The farmers’ field school concept has long been acknowledged in Indonesian agricultural development as a highly effective way of sharing knowledge. Introduced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1989 as an integrated teaching method aimed at eradicating pests and diseases, the farmers’ field school has farmers learning directly in the field, observing problems and what causes them, while at the same time  analysing the growth of their plants. The implementation of farmers’ field schools in Indonesia is considered by most to be a success in reducing the use of pesticides while also increasing yields.

Recognizing the concept’s efficacy, Ms Endri Martini, AgFor’s agroforestry extension specialist, applies the concept in villages being helped by AgFor.

‘I’d read about farmers’ field schools and I thought the concept was really good. What makes ours different from the one that FAO organized is basically the number of crops on the farm. The FAO schools focused only on one crop but we’re dealing with agroforestry, where various crops are mixed in a farm, so then we focus on several commodities that are prioritized in the villages we’re working in’, said Martini.

Agroforestry farmers’ field schools were run by Martini in South and Southeast Sulawesi and dealt with pepper, clove, cocoa, coffee and durian. Each school was divided into three stages:  theoretical learning; field visit to a farmer’s garden; and evaluation.

The theoretical learning involved two parts: 1) scientist-to-farmer session, inviting a commodity expert to share the latest information and innovations with farmers; and 2) farmer-to-farmer session, where farmers who participated in the first part with the scientist share their knowledge with their peers. Next, a farmer’s garden was visited and, finally, the scientists and farmers shared their experiences that informed the design of follow-up activities.

In mid-2013, AgFor Sulawesi invited pepper expert, Dr Dyah Manohara, and clove expert, Dr Dono Wahyuno, both from the Indonesian Medicinal and Aromatic Crops Research Institute (Balittro), to share their knowledge with farmers. Both scientists visited seven villages in South and Southeast Sulawesi that principally plant those commodities.

The discussions about pepper focused on environmentally friendly cultivation processes while clove discussions brought up issues of integrated pest and disease management. The theoretical sessions included presentation of information and also practice in the garden to apply the knowledge gained. During the session, farmers pondered the length of time required for pepper originally planted from terminal shoots to produce fruit. In the local community, there are two types of roots that are commonly used for pepper seedlings: runner shoots (or ‘sulur panjat’) and terminal shoots (or ‘sulur cacing’).

‘For pepper, we suggest avoiding planting seedlings from seed and terminal shoots because they take a long time before they produce fruit’, said Dr Manohara. ‘What’s best is to use seedlings that originate from runner shoots’.

She also emphasized that farmers should be able to recognize the seedling types before they plant them. ‘Sometimes they simply cannot identify whether the roots are runner or terminal shoots so if they choose a terminal shoot it will take a longer time to yield and that’s a pity’, she said.

During the clove session, farmers discussed their problems dealing with attack by pests and diseases, such as borer, blister blight and fallen flower. While visiting a clove garden, Dr Wahyuno emphasized the importance of fertilizing on a regular basis and practising good sanitation, both of which have been proven to help prevent pests and diseases.

During the theoretical learning stages, the AgFor team noted a number of ‘champion’ farmers: those who participated enthusiastically. Subsequently, the champions were invited to participate in further training to prepare them to spread the knowledge about pepper and clove to farmers in other villages.

Mr Ramli, a farmer from Pattanateang village who became a champion during the clove session in Kayu Loe village, revealed his experience: ‘It was actually the very first time that I had spoken in front of others. I was nervous at the beginning but then my confidence gradually increased so that they could understand what I was talking about’, he said.

Farmers acting as information sources for other farmers is expected to facilitate knowledge exchange because the champions make the technical material easier to understand, speaking in their local language, explaining the new terms and concepts and providing familiar examples.

Following the theoretical stage, the participants visited a well-maintained and productive agroforestry garden. Farmers who were involved in the theoretical session were able to discuss and share their experience with other farmers. ‘One of the school’s goals is to increase farmers’ analytical capacity. We realise that they are already smart so we only need to sharpen their way of thinking’, Martini said.

 ‘Additionally, we foster champion farmers, who later will continue the information dissemination to other farmers in order to sustain the learning process’, said Martini.

Soon after, evaluation was conducted to identify the impact of the training. Early results showed that villages that previously planted pepper stems from terminal shoots were now using runner shoots. Further, the information about planting spacings and how to properly use fertilizer had been applied.

Martini hoped that these kinds of positive results can be continuously maintained and the approach implemented in the field school replicated in other places.