FARMER

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FARMERS FIELD SCHOOL ON IPMDR. JASVIR SINGH,
Central Integrated Pest Management Centre,
Bhawani Estate, Tanda Road, Jalandhar (Punjab)
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• Indiscriminate and excessive use of pesticides
  resulted into several adverse effects like pest
  resistance to pesticides, pest resurgence,
  destruction of natural enemies, ecological
  imbalance and environmental pollution, besides
  increased cost of crop production.

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• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is adopted for
  safe and sustainable agriculture.
• Farmers Field Schools- cum- demonstrations are
  effective for transfer of IPM technology to the
  farmers.

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• This strengthens the role of farmers in the
  researcher-extensionist-farmer chain.
• The school provides farmers with tools which
  enable them to analyse their own production
  practices.
• Farmers Field School is a season long programme
  which is organized in farmers field by meeting
  once in a week.
• It is season long so that it covers all the
  different developmental stages of the crop and
  their related management practices.

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• The training strategy, having its foundation in
  non-formal education principles, emphasizes
  Learning by doing and empowering farmers to
  take adequate decision on pest management
  measures needed. possible solutions.

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• COMPONENT OF IPM
• Grow a healthy crop varietal selection, soil
  preparation, plant nutrition and physiology,
  water and weed management.
• Conserve natural enemies Recognizing beneficials
  in the field, learning insect population dynamics
  etc.

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• Observe the field Weekly Including recognition
  of damage symptoms, changes in insect
  populations, evaluation of plant growth and
  physiology, relationships between plant stages
  and insect populations, effects of weather
  conditions and water and nutrient management.
• Farmers as IPM experts Farmers become expert in
  decision making based on agro-ecosystem analysis
  and identify the pests and defenders.

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BASIC ELEMENTS OF FFS
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• The FFS consists of a group of 30 farmers and 5
  agriculture extension officers.
• The FFS is field based and lasts for at least one
  cropping season (seeding to harvest) (14-15
  weeks).
• The FFS farmers have regular weekly meeting
  during the cropping season.
• In the FFS, farmers conduct a study comparing IPM
  strategy with common farmers practices. They
  have an IPM and a Farmers Practice plot
  (Non-IPM).

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• The FFS includes special topics that deal with
  specific issues selected by the farmers.
• Each meeting includes at least an Agro-ecosystem
  Analysis (AESA) conducted in the field ending
  with a discussion of crop management decision.
• FFS educational methods are experimental,
  participatory, learner-centered and based on
  non-formal education.
• The FFS group is guided by at least one
  facilitator offering experimental learning
  opportunities, rather than delivering top-down
  instruction.

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METHOD OF EDUCATION
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• The method of education in FFS is mainly based on
  non-formal education.
• There are many differences between formal and
  non-formal education.

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FORMAL EDUCATION

• Teacher
• Teacher is the centre of instruction
• Information push (teacher decides
• what trainees are being taught).
• Teacher has to prepare all sessions.
• Trainees are passive receivers of
• information.

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NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

• Facilitator
• Participants can give inputs
• Information pull (focus on actual information
  needs)
• Facilitator ensures that participants learn
  basic contents and involves participants to
  determine additional learning goals.
• Informal, open exchange, equal chance to
  participants.

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• Facilitator is a group member.
• Facilitator can use inputs of the group.
• Questions from the group can be answered by the
  group (discussion/sharing of experiences, setting
  up experiments, inviting resource persons etc.)
• Working in small groups.

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The basic principle of FFS is

• If I hear it, I forget it.
• If I see it, I remember it.
• If I do it, I believe it for life.

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STEPS FOR ORGANIZING FFS

• Selection of demonstration site
• -All weather approachable locations/ sites/
  villages are selected. The plot size in each site
  should be preferably 40 ha for rice and 10 ha for
  cotton and other crops. Intensively cultivated
  and irrigated areas should be given preferences
  as these are pest prone areas.
• -The demonstration sites/locations should
  have the history of having one or two major pest
  problems.

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• 2. Bench Mark Survey
• A bench mark survey should be conducted in the
  villages selected for FFS before commencement of
  the programme so as to assess the pest problems,
  level of pesticide usage, varieties grown, size
  of holding and the social and economic level of
  the farmers.

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• 3. Meeting with farmers
• To start a FFS, the first step is to organize the
  introductory meeting with the farmers and collect
  basic information about the crop and their
  problems.
• Introduce the concept of IPM
• Explain the training process
• Participatory
  
• Practical
• Learning by doing
• Experimenting

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• Selection of Trainees
• For each FFS, 30 farmers along with 5
  progressive farmers/NGOs/Extension functionaries
  are selected as trainee. The farmers should be
  selected from all income groups and preference
  should be given to SC/STs and women farmers. All
  the trainees should be provided with IPM Kit
  (Annexure-I).

