IPM Farmer Field Schools to Enhance Farmers' Crop Production Skills and Income
Project / Program Summary

Sector(s):	poverty alleviation, health and environment
Title:	IPM Farmer Field Schools to Enhance Farmers' Crop Production Skills and Income (GHA/96/001)
Donor country/ organization:	UNDP
Other donors / organizations involved:	FAO
Beneficiary countries / regions:	Ghana, with international training participants from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mali and Zanzibar.
Implementing agencies in beneficiary countries / regions:	MoA
Duration:	3 years
Starting Date:	1 September 1997
Project / Program budget:	US$ 763,472
Finance / Type of cooperation:	grant X / technical cooperation / loan

Objectives
Empowerment of small-scale farmers through Farmer Field Schools (FFS) on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for rice and vegetables. Farmers will acquire the skills to make sounder crop management decisions by themselves based on an understanding of the agro-ecosystem and economy of their fields.
Activities / contents
Season-long Training of Trainers (TOT) for agricultural extension staff on rice and vegetable IPM and FFS methodologies along with season-long Farmer Field Schools run by the trainer-participants.
Expected outcomes / impacts
Extension staff will have the capacity to train about 1000 farmers a year in Farmer Field Schools. As a result of the FFS training, farmers will be empowered and socio-economic circumstances in poor rural areas improved through increased farmer's income. Reduced agricultural inputs, including pesticides, will ameliorate environmental and health conditions of the rural population.
Features in line with the Agenda for Action:

Global IPM Facility, FAO Headquarters, Rome-Italy. E-mail: Global-IPM@fao.org

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