Farmer Filled School, FFS² – My Reinvention Of The FFS Of 1987

-

We are living in a digital world, the most promising stage of human life ever – despite the fact that it is the most dangerous.

I am an agriculturist. 79. I don’t remember being excited about agriculture, but now I am, despite the lockdown. Now the farmers can live virtual lives too!

In 1987, we are told the FAO designed and managed the first Farmer Field School[1], FFS, in Indonesia. (above, main image from Oxfam[2])

In 1997, at home in the Philippines, we had our first Internet connection. It has been 33 years since the FFS was invented; it has been 23 years since our first Internet home experience:

It makes me wonder why nobody has ever thought of harnessing the wonders of the information superhighway by digitizing the FFS and teaching the farmers online wherever they are whenever they have the time no matter how many they happen to be!

So today, I am the one reinventing the 1987 Farmer Field School, FFS, into the Farmer Filled School of 2020, FFS2, where filled is the acronym for:

Farmer-centric
The course runs for only 5 days, not season-long as the FFS was designed. The digital recording will telescope the time for the farmers who are not referred to as trainees (don’t know anything) but as learners (would like to know more).

Inclusive
Covered is the whole value chain, from seed to spoon, from inputs to outputs to outcomes. Where the farmer learner is a member, his coop is the manager of his farming, from loans to marketing.

Location-specific
The course can be adjusted to cover the different field conditions and variety of crops where farmers are working with – especially previous soil, water, pest and disease conditions.

Learner-conscious
There are no embarrassing quizzes or question-and-answer sessions. Each participant is given the time to learn more about what s/he wants.

Experiential and Electronic
It is all digital, but the experiences of other farmers and the results of researches are all captured in moving images.

Demand-driven.
Farmers can learn from recordings of crops that they are interested in, whether scheduled during the FFS2 sessions or not.

Other characteristics of FFS2 are the following:

Information-rich: The learner is given texts with accompanying views and/or sounds, and is urged to find out more. It is a situation where curiosity fills the cat!

Learning situation-designed: It leaves room for the learner to find out what it is all about, not simply a show-all-tell-all presentation. The learner is encouraged to present his own interpretation of what he sees and/or hears.

Mass-oriented: The language used is understandable by the locals. Thus, a technical term is translated and/or described in terms of the everyday experience of the farmer audience.

Above, the superimposed composite image is my Windows 10 collage of 26 April 2018. The images show different fields and views, including at the bottom right a “ghost,” a faint image of a lady of inspiration.

Now, about virtual teaching & learning, if the Education people are intelligent, they can learn from Agriculture!@517

 


[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer_field_school

[2]https://www.sdhsprogram.org/tool/plot-design-for-pvs-illustrated-module-for-ffs-facilitators/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THiNK First!

-
Image
I have a new slogan for my writing: “THiNK First!” I’m 83, and today, Monday, 05 Feb 2024, Manila, I realize one is never too old to learn how to think better! Now then, when I think of any of the following people considering what I know or their acquired reputation, do I get mad? BBM, Benigno Aquino, FM, Imee Marcos, Imelda Marcos, Jose Maria Sison, Leni Robredo, Noynoy Aquino, Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte, Tiu Laurel… No, I don’t get mad – instead, today I get inspired to act better than just be a critic! So, I want to share with you my new mantra: THiNK First! It is what you too should do now – it will change your life forever, I promise. One is never too old to learn something new, or something better. (“Think” from bing.com , “First” from bing.com ) “THiNK First!” It goes like this: True? If True, is it Helpful? If Helpful, is it Inspiring? If Inspiring, is it Necessary? If Necessary, is it Kind? THiNK First! Before you express your dislike or hate, THiNK Fi...
Read more

Journalists, Here’s How To Make Your New Year Happy – Stop Complaining First And Start Understanding Where People & Events Are Coming From!

-
Image
Journalist Ellen Tordesillas , says Rest of World 100 , co-founded the non-profit Vera Files ( restofworld.org ) in 2008, “to provide fact-checking and analysis of Philippine political issues under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration [as] she and her team of Filipino journalists impart the importance of separating facts from misinformation and disinformation online [that] has become especially significant as political misinformation becomes part and parcel of online life in the Philippines.” Really? Thus,, it is not surprising that she shares on Facebook today, Saturday, 31 Dec 2022, the end-of-the-year sharing: “Hello 2023! New Year, new pieces of information. Continue to be critical and scrutinizing in 2023. “ And my comment to that is this: “Ms Ellen, au contraire – I will continue to be creative 2023 – you would not know I am actually being critical!” Ms Ellen, look at the lower image (“2023” from pngtree.com ): Something new from something old. Goodbye 2022, Hello 20...
Read more

Life Lessons You Learn As You Go – Here I Go!

-
Image
I’m 83, a happy blogger among other things, and why should I now be learning “8 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew Earlier” from Brian McEntee, an animation and Art Director known for Ice Age (2002), The Brave Little Toaster (1987, and Beauty And The Beast (1991) (IMDb, imdb.com ), published 24 Jan 2024, source quitandconquer.com )? The list is shared by Ramon Rivera on Facebook (image of “Life Lessons” from bing.com ). And yes, I can identify with all 8! Brian McEntee is an animation art director; here is his list ( Quit & Conquer , quitandconquer.com/ ): 1. Time is your most valuable asset. 2. It’s okay to fail and make mistakes. 3. No one is coming to save you. 4. What you aren’t doing is just as important as you what you are doing. 5. Spend time thinking about what you want your life to look like. 6. If you don’t know what to do, pick something and adjust your plans as you go. 7. Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself today to who you were yesterday. 8. D...
Read more