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• Preparation of action plan
• The facilitator (trainer) should be well
  conversant with the local problems and able to
  convince the farmers. Timing of the FFS may be as
  the convenient of the trainees and facilitator.
  Tentative programme for 14 consecutive weeks
  should be chalked out including all the
  curriculum activities of IPM.

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• 6. Ballot Box Test
• To test farmers at the beginning of an FFS
  use Ballot Box Test. It is not really about
  testing the farmers knowledge, but rather a way
  of showing them the gaps in their knowledge as a
  way of preparing them for what they can expect to
  learn during the FFS.

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• 7. One day schedule of FFS
• The IPM Field Schools meets throughout the
  cropping season once in a week in order that
  participants can observe and analyse the dynamics
  of the field ecology across a full season. Each
  meeting consists of a set pattern of activities
  agro-ecosystem field observation, analysis and
  presentation special topics and group dynamics.
  The tentative one day schedule of the FFS may be
  as followed

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• Opening
• Introduction
• Attendance
• Days briefing of activities
• 9.00 Visit of field in small groups
• Make observations that are noted by the
  facilitator and one other person in the group.
  Facilitators points out interesting new
  developments.
• 10.00 Return to the shade. Begin making
  Agro-Ecosystem Analysis, drawing
• and discuss management decision.
• Each team presents results and group arrives at a
  consensus on management needs for the coming
  week.
• Tea Break
• Group Dynamics (Energiser)
• Special study topic related to farmers problem
  (rodent control, micro-nutrient deficiency,
  health and safety, water and fertilizer
  management)
• Closing with the planning of next week
  programme.

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• Preparation of tentative IPM Package/ Practices
• Keeping in view the past history of the
  crop sequence, agronomic practices and the
  varieties grown and pest problems, a tentative
  package of IPM outlines for specific area should
  tentatively describe the likely steps to be
  adopted right from the field preparation,
  selection of seeds to the harvest and evaluation
  of the harvest

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• Information of Non-IPM field
• Farmers practices on the same crop
  should be observed as Non-IPM field records for
  comparing the field data for evaluation.

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• Documentation and records
• At each demonstration site, the facilitator
  should maintain a record of all the activities
  including yield undertaken in the register and it
  should be shown to the visiting officers for
  their comments and advise. The data will be used
  to work out cost benefit ration to compare IPM
  and Non-IPM field.

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• Farmers Field Day
• The Farmers Field Day is to be organized
  after 14 weeks of training wherein detailed
  discussions among the trainee farmers and the
  trainer takes place on various aspects including
  the success story as well as on the points of
  failures. On the farmers field day, other
  farmers, local officers and other important
  persons from NGOs, Agriculture and Co-operatives
  etc. should be invited. Crop cutting experiment
  should also be organized so as to compare the
  yield in the IPM and Non-IPM plots.

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• Funding/Financing of FFS
• The Union Department of Agriculture
  Cooperation is financing the FFS, IPM demo-cum
  training programme. The fund will be channelised
  through the Central IPM Centers located in the
  States/UTs. The expenditure as approved by the
  Govt. _at_ Rs.17,000 for one FFS for various items
  of expenditure (Annexure-II).

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LIST OF IPM KIT SPECIFICATIONS
Sl. No. Item Quantity Specifications
1. Insect Sweep Net 1 Steel ring 5mm thickness 37.5 cm diameter with 37.5 cm flap 60 cm long conical bag made of markin cloth and a sturdy 1 meter long handle of 2.5 cm diameter. Ring cover flap made of jean cloth
2. Hand Lens (10x) 1 Steel framed box (folded)
3. Brush 1 Camel hair 3 No.
4. Watch glass 1 7.5 cm diameter
5. Plastic vials 5 7.5x2.5 cm with lid
6. Dissecting needle 2 With plastic handle
7. Poly bags 10 30x20 cm
8. Rubber bands 20 2.5 cm
9. Note book 1 20x13 cm, 40 pages
10. Ball Pen 1 15 Cm with cap
11. Cello Tape 1 1.5 cm x 9 meter
12. Drawing Pen 2 Blue Red
13. IPM Cap 1 Front cover 7.5 cm length, 16.5 cm diameter 17.5 cm elastic trap tight and loose system with national IPM emblem embossing
14. IPM Kit Bag 1 Made of jean cloth 35 cmx30 cm having 5 cm depth with 90 cm shoulder sling national IPM emblem embossing.
15. Drawing sheet 2 Full size (75 x 55 cm)
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THANKS