Farmer Field Schools for Small-Scale Livestock Producers: A Guide for Decision Makers on Improving Livelihoods

Livestock Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) are schools without walls where groups of small-scale livestock producers test, validate, and adapt good agricultural and marketing practices that help them increase their production sustainably and improve their livelihoods. Over the past two decades, Livestock FFSs have been implemented/supported by FAO and other development stakeholders in a wide range of environments and livestock production systems including pastoralism, agropastoralism, dairying and poultry production. Today, the FFS approach is used to spur livestock growth across developing regions, with governments, NGOs, the private sector and other stakeholders increasingly interested in applying it. This guidance document helps decision-makers gain a basic knowledge of the FFS approach; learn about the FFS contribution to the livelihoods of livestock-dependent communities in different contexts; recognize the conditions required for the successful implementation of a livestock FFS; and comprehend the potential of the FFS approach in a wide range of livestock production systems and socio-economic settings. See more