Launch of the third season of Farmer Field Schools in north Jordan Valley in Jordan
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) have launched the third season of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in north Jordan Valley in Jordan through an opening ceremony in Al Mashare’ area at the Water User Association, pump number 33. The main aim of the third FFS season is to improve farmers’ skills and facilitate the adaptation of the best farming practices for more sustainable water and food management.
An FFS offers space for hands-on group learning, enhancing skills for critical analysis, and improved decision-making by local people. FFS activities are field-based; include experimentation to solve problems, reflecting a specific local context. Participants learn how to improve skills through observing, analyzing, and trying out new ideas in their own fields, contributing to improved production and livelihoods. The FFS process enhances individual, household, and community empowerment and cohesion.
The third season of FFS’s under the Water Efficiency, Productivity, and Sustainability regional project consists of four schools, two schools on vegetables: hot pepper and eggplant, and two schools on fruit trees: citrus and grapes. Each FFS will consist of 20 to 25 farmers. Two FFS facilitators will be supporting the FFS coordinator with two weekly meetings for each school with the farmers. The main objective of the FFS’s under the third season is to improve the farmers' knowledge and skills through Good Agricultural Practices, and to facilitate the adaptation of more sustainable water management, in order to enhance the water productivity and crop efficiency.
The launch of the third FFS season took place in the form of an opening ceremony on the 21st of June 2021 at Al Mashare’ area at the Water User Association, pump number 33. Participants included 20 representatives from FAO, MOA, the National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC), Jordan Valley Authority (JVA), and farmers. The ceremony started with a presentation on FAO’s contribution to FFS’s and in improving farmers’ skills to ensure water and food sustainability. Participants from MOA presented the importance of FFS and the role of the MOA in improving farmer’s skills. The ceremony concluded with one farmer speaking about his experience with FFS’s implemented by FAO and how beneficial they were to him and to the other participating farmers.
This activity is implemented within the framework of FAO’s regional project “Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/ productivity and water sustainability in the NENA countries” under the Water Scarcity Initiative. This project is funded by the Swedish International Cooperation and Development Agency.