Farmer field schools expand CSA in Kasenengwa
By Gloria Siwisha
Kasenengwa District has stepped up efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture (CSA) through farmer field schools, enabling agricultural extension officers to reach more farmers with sustainable farming technologies and practices.
Kasenengwa Senior Agricultural Officer at the District Agricultural Coordinator’s Office, Bridget Ngoma, said the farmer field school model being promoted by the Eastern Province Jurisdictional Sustainable Landscape Programme (EPJSLP) had transformed the delivery of agricultural extension services.
Speaking during an EPJSLP-supported talk show on Breeze 89.3 FM, Ms Ngoma said the model had shifted agricultural extension from a largely top-down approach to a decentralized, farmer-led system.
She explained that under the model, extension officers train lead farmers, who then share the knowledge and skills with other farmers in their communities.
“Instead of an extension officer having to train every farmer directly, the farmer field school focuses on training a group of 25 lead farmers in a school without walls. Each lead farmer then trains 10 follower farmers,” Ms Ngoma said.
She said the approach was helping bridge the gap between extension officers and farmers while expanding access to climate-smart agriculture information at community level.
“This enables us to reach more farmers while bridging the gap between extension officers and farmers, and enhancing access to climate-smart agriculture information,” she said.
Ms Ngoma disclosed that Kasenengwa currently has 52 farmer field schools, with each school comprising 25 lead farmers.
This translates into 1,300 lead farmers, who are expected to reach a further 13,000 follower farmers with knowledge on climate-smart agricultural practices.
She said the farmer field school model was also strengthening farmers’ capacity to independently adopt sustainable land management practices and improve their resilience to the effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, Crop Husbandry Officer Mabvuto Phiri has urged farmers to continue adopting climate-smart agricultural practices to reduce carbon emissions while improving productivity and household food security.
Mr Phiri encouraged farmers to embrace minimum tillage, crop rotation and agroforestry, including the planting of trees such as Gliricidia sepium and Musangu (Faidherbia albida).
He also encouraged farmers to use metal silos as a way of reducing post-harvest losses and improving food storage.
“These practices will not only reduce emissions from agricultural activities but also increase yields and household food security,” Mr Phiri said.
The expansion of farmland and unsustainable agricultural practices have contributed to deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions, while also making farmers more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The EPJSLP is supporting efforts to address these challenges through the promotion of climate-resilient agricultural practices, sustainable forest management and the adoption of energy-efficient cookstoves.
Through the farmer field school approach, the programme is strengthening community-level knowledge sharing and creating a network of farmers capable of promoting sustainable agricultural practices beyond the reach of conventional extension services.
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ilience