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Educational ProjectsDeveloping Farmer Cooperation in Armenia
Establishment of Farmer Field Schools on Integrated Production Management
In 2008, within the framework of the Rural Enterprise and Small Scale Commercial Agriculture Development Project (RESCAD, WB & Government of Armenia) and with involvement of the Green Lane NGO a project for Establishment and Development of Farmer Field Schools in Armenia was resumed.
In 2008, under the above project, new Farmer Field Schools were started in Ashtarak (FFS on apple production), Aragats (potato production), Lernapar (forage production) and Mastara (fruit production) communities of Aragatsotn region (marz) of Armenia.
In 2009, Green Lane continued with the project supporting establishment of FFSs in another two regions in the south of Armenia – Vayots Dzor and Syunik.
In Vayots Dzor two Farmer Field Schools were established, one of those in Areni community and another in Arin village. Both of the newly established FSSs have their focus on fruit production.
In Syunik region, thanks to RESCAD project, four schools were started in Vaghatin (FFS on asparagus production), Tsav (legume production), Tegh (fruit production and nursery farming), and Meghri (subtropical fruit production) communities.
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ESTABLISHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF FARMER FIELD SCHOOLS (FFS) IN ARMENIA
In 2007, considering the experience Green Lane has in the field of establishment and development of farmer groups and cooperatives, the organization was involved in a new project aimed to establish and develop Farmer Field Schools in Armenia. As a part of RESCAD Project (Project for Development of Rural Enterprises and Small-Scale Commercial Agriculture in Armenia) (Government of Armenia & World Bank), this new project is coordinated by the Agricultural Reform Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the RA Ministry of Agriculture.
In 2007, under this new project, 8 Farmer Field Schools in two regions - Lori and Tavoush - were established. The FFSs focus is on the integrated management of production. Upon the end of the project, all FFS members received certificates for their active participation in the training course. All the groups are now successfully running their businesses. Currently, we work towards linking the newly established FFSs to different local and international organizations interested in agricultural and rural development to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation between them. Marketing of the fruits and vegetables produced by these groups is another direction of our activities.
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What is Farmer Field School and Its Prospective in the Republic of Armenia
Farmer Field School (FFS) is a continual process of a group training based on non-academic informal educational methods. FFSs are considered to be a Platform and a "School without walls" for improving the decision making capacity of farming communities and stimulating local innovation for sustainable agriculture.
Over time, the farmer groups that conduct non-formal researches in their own communities, form a functioning institution based on non-governmental principles of cooperation; they have discussions with the members of the community, make suggestions and analyze research data, develop strategies and make decisions. They also establish a special fund for group purposes - to solve particular problems of the whole community later on (for example, to obtain agricultural inputs - fertilizers, seeds, chemicals etc).
It is a participatory approach to extension, whereby farmers are given opportunity
to make their choice out of different methods of and approaches to production.
FFS consists of farmer groups who meet regularly during the agricultural
production season to test new production methods (on their individual plots)
as a group, assess results and their relevance to particular circumstances,
and interact on a demand-driven basis with the researchers and extensionists
asking for assistance in dealing with some specific problems that can not
be solved by farmers themselves. FFS is a forum where farmers and trainers
discuss observations and their previous experiences and transfer the obtained
experience and knowledge to the community. As a result of meetings, decisions
are made on what steps are to be taken to improve the farmers' activities
and practices.
FFS is an alternative approach to the organization of group training; all
members are involved in the latter and believe that the weak points of the
activities can be identified and assessed only through multiparty research
and discussions in the group.
FFS is not an isolated group; the member-farmers also involve the representatives
of the community in their practical activities and exchange information
with them. At the end of the training the farmers become a trainers and
advisors for the other members of the community. Thus, FFS as an extension
methodology is a dynamic process that is practiced and controlled by the
farmers to share their own experience and observations, and create a more
scientific understanding of the crop/livestock agro-ecosystems.
