From Farmer Field Schools (FFS) to Pastoralist Field Schools (PFS)

Adopting FFS to Pastoralism in Karamoja

Outline of the Presentation

1. Situation in Karamoja

2. FFSs as a Basis for the PFS

3. What is a PFS?

4. Why the PFS Approach?

5. PFS Purpose

6. Fundamental Values of the PFS

7. Possible PFS Topics

8. Challenges

The Situation in Karamoja• Largely semi-arid, with an average rainfall of 500 – 700 mm

per year• Livelihood systems depend on livestock husbandry • Transhumance: production system is a dual system in which

life revolves around two locations at the same time: the permanent settlement (manyatta) where predominantly agricultural production takes place and some animals are kept and the mobile cattle-camp (kraal) where pastoral production takes place

• A drought is a recurrent and rather normal phenomenon in Karamoja where people experience prolonged dry seasons

• Prolonged dry season every 3-5 years and a major drought every 10 years

• Drought contingency planning is a predictable planning exercise based on normal pastoralist responses to environmental stress.

The Situation in Karamoja• Recent years have shown more frequent and more severe

shocks to the Karimojongs’ livelihood system. As weather patterns become more volatile due to climate change, the possibility of rebuilding assets by the affected groups is limited due to reduced and less predictable periods between climatic shocks

• A drought has often been a trigger to a humanitarian crisis but the increased vulnerability of the affected pastoralists over the years has increased the extent and severity of the crisis

• Vulnerability is caused by a wide variety of complex and interacting factors such as population growth and increasing competition for scarce resources, which makes it difficult for the communities to recover.

• As a result, livelihoods of pastoralists have been eroded

From FFS to PFS

Protecting and improving core livelihood assets is essential in the event of a crisis. New approaches are currently implemented where humanitarian agencies work with the community to find out existing ways of preparing for and managing drought situations. This means using local knowledge and practices. One of these approaches currently being piloted is the Pastoralist Field School (PFS)

Development of PFS started in 2006, major roll-out in 2008, and the concept, though at infancy has caught the attention of development agencies in Eastern Africa

From FFS to PFS

• The PFS developed out of the Farmer Field School (FFS). The Farmers Field school approach (FFS) originated in Indonesia in 1989 in response to a pest outbreak caused by the misuse of pesticides on rice farms

• Aims of the FFS:

- build farmer’s productive capacity

- analyse production systems

- identify major constraints

- test possible solutions, and

- identify and adopt the most suitable practices

From FFS to PFS

• Basic features of the FFS

- The FFS is field based. FFSs are about practical, hands-on

topics. The field is the teacher

- Participatory process

- Between 25 to 30 farmers participate in the FFS and meet

regularly during the course of an agricultural season

- No teaching but group discovery learning thus enhancing

ownership

- The FFS curriculum follows the natural cycle of its subject,

be it crop, animal, soil, or handicrafts

What is a Pastoralist Field School (PFS)

• Applied in the context of communities who live in arid and semi-arid regions and who depend on animal husbandry

• Like FFS, PFS is a ‘school’ without walls• It stimulates local innovation in livestock production• It is a forum where a group of 30-40 pastoralists meet and

make regular observations that relate their production (herds) to the rangeland ecosystem and vice versa

• Decisions made on use and management of rangelands for livestock, are based on previous experiences and any new information that is shared in the forums

• PFS is more about people development than technology development

Why the PFS-Approach? The pastoralists system of livestock production is complex and

is based on experience that is passed down from one generation to the next. There are, however, changes in the climate and diseases that require that pastoralists take into account a host of different factors from those that they were traditionally accustomed to. This knowledge and innovation is best realized from a participatory learning approach.

The objective of the PFS is to build pastoralists capacities to better cope with the challenges that are associated with drought and mobility of people and assets.

Sensitization for technical change and adoption of new technology is done by carrying out agro ecosystem observations of the landscape, regularly establishing what living and non-living elements are affecting the way of life of the pastoralists and how it is affecting the environment.

PFS Purpose The overall goal is to assist the pastoralists’ livelihoods to

become more resilient to disasters and also prepare them to seize new opportunities. It is about strengthening the capacity of livestock keepers to apply drought resilient, locally adapted and environmentally sound livestock production and agricultural practices

Objectives:

- To facilitate pastoralist communities to learn new ways to

solve problems at each stage of the drought cycle

- To sharpen the ability of livestock keepers to make critical

and informed decisions that strengthen their coping

mechanisms.

- To provide platforms where pastoral groupings and test and

adapt a variety of agricultural options.

PFS Fundamental Values Hands On / Learning by Doing

Systematic Training Process that responds to migration

No teaching! PFS is an extension approach and based on the principle of adult learning and every learner is a potential trainer.

Group discovery learning enhancing ownership

Participation

Unity is strength! Empowerment for collective action is facilitated through group dynamic activities

Possible PFS Topics Livestock health

- deworming, ethnoveterinary knowledge, drug quality and

control Livestock production

- (mineral supplementation), fodder/forage production and

preservation, natural resource management, livestock

management practices, product processing and marketing Business skills Apiculture Poultry keeping and fisheries Peace building

Challenges Mobility Insecurity Daily duties, i.e. watering, herding and security patrols Traditional ceremonies, i.e. initiation, marriage Lost or stolen livestock (Rumors of) impeding raid Instructions from traditional leaders/seers Relief supply

Questions?Questions?