Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes of Farmer Field Schools in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Doocy, Shannon; Cohen, Sarah L.; Emerson, Jillian; Menakuntuala, Joseph; Team, Jenga Jamaa Ii Study; Rocha, Jozimo Santos

doi:10.9745/ghsp-d-17-00203

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…These reductions were associated with a reduction in pesticide applications, the selection of less toxic products or the use of improved methods of personal protection (Chhay 2017;Cole et al 2007;Morales-Abubakar et al 2013;FAO 2016b;Mancini et al 2009;Jørs et al 2014), but some studies found no effect of the FFS on pesticide applications (see 3.3). There was also a positive effect of the FFS on the diversity of food and nutrition at household level (DANIDA 2011;Weinhardt et al 2016;Doocy et al 2017;Kuria 2014).…”

Section: Quality Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of farmer field schools in the human, social, natural and financial domain: a qualitative review

et al. 2020

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The Farmer Field School (FFS) is a widely used method seeking to educate farmers to adapt agricultural decisions to diverse and variable field conditions. Out of 218 screened studies, 65 were selected to review the impact of the FFS. An analytical framework was developed with effects (outputs, outcomes and impacts) arranged according to the human, social, natural and financial domains. Impacts on non-participants of the FFS were addressed as peripheral effects. The FFS demonstrated its potential to enhance human, social, natural and financial capital of rural communities. Human capital was built in the form of critical thinking, innovation, confidence, and quality of life. Effects on social capital included mutual trust, bonding, collective action, networking, and emancipation. Natural capital was enhanced through improvements in field practices, food production, agricultural diversification, and food security. Financial capital was enhanced through increased income and profits, savings and loans schemes, with a potential to reduce poverty. The available body of evidence was unbalanced across the capital domains, providing high coverage of the natural domain but low coverage of the human, social and financial domains. In-depth case studies are needed to elucidate the interactions between livelihood assets, and the influences of the policy, institutional and external environment, in order to adjust FFS interventions aiming to optimize their impacts. Considering the positive effects the FFS can have on rural livelihoods, the FFS has potential to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, quality assurance of the FFS and a balanced evaluation across the capital domains require attention.

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Section: Quality Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study in the DR Congo, the FFS intervention took two years, and after completion, many farmers formed farmer business associations to improve access to credit and marketing (Doocy et al 2018;Doocy et al 2017). The study followed FFS households every six months for 3.5 years.…”

Section: Access To Services and Marketsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of farmer field schools in the human, social, natural and financial domain: a qualitative review

et al. 2020

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“…One of most extensive top-down programmes for SAD that has evolved during that past 30 years is the Farmer Field School (FFS) programme initiated by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) (FAO, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Settle, Soumare, Sarr, Garba, & Poisot, 2014). The FFS programme focuses explicitly on increasing farmers' knowledge of environmentally friendly farming to increase agricultural productivity and farmers' income (Chhay et al, 2017;Doocy et al, 2017;Hussain, Rehman, Bibi, Khalid, & Khalid, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Settle et al, 2014). Recent studies (Doocy et al, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Scheba, 2017), however, show that this programme has not always been as successful as envisioned (in some cases with no effect at all on the farming techniques deployed or on productivity).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The FFS programme focuses explicitly on increasing farmers' knowledge of environmentally friendly farming to increase agricultural productivity and farmers' income (Chhay et al, 2017;Doocy et al, 2017;Hussain, Rehman, Bibi, Khalid, & Khalid, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Settle et al, 2014). Recent studies (Doocy et al, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Scheba, 2017), however, show that this programme has not always been as successful as envisioned (in some cases with no effect at all on the farming techniques deployed or on productivity). Lack of awareness of the need for change for SAD, and lack of coordination between actors, are the two main causes named, in addition to lack of market, financial and other supporting infrastructures (Doocy et al, 2017;Scheba, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies (Doocy et al, 2017;Rocha, 2017;Scheba, 2017), however, show that this programme has not always been as successful as envisioned (in some cases with no effect at all on the farming techniques deployed or on productivity). Lack of awareness of the need for change for SAD, and lack of coordination between actors, are the two main causes named, in addition to lack of market, financial and other supporting infrastructures (Doocy et al, 2017;Scheba, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Empowering change for sustainable agriculture: the need for participation

Kusnandar

Brazier

Kooten

2019

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

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Sustainable agricultural development (SAD) requires empowerment and engagement of all actors in the agricultural production and supply chain to enable change. This paper proposes a novel framework for Participatory Sustainable Agricultural Development (PSAD) that distinguishes four main classes of factors that influence participation in SAD: environmental, economic, social and governance-related. The factors in each of these classes are analysed in relation to their effect over time, on the basis of 49 SAD programmes reported in the literature. Findings show that the social factors of engagement and empowerment, not often addressed in existing SAD programmes, are of significant influence to effect over time, as are the environmental factors of food safety, and the economic factors of production and capacity development. As such this paper shows that in in addition to the wellacknowledged need for knowledge and skills related to food safety, production and capacity development, SAD programmes also need to address the social factors of engagement and empowerment to enable sustainable change over time for SAD through participation.

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Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries

Durão

Visser

Ramokolo

et al. 2020

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

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To determine the effects of community-level interventions that aim to improve access to nutritious food in LMICs, for both the whole community and for disadvantaged or at-risk individuals or groups within a community, such as infants and children, women, the elderly, the poor, the unemployed, or minority groups. Secondary objectives To determine the features of community-level interventions that enable or impede the effective implementation of these interventions to improve access to food. To identify unintended consequences of interventions to improve access to food. B A C K G R O U N D Description of the condition Food security exists when "all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life" (FAO 2003). When this is not the case, the population is said to be food insecure. Food insecurity and associated undernutrition affect health and socioeconomic development on different levels (Black 2013; Ecker 2012; Victora 2008). For adults it has been associated with increased risk of disability, morbidity and mortality, and with income generating potential (Black 2008, Black 2013, Victora 2008). 1 Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low-and middle-income countries (Protocol)

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Food Security and Nutrition Outcomes of Farmer Field Schools in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cited by 15 publications

References 33 publications

Impacts of farmer field schools in the human, social, natural and financial domain: a qualitative review

Impacts of farmer field schools in the human, social, natural and financial domain: a qualitative review

Empowering change for sustainable agriculture: the need for participation

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries

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