Training of Trainers The ToF is intended to improve participants’ knowledge, attitude and skills in facilitating learning by farmers, in The ToT curriculum is designed to prepare participants for the responsibility of managing Field Schools and related activities. It includes regular ecosystem observation and analysis, discussion on crop development, management and decision-making, insect zoo studies, field studies on relevant problems, organization and planning, group dynamics and gender sensitivity. ToT participants are divided into smaller teams that work in practice-FFS located in nearby villages. The practice-FFS are attached to the ToT and serve as a laboratory, for which participants plan, evaluate and share their team experience every week in a big group setting. Each group experiences a process of curriculum development and evaluation. At the end of the season, participants prepare FFS action plans to be implemented in the next season in collaboration with their respective offices. Successful field days at the end of the season demonstrate what practice-FFS farmers learn and mirror the quality of the ToT process. Carrying out a variety of ToT field studies is groundbreaking for most participants. These studies serve as learning opportunities for addressing field problems (i.e. alternatives for increasing crop yields and income, managing different pests) thru experimentation, which Through defoliation studies, for example, FFS farmers realize that insect pest attacks in the early vegetative stage have no effect on yield. They are able to see how pesticide use is unnecessary because the plant is able to sufficiently compensate for leaf damage. In later plant growth stages, in addition to a conscious effort to conserve natural enemies in the field, farmers learn to try alternatives to chemical pesticides, e.g., the use of botanicals for pod borers in yard long beans. As a result, farmers have cut production costs by reducing the number of times they spray chemicals to only two or three times from a pre-FFS frequency of XXX times per season. Farmers’ studies also have looked into the timeliness of removal of flowers after pollination and the benefits of balanced fertilizer management, proper plant spacing and the use of attractant crops. Guided by IPM Trainers, farmers experience the use of both scientific and participatory methods in these studies, i.e. from planning to implementation, analysis and presentation of findings. The overall performance of individuals and groups of participants is periodically monitored in addition to pre- and post-training evaluation using the ballot-box test. Remedial needs are promptly acted upon as problems are identified. |
non-formal education processes, the management of quality ToF, FFS and follow-up activities, and helping communities to organize and manage farmer-led IPM programmes. The participatory training process is based on the four IPM principles of growing a healthy crop, conserving natural enemies, visiting fields regularly and regarding farmers as experts. The season-long ToT is conducted in a training center with a relatively vast area for conducting field studies.
are replicated in the regular FFS. The number of field studies is determined by ToT participants based on topics they want to study. Through insect zoos, participants learn about predation rates of selected natural enemies, life cycles of selected pests and natural enemies, parasitization and the nature of damage inflicted by selected pests on the crop.
