Digitalizing FFS To Bring Out The Farmer’s Native Genius – The Wizard Of Os, Frank H


You may want to read first my earlier essay, The Wizard Of Os. Original, these 5 Wizard Os: Obstacles, Opportunities, Options, Outputs and Outcomes – Agriculture Anywhere proceeding from production to marketing.

Obstacle:

I junked the Farmer Field School, FFS, in this essay here: Creative Scus. But Alyssa Jade McDonald-Bärtl reacted positively, and Ms Alyssa is a respected board member of the Unternehmensgrun-Bundesverband and Founder of Blyss Chocolate gmbh[1]. She informed our Facebook friend Nestor V Saludo, who in turn sent me her message:

I understand! Just curious as the efficacy of FFS and diffusion education etc is something I work on. In November, the FFS HQ of FAO put together some great work on digitalization of FFS aspects; however there are still some points which need adjustment locally. Thus, your colleague's suggestion of local R&D from uni / higher ed to contribute to custom-FFS (or digital or diffusion) infos for farmers as a concept is well backed by popular opinion and science.

Opportunity:

Yes, I am interested in “the efficacy of FFS and diffusion education” – FFS is a tired educational tool and should now be retired. But I’m educable. Ms Alyssa says the FFS headquarters of FAO “put together some great work on digitalization of FFS aspects, however there are still some points which need adjustment locally.”

Let’s visit the FAO FFS website[2]:

A Farmer Field School brings together a group of farmers, livestock herders or fisherfolk, to learn on how to shift towards more sustainable production practices, by better understanding complex agro-ecosystems and by enhancing ecosystem services. A FFS group meets regularly during a production cycle, setting up experimentation and engaging in hands-on learning to improve skills and knowledge that will help adapt practices to their specific context. The FFS empowers individuals and groups to move towards more sustainable practices and (improved) livelihoods.

Option:

Gentlemen, digital is the way to go! “To learn on how to shift towards more sustainable production practices, by better understanding complex agro-ecosystems and by enhancing ecosystem services” – You have to laymanize all and show all. Today, the best way to teach? Digital.Especially in the Philippines, the social media capital of the world. Via cellphone (image above from Page Design Shop[3]): People can repeat the lesson at will.

No more repeatingexperiments! Simply record digitally the experiments of volunteer farmers and all the others have to do is pay digital attention! Visual and aural presentations are more convincing.

The FFS has been configured as if the farmer knows nothing, and so the FFS is a season-long instruction class for robots! “This is what to do; this is how, when.”

Output:

FAO says, “The FFS empowers individuals and groups to move towards more sustainable practices and (improved) livelihoods” – the best way to convince anyone of sustainable practices & improved livelihoods is to show digitally, time span included.

Outcome:

Digital FFS can show farmers convincingly how to think and act for themselves & families and in time lead sustainable lives beyond poverty!@517







[1]https://www.facebook.com/alyssajademcdonald/about?lst=1156013429%3A746018571%3A1579774614
[2]http://www.fao.org/farmer-field-schools/home/en/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How PH’s Hybrid Rice Companies Can Increase Their Sales – But Do Farmers Have To Spray All Those Pesticides!?

Image
First, let me be clear: I am in favor of hybrid rice as a good part of the solution for the Philippines to attain rice self-sufficiency – I hope this year, 2021. I have already written about it; try “How Good Are Hybrid Rices In The Philippines [1] ?” (06 January 2021, BraveNewWorld@PH ) Today, Sunday, 10 January 2021, browsing on Facebook, I notice that the hybrid rice companies in my country are not minding their own business! I mean, they are not actively assisting the farmers taking care of their plantings. I found that out when on Facebook, I scanned the page “Usapang Hybrid Rice” (Talking Hybrid Rice), “Group by Tatang Juan” (above, top image). At this Facebook page, I read the entries and noticed that the farmers’ questions, answers and comments seemed innocent – but they were not. It has something to do with this: The hybrid rice companies in the Philippines are not providing adequate advice and information to farmers. And that is not good – it may even be dangerous. Her
Read more

“Healthy Foods Come From Healthy Farms” – Frank A Hilario

Image
Food crops destroyed by floods, forests destroyed by fires – what other signs do you want from the Heavens Above? God! “Good comes from Good” says Webstaurant Store – only healthy farming can bring healthy fields and homes! (“Good Comes” image from webstaurantstore.com , “Whatever good” from brainyquote.com ) “Climate Change“ is forcing us to redefine “Primate Change“ and I, Agriculturist and writer engaged in what today I call “Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century” (CoViD21) in the last 42 years – now preach Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in the villages. Primates, only RA will save us from climate change! That is a CoViD21 action/reaction from my BSA Ag Edu, UP Los Baños, 1965 and continuing self-study with the advent of the Internet in PH in 1991. Wide thoughts come from wide reading. Here now is my considered definition: Regenerative Agriculture is any principle, process, procedure, or practice applied that repeatedly returns, revives, resuscitates, o
Read more

01, Less Is More – How PhilRice Can Reduce A Rice Farmer’s Total Expenses By 51%!

Image
This essay arose from several Facebook comments on my earlier essay “07, The More The Merrier – P 1B From DA Supportive Of 10 Bataan Model Farms Leading PH Agriculture [1] ” (21 February 2021, BrainScapes ). This is my comment in that essay that readers mainly commented on: I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funded IRRI and 35-year-old PH-funded PhilRice have advocated neither high-value crops (HVCs) after rice nor fertigation, when these technologies are not that new. Joy Duldulao said: “ PhilRice advocates HVCs thru its Palayamanan and FutureRice programs.” Eufemio Rasco replied: “ PhilRice should not limit itself to advocacy. Advocacy is for those who don’t have the resources. Show by example how the challenge of scaling up can be done in its own farms! Mainstream Palayamanan!” Roberto Acosta said: “ Joy Duldulao, maybe it’s high time to change the success measurement matrix of PhilRice – from increasing rice yield to increasing rice farmers' income and better lives
Read more