 FFS! FFS! Farmer Field Schools, developed by FAO more than 30 years ago, is a platform for small-holder farmers to come together to exchange information, test practices, and co-create innovations, meanwhile gaining practical skills that allow them to transition to more sustainable production practices. Farmer Field Schools have been a success across Africa, and as a result demand continues to grow. The popularity and spread of Farmer Field Schools has posed some issues, particularly maintaining the quality of implementation while scaling up. In response to this need, FAO developed a project to mainstream Farmer Field Schools into the curricula of higher learning institutions in eastern Africa. By integrating the methodology into higher learning institutions' agricultural extension curricula, countries can train current extension agents or mold future professionals to become well-versed Farmer Field Schools facilitators and master trainers. Considering the need to adhere to a clearly defined pathway for institutionalization, stages must be completed in order to not compromise the quality of the process. This instructional video outlines the different steps needed to fully institutionalize the Farmer Field Schools methodology in higher learning institutions. The first step begins with a sensitization event with the Interested Higher Learning Institution. A three-day event was organized where the FAO team came. They sensitized us on this concept of FFS. We were introduced to the idea of FFS, a FAO thinking on how FAO could work with the universities to be able to mainstream the training into the university curricula. We had already an FFS curriculum that was developed in Nairobi and compared that with the existing extension course that was being offered here in Awaasa. So that was the document and the review committee wanted to have additional document on FFS. The university is well exposed to agricultural extension, however this method was new. We did not want to take it up fully as it is because we had to contextualize it to the Ethiopian conditions. We have developed a short course. You may not have even done agriculture but you can come and learn about the FFS concept as a short course now for like six months. The curriculum review process took us three months. I didn't take long. One meeting at the department, another meeting at the school, another meeting at the dean's committee, another meeting at the senate. These were four meetings. After the curriculum is developed, revised and submitted to university senates, participants from higher learning institutions embark on a minimum three week training of facilitators on the farmer field school's methodology. A core set of topics are covered in this step. In addition to the theoretical aspect of farmer field schools, community outreach sites are established so that the university participants can practice their skills in a real world context. All training participants were selected on the basis of their exposure to rural development activities. Various topics were covered during the training workshop. Most interesting were workshop facilitation skills, presentation skills, group dynamics, experiential learning, participatory monitoring and evaluation skills, particularly focusing on farmers field school. The most important aspect that we learned in the training in relation to the farmers was giving respect to the community, to the farmers. We did not ignore the skills that they have. We even presented ourselves that we want to learn from them. We were there to give them guidance and show them. But after that, they took the process into their hands. That was the key lesson that we learned from the training workshop. When we were doing the first training, we visited several sites, two sites, two times. Then after the preparation, they were giving us some assignment and we were practicing even before we go for the field practice. The outreach site has been very, very impressive. That has also given us a lot of impression on how farmers have developed their own accumulated folks' knowledge and putting it into practice and showing it for us. But the operation of the community outreach sites doesn't come without challenges. Either the farmers are not well equipped, or the trainees, they need more and more visits. Also when they visit just once or twice, they might not be able to get into the farmers' environment very well, which also brings some challenges. One of the challenges is to convince them some things don't do well off season. Another one is the issue of attendance. In some situations, you find that some farmers after some time, this is along with three months, the farmers, some of them would get engaged elsewhere. So there are a lot of challenges along the way, but they can be overcome through the cohesion of the group. Most of the problems you throw into the group members to serve themselves, you should not pretend you have answers to everything. To ensure the quality of implementation of the Farmer Field School's approach, FAO has standardized the Training of Facilitators program so that extension practitioners are well prepared when they finish this phase. After the university professors and lecturers and government staff conclude their three-week training of facilitators, it is time to be fully immersed to become a Farmer Field School's master trainer. In this step, FFS facilitators are selected to take part in a season-long training of master trainers where smaller groups establish and implement FFS community outreach sites. The master trainer trainees are responsible to utilize the information learned from their prior trainings to facilitate the newly established FFS groups for an entire production season. Back at the university, the master trainer trainees conduct their own production experiments to cover knowledge gaps in technical areas and begin practicing their course delivery with the university students. When we started, it was very unique. The trainers were well equipped. We had to mix between classwork and the training. We just followed each and everything that is done within FFS methodology, starting from learning class, doing practicals in the field and also visiting farmers and working with them. So at the community level, normally you want to work with them, establish an FFS. So after that, you identify those farmers who are ready to work with you voluntarily and once you sensitize you, you identify just about what to work with. In our area, the community that chose the enterprise was garbage because they felt that is a major group in our area and we want to know the problems, the production problems, the disease problems that affects our group. Towards the end of the learning season with the FFS participants, the master trainer trainees are tasked to organize field days and graduation ceremonies where the FFS community participants come together, share their experiences and skills learned, provide testimonies to invited officials and build networks with nearby communities. So during graduation, we are saying it is time for showcasing what they have gone through, the best technologies they have learned and perhaps the way forward in terms of which technology to adopt for increased productivity and profitability. The overall process of transitioning from an FFS facilitator to a master trainer is guided by an experienced lead master trainer who is tasked to supervise the overall training process and assist the trainees with any challenges they may face along the way. The important thing is the fact that you are able to move with farmers from stage zero until you reach somewhere where you can evaluate that you have got some good knowledge of what you are doing. The communities, they know they have a lot of resources but they don't know the potential of those resources. So one of the things also with FFS, I have learned the fact that using FFS, people can be able to address most of the issues they have even before government comes in. Also with FFS, the community or the people can learn how to solicit for help elsewhere. After the professors and lecturers from the higher learning institutions are certified as Farmer Field School's master trainers, it is now time to implement the approved curriculum at the different academic levels and for students to gain theoretical knowledge and practical expertise about the Farmer Field School's methodology. After the curriculum was approved by the senate and we were able to start it in the certificate, the diploma and the degree. At certificate level we call it the introduction to FFS and at diploma we call it the principles of FFS and at degree level we call it the integrated FFS approach. We are lecturers. Giving lectures to the students is one way without paying attention too much to involving the students. After the training, I tried to implement the interactive and the participatory method, particularly in my course while I was teaching project planning and management. Even my students found that method to be very friendly, interactive, interesting, not boring. When it was introduced to me it was a good experience because I also did the practical in the field during the attachment at Point University Farm. So from there I learnt a lot from the farmers because they are someone who already has the knowledge. Our students go to the farmers, stay with them, learn with them, interact with them and at the end of the day they get better knowledge, they learn, they get information and then they can help our farmers better. The final step of the institutionalization process is outreach and scale-up of the Farmer Field School's methodology. This involves continued partnerships with the surrounding communities near the higher learning institution, monitoring and evaluation exercises and promotional activities to interested stakeholders on the Farmer Field School's methodology. What we specifically learnt during the training workshop was that the four monitoring benchmarks, the social, economic, environmental and the human, these were the four aspects of the benchmark that were going to be used as monitoring tools. We have considered the promotional aspect as one important point in terms of spreading the principles and the philosophies of FFS because if we cannot promote and sensitize, we felt the program might not reach the desired goal. This field day, this is owned by the farmers themselves. They are going to showcase what they have been doing, that we did in plot A, we did this and these are the results and the people will see the results themselves. The university is very happy for being the first university in Ethiopia, introducing FFS in its academic program. So after that, the university does not want to limit itself as the only university and there is a plan now to take out this to other universities and to the vocational agricultural colleges that are managed by the Ministry of Agriculture. For more information on the institutionalization of the Farmer Field School's methodology, visit the FAO Global Farmer Field School's platform or contact farmer-field-schools at FAO.org or FAO-SFE at FAO.org.