Institutionalizing farmer field schools - Twigire Muhinzi National Extension System in Rwanda

This report is part of a global study on promising Agriculture Human Capital Investment (AHCI) initiatives and presents evidence from a case study on Institutionalizing Farmer Field School (FFS) Investment: the Twigire Muhinzi National Extension System in Rwanda.

This study adopted a qualitative approach in collecting and documenting the data. Secondary data were collected through a literature review of relevant documents to the case study and through consulting with key informants, including project managers from both the public and the private sectors directly involved with the implementation of Twigire Muhinzi. Primary data were collected through interviews with project managers, FFS facilitators and farmers participating in FFSs under the Twigire Muhinzi Extension system. A sample was taken representing districts in the four provinces, with four districts with the highest share of FFS groups selected in each province. The interviews were conducted by phone in August 2020, audio-recorded, transcribed manually and using NVIVO-QSR (Version 11) software and supplemented by handwritten notes.

The key findings indicate that the types of human capital generated through the FFS approach under Twigire Muhinzi are the following: (i) technical skills (livestock nutrition and management and cropping systems); (ii) social skills (gender, women empowerment, market and value chains and collective action); (iii) functional skills (savings and credit and market analysis); and (iv) empowerment (critical thinking, experimentation, innovation, group or community empowerment and mindset change). The acquired technical skills include competencies in good agricultural practices (GAP), which enable farmers to improve their production and productivity as well as their general wellbeing and livelihood. With enhanced functional skills, farmers are in a better negotiating position for obtaining the desired selling price for their produce.

In conclusion, the FFS approach showcases a situation where an extension approach can improve farmer skills, knowledge and empowerment and thus lead to enhanced adoption of relevant technologies and practices.
In Rwanda, mainstreaming the FFS approach into the national extension system along with financial support from public–private partnerships contributed to its scaling up. Other key enabling factors included coordinated support and planning at both central and decentralized levels as well as support from development partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society.

Under the FFS approach in Twigire Muhinzi, the number of farmers trained countrywide each season is constrained by available financing and is usually a small number as compared to the planned number. For any country or organization implementing the FFS approach, there is a need to consider putting in place strategies such as cost-sharing to ensure financial sustainability.

Source: ReleifWeb