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Farmer Field Schools for IPM: Refresh your memory
Field experiments
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In each FFS we always have an experiment comparing an IPM plot (managed according to the AESA) with a Farmer’s Practice plot (FP plot). But an FFS is not complete without one or more other field experiments. Carrying out experiments with farmers serves two purposes. First of all, it helps them to learn through experience. They carry out the experiment and discover a lot of new knowledge by themselves. This is a much more powerful way of learning than just hearing it in a lecture or being told what to do. Secondly, by carrying out experiments, the farmers learn how to test new crop management methods and how to find answers to their questions. It opens the way to future learning and to start “science by farmers”. However, experiments that are carried out during the first-season FFS are often not meant to discover new things. In the FFS we rather start with well-known experiments that are used by the facilitator as a tool to