Farmer Support Studies is a service to farmers, with farmers educating farmers. Our programs and what we do, explains the intentions of the organization. We bring years of field experience as farmers, cooperators, livelihood support managers and leaders, to support farmers. While farming is more than an activity, for many farmers it is just that; an activity. But trust me, farming has to be fun. Farming is a business and a source of livelihood, but farming must be enjoyable.

Farming as fun

Before farming can become a business, it has to be fun. This means that whoever is going to participate in the farming business needs to enjoy it. People should not farm as a duty, but rather, farming should flow naturally from the spirit to the mind and to the field. This is of the critical objectives of FSS. We achieve this by connecting farmers. FSS connects farmers to each other. It is possible for farmers to be in the same location, struggling with common issues, which their counterparts have already solved and they do not know. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

There are some things that can turn farming into fun. Consider for example the following:

Exchange Visits

The number one thing that makes farming a fun activity, is extension visits. When farmers visit the farms of other farmers, they learn so much through observation, even without asking a question. Not only that but they are also challenged to make upgrade their farms to the standards of those they visit. Farmers also pick up new technologies. For example, farmers will learn how to control stubborn pests, weeds, and diseases that might be reducing their yields. Through exchange visits, farmers learn of new products on the market and new supply lines.

Over time, FSS has established that there is no farmer education practice that beats exchange visits. Through these visits, farmers establish new and supportive relationships and connections. Even before an extension worker ever shows up, farmers will first consult other farmers to establish if they have encountered a specific problem and how they dealt with it. Consequently, Farmer Support Studies organizes exchange visits to promote farming as fun and learning, with farmers educating farmers. Yes, learning where farmers learn from each other.

Internships and Fellowships

While sometimes the farmers may not have the jargon, they will almost always have the knowledge. Every student of agriculture, agro studies, or animal husbandry, will doubtless recall that farm visit, where the farmers so impressed them that they wondered why they needed that boring lecture! When the farmers teach you, they do it with passion. They present farming as fun. Farmers educating farmers to be is one of the best things that can ever happen. This is best done through internships and fellowships.

Internships

For internships, FSS identifies farmers that are willing to host a learner for an extended period of time, which could be weeks of months. In most cases, the best internships last two to three months, depending on the size of the farm and the range of activities therein. Internships give a student the opportunity to observe the farmer in action, but also for them to participate. During internships, the student can expect to make their boots and hands dirty. At the end of the internship, the student writes a report, which outlines their experience, but also makes recommendations, which are shared with the farmer. Even though they are students, they are regarded highly, for often, they come with a high theoretical knowledge base. While they will learn much, therefore, they will are also expected to share what they know, with the farmers.

Fellowships

Unlike internships, fellowships last longer and involve more work for the learners. The expectation for the fellowship is that the learner will become a major knowledge contributor and problem solver. Ideally, the fellow is a trained and often certified extension worker. Fellows are placed on a farm to a set of farms to help them improve their farming business. Student Fellows are tasked with helping the farmers develop their systems and policies and to improve their operations. Fellows therefore, must possess specific skills, which include business, accounting, farming etc.

The fellow can expect to stay on a farm of a set of farms for periods lasting between 6 to 12 months. During that time, the fellow spends the first few months studying the farm’s operations and identifying the real and felt challenges facing the farmer/s. Once the fellow feels that they have learned enough about the challenges, they are tasked with developing a farm improvement plan, in partnership with the farmer/s. If the farmers are able or have access to financing, they are encouraged to implement the proposed improvements according to their ability and pace.

Excursions

One of the major objectives of FSS is to draw youths into farming and agriculture. Evidently, through urbanization and the formal education system, many youths are abandoning the rural areas for the cities. Consequently, youths are abandoning farming, and yet the farming population is getting older. FSS therefore organizes single day or two to three-day excursions, where youths from high schools, primary schools and other tertiary institutions visit farms to learn. These short visits serve to arouse the farming appetites of the youths, who later may sign up for an internship or a fellowship.