Pastoral Field Schools in Northern Kenya.  Assessment Report

Pastoral Field Schools in Northern Kenya. Assessment Report

Year of publication 2010

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 45 p.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Document

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) The purpose of this assessment was to take stock of the implementation of Pastoralist Field Schools (PFS) in Kenya, including impact at individual and community level, challenges and opportunities in implementation etc. Apart from review of existing literature and reports field visits were undertaken to most of the implementation sites in Northern and North-eastern Kenya, followed by a workshop among implementation partners to discuss the findings. Results from the assessment show that PFS provide an excellent entry point and platform for improved livelihoods among pastoral communities and has provided an innovative and ground breaking step towards a more participatory and beneficiary driven support system. Impacts observed include uptake of improved technology options especially related to animal (sheep, goats and cattle) health, feeding and management and to a lesser extent alternative livelihood options such as crop farming, poultry etc. PFS has also contributed to empowerment especially among women including increase self-confidence, group cohesion and a collective spirit. In relation to the management and implementation modalities of PFS there are big differences observed between various actors and a strong need to harmonise and coordinate activities across sites and partners, particularly in relation aspects such as group grants and payment of PFS facilitators. Too little backstopping at field level, low level of expertise on PFS among project managers, low funding for group activities has jeopardized quality of implementation. Training of Facilitators has often been rushed and not adequately covering some key aspects of the approach leading to weaknesses in implementation, for example in terms of lack or weak comparative experimentation and application of tools such as the PESA. Recommendations include more exchange and coordination among actors, re-thinking of the TOF process and selection / remuneration of facilitators, increase of the PFS learning duration, mainstreaming of PFS group grants, increased diversity of learning topics applied, particularly increased attention to HIV/FGM etc., more attention to gender dynamics generally, exchange and networking among groups and improved coordination and harmonisation of the approach among implementation actors.

Language English

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Farmer Field School (FFS) was introduced by FAO and partners more than 30 years ago as an alternative to the prevailing top-down extension approach. FFS promotes farm-based experimentation, group organization, and local decision-making through discovery-based learning methods. FFS involves season-long learning of field-based groups of 25 to 30 farmers, who meet regularly to learn through discovery, experimentation, and share the experience. FFS combines local and scientific knowledge and aims at making farmers better decision-makers. Whereas the conventional technology transfer approach focuses primarily on developing and transforming technologies that work for farmers, the FFS approach, on the other hand, empowers farmers to become better decision-makers towards developing or adapting technologies that work and are acceptable to them. Farmers, agro-pastoralists, and fisherfolk worldwide have benefited from the unique ability of FFS programs to address their technological, social, and economic needs. As a result of this success, the demand for FFS programs continues to increase. In some countries like Kenya, the approach is institutionalized in extension systems and NGO programs. Since then, member countries in the Eastern African subregion have expressed their interest in scaling up existing FFS initiatives and integrating the methodology in national extension policies, strategies, and programs. In response to this need, the FAO Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SFE) developed a project, titled, “Institutionalization of Field Schools (FS) in Extension Curricula of Institutions of Higher Learning in Eastern Africa”, aimed at developing and putting into practice a contextualized and practical approach to mainstream FFS into the agricultural extension.
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