrid maize seed varieties, correct fertilizer application, and weed and pest management, among others.

“I remember that season, we experienced dry spells and many fields had dried up, but our small demonstration field under the FFS was the only green field in the area, making people in the community wonder what the secret was,” he stated.

Climate variability has continued to cause setbacks in agricultural activities. In 2023/2024, droughts struck Zambia, but Mr Bubala was able to harvest more than 100 kg of cowpeas, increasing his household’s food security and demonstrating resilience against climate change, thanks to the knowledge of climate smart farming.

Mr Bubala also values the integrated pest management knowledge he has acquired via the FFS. He said that he can now scout for insects in his field and take the necessary precautions, like making natural insecticides from locally accessible materials such as soaking the bark of a tree called Mululwe (Cassia abbrevieta) for 24 hours in a solution of 1 kg of bark to 10 litres of water, to control pests like fall armyworm. Instead of purchasing synthetic chemicals, he noted that employing these kinds of indigenous insecticides is safer and less expensive, and he can use the money saved to pay for other essential household necessities.

Another farmer, Geofrey Lwimbo 44, applauded the farmer field school for providing him with knowledge that has improved his farming operations, leading in better yields, food security, and high income. He admitted that in the past, he had mixed basal and top-dressing fertiliser and ploughed his land. However, after seeing the lessons and outcomes from the demonstration field under FFS, he adjusted and implemented the same on his farm. He boasts about his enhanced yields.

“I used to harvest 80 by 50 kg of maize, but thanks to good farming practices, I have improved the yields to more than 100 bags in the same size field,” he commented.

The Libala farmer field school is gender sensitive, and it has encouraged women to join the class and actively participate in all activities. Out of the 30 members, 17 are women, including Josephine Maposa, 50, of Katapazi Camp.

Ms Maposa says she learned about the benefits of cultivating cowpeas at the Farmer Field School and is familiar with varieties such as Musandile, Bubebe, and Lutembwe, which mature in approximately 75 days. She has continued to encourage other small-scale farmers in the neighbourhood, particularly her female counterparts, to attend the FFS trainings in order to gain information and skills that will help them increase productivity.

“I am glad that we can hold field days where we invite other members of the community to come and learn. Most of the crop varieties that we have tried at our demonstration field are now being adopted by some of the farmers in our area, for example crops like cowpea, groundnuts and sorghum have proven to be high-yielding, drought tolerant, early maturing, and disease tolerant,” she said.

Meanwhile, Danny Silavwe, Acting Senior Agricultural Officer for Kazungula District, complimented the SCRALA project for supporting this participatory extension strategy, which is assisting farmers in gaining first-hand experience with excellent farming practices to improve their resilience to climate change.

Mr Silavwe highlighted that the project is supporting the crop type of farmer field schools in which farmers are aided with farming inputs such as fertiliser and seed for their demonstration fields.

Mr Silavwe has advised farmers involved in the Farmer Field Schools to ensure that they transfer all of the knowledge, skills, and experience to their own farms and continue sharing information in the community so that more households can increase their production.

Farmer Field Schools, a participatory education approach promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) among other partners under the SCRALA project, should be fostered among small-scale farmers across the country beyond the 16 districts in which the project is implemented because many farmers need such knowledge to tackle production challenges, brought about climate change issues such as drought. Moreover, FFS have proven to be effective since farmers learn better by doing, and seeing positive results enhances the possibility of adopting best farming practices. -NAIS