Minya, Egypt - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with Life Vision, a local Non-Governmental Organization have implemented two Junior Farmer Field School (JFFS) to 50 students in Al-Minya governorate with the aim of raising awareness on the importance of water, good nutrition and a general introduction on good agricultural practices and farming, as well as linking the junior FFS’s to the women FFSs that are taking place under the project as well.

JFFS teach children and young people more than farming; they focus on life skills, social tools, problem-solving and self-confidence. These schools use different teaching methods to transfer information including smart technology, theatre, dance and role-playing. JFFS promote progressive attitudes, including gender equality. Under the regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda or water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries”, a total of ten sessions in each of the two schools were implemented to a total of 50 juniors, where 25 juniors were boys and another 25 juniors were girls. The average age group of the juniors was 15 year olds, children of the women participating in the women Farmer Field Schools (FFS) under the project. The JFFS were implemented in two villages in Al-Minya governorate: Beni Ebeid and Mansheyet El Nasr.

The main objective of the JFFS was to raise awareness on water, its issues and importance of reducing water waste; promotion of proper nutrition and social skills; and a general introduction to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in farming and crop production. The sessions that took place under the JFFS included both theoretical and practical sessions done in classrooms, with different visits to the field. The sessions were divided as follows:

• Three sessions on water, with a focus on water scarcity, the importance of water, how to reduce water waste, the different irrigation methods simplified, water pollution and its sources, and the juniors roles in reducing water waste and pollution.
• Three sessions on nutrition and social skills, with a focus on proper nutrition, a healthy eating plate, sources of vitamins, and social skills such as self-confidence, presentation skills, team work, problem solving, etc.
• Four sessions on farming and GAP, where a general introduction was conducted on FFS, GAP of different crops grown around them, and the different value chain stages.

After every session, the juniors were assigned tasks to do at home, where they should explain what they learned during the session to one or both of their parents, and then come back the next session with a question from their parents. Questions usually revolve around the use of pesticides, fertilizers, GAP and livestock. This method encourages the student to share the information that was learned during the session, and highlight the gaps that were not fully understood. The deeper message for this method, is the promotion of awareness raising as a skill and social norm from this young age.

This activity is implemented under the regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries”, under the regional Water Scarcity Initiative. This project is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.