The Farmer Field School (FFS) approach to Legume Production in Myanmar

The research deals with the effectiveness of the FFS approach to Integrated Production and Pest Management technologies (IPPM) for the promotion of grain legume production in Myanmar. The scope of this study was the Improved Grain Legume Production Technologies project (TCP/MYA/0166A) activities implemented by Myanmar Agriculture Service (MAS) in collaboration with the FAO covering major grain legume areas in the Dry zone and Lower Myanmar during 2002-2004. A standardized questionnaire was employed to collect data from the farmer facilitators (FFs) and village farmers (VFs), field observation, key informant interviews, group discussions with the VFs. The research focused on quantitative analysis but qualitative technique was also applied. The main findings of this research showed the increase in knowledge and changes of practices of farmers and somewhat adoption of the IPPM technologies after participating in the FFS approach. This book is intended for project designers, implementers and agriculture extension workers who are interested in promoting extension services in the rural area. It is also for students who are conducting researches for the post-graduate degrees.