Documentation: An Effective Tool in Farmer Field

This article from LEISA magazine Vol. 22.1, uses the example of the “Sustainable Coffee Project Peru”, to describe how relevant and well documented data has played an important role in supporting the learning processes of the Farmer Field Schools (FFSs). This is illustrated with three examples: a survey of the coffee farmers’ situation as a basis for developing the content of the curriculum for the FFSs; the development of field school leaflets to support the education process in FFSs; and the use of a field book in the evaluation and comparison of farmer practices as part of a Participatory Technology Development process.

Background


The project is supervised by Plant Research International, Wageningen, The Netherlands, and financed by the DE Foundation. It is carried out together with the farmers forming the Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Sostenible Valle Ubiriki and is located in the Ubiriki-Perené valley, Junin, Peru.
The design and implementation of the project is based on informed participation and social unity, and is specific to this region. About 190 farmer families currently participate in 9 Farmer Field Schools, organised as a registered agricultural cooperative
with the the Utz-Kapeh certification for sustainable production.

Development of Content of the FFS


In order to develop content relevant for the field school programme, 150 families were interviewed at their farms using various tools including a four-page questionnaire on their framing processes and the difficulties faced in farming, such as a lack of labour or land, availability of inputs like fertilizer or pesticides, financial or supply constraints, social/gender analysis, and the lack of information as a result of extension services that were difficult to reach. "Analyses of all documented answers and initial observations in the coffee fields resulted in qualitative and quantitative data on the farmers’ constraints." Farmers' questions like, “How can I improve the coffee quality? How can I earn a living? How does the coffee market work?” formed the starting point for the educational programme in the Farmer Field Schools, resulting in their active interest because of the relevancy of the content.

Farmer Field School Leaflets

According to the article, leaflets were most effective of the methods used in meetings: "During the field meetings, a variety of approaches were used to work together with the farmers, including diagrams, pictures, photographs, boxes, living materials, oral presentations, songs, poems, plays and leaflets. Different strategies were needed for different topics, but farmers found the leaflets the most useful. During the initial interviews 87 percent of the farmers mentioned they would like to participate in a Farmer Field School, 60 percent of the farmers thought that information transmitted by radio as useful, while 100 percent of the farmers considered leaflets as relevant and appropriate to their needs." The leaflets were made locally with the farmers, emphasising "how and why" in terms of technical solutions, their advantages and disadvantages, consequences and obstacles. Drawings and photographs from field sessions and farmer reflections were selected by the farmers to illustrate the leaflets. A small manual has been made of 18 leaflets as a joint project of facilitators and farmers
which the authors claim fostered mutual trust, joint responsibility, and better understanding.


Comparing Existing Farmer Practices

The field book is the primary tool for recording daily work and expenses as well as documenting choices made. The format was designed in the field schools and collected every 2 weeks. Results were summarised by a model developed at Wageningen University. It allows for discussion and comparison of current farm practices and increases farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange. Initially, six farmers per school kept records because the process was unfamiliar to facilitators and farmers, but after the first crop cycle, all farmers chose to participate, recognising that the strength of this approach lies in the simple, well-organised record keeping, accurate observations, and the resulting visual presentation to the FFS groups.



In conclusion, the article describes the documentation as a powerful tool to integrate and expand knowledge by identifying current constraints and possible solutions; building mutual trust and understanding within the farmers’ communities; and by developing record-keeping skills that allow them to analyse their own situations and adapt new or existing technologies for their use.