Community study programmes for integrated production and pest management: Farmer Field Schools

This article provides a brief overview of Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which are designed to provide farmers with on-the-job training in environmentally friendly plant protection and soil fertility management methods through integrated production and pest management (IPPM). IPPM methods can increase both production and profits and play a major role in poverty alleviation. FFS activities aim to bring together a group of farmers regularly in a field. Courses are hands-on and practical. They provide structured learning exercises that allow farmers to combine local knowledge with scientific ecological approaches, using the field itself as a teacher. IPPM-FFS programmes have been established in more than 40 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Programmes d'études communautaires pour la gestion intégrée de la production et de la lutte contre les ravageurs: écoles pratiques d'agriculture Le présent article donne un bref aperçu des écoles pratiques d'agriculture (FFS) qui ont pour but de fournir aux exploitants agricoles une formation sur le tas dans le domaine de pratiques respectueuses de l'environnement concernant la protection des plantes et les méthodes de gestion de la fertilité des sols, et ce, grâce à la Gestion intégrée de la production et de la lutte contre les ravageurs (IPPM). Le