In Afghanistan, 100 livestock and 60 wheat Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitators were trained in 2023 across five regions by FAO national master trainers, and they have already begun conducting FFS sessions. So far, 560 livestock FFS have been established, reaching approximately 15,000 households participating in the FFS sessions over the course of a year. These results are encouraging, especially considering that, in the recent past, often development interventions focused on holding one-off training sessions, paying participating farmers for a few hours of their time. This practice posed a significant challenge in ensuring farmers’ commitment and motivation to learn through more in-depth training and led to financial expectations for participants creating dependency dynamics between projects and local communities. FFS facilitators have successfully shifted the focus from short-term incentives to long-term, sustainable capacity building, engaging farmers through continuous, hands-on learning experiences that directly impact their livelihoods.

What enabled them to achieve such success?

Crops and livestock rearing are the primary sources of income for Afghanistan's rural communities, with livestock serving as mobile assets that can be sold in times of need. Sheep, goats, cattle, and poultry are the main livestock species raised. Approximately 80% of the rural population is engaged in agricultural and livestock activities, but these tend to generate low incomes for rural households. To help rural communities, the FAO decided to implement the FFS approach which can be an effective extension model for building farmers' capacities, providing them with knowledge and tools needed to improve their farming systems.

As the FFS approach is designed to be a "dry" advisory method, where no cash or other material incentives are provided to participants, the project facilitators have found ways to effectively gather farmers and encourage them to join the FFS groups, despite the lack of monetary rewards. This speaks to the core strength of the FFS approach, which relies on building farmers' capacities through interactive learning, hands-on experimentation, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, rather than temporary financial incentives. The livestock FFS sessions were held bi-weekly for livestock farmers, while the agriculture/wheat FFS sessions were held once a week during the cropping season. These sessions covered different technical topics, including silage making, milking and hygiene, animal health, and milk processing, to build the farmers' capacities.

In the upcoming period, a series of training sessions will be organized for facilitators, aiming to further develop their capacity, refine their facilitation skills, and promote the exchange of experiences from the previous year’s FFS implementation. Additionally, field days will be planned to showcase the outcomes of the FFS to the broader community.

The farmer field school is a core component of FAO’s efforts to support the establishment of self-sustaining rural livelihoods, moving Afghanistan away from dependency and towards improved food security.

For more information about the Strengthening Rural Livelihoods and Food Security Program in Afghanistan, you can visit [email protected] or contact [email protected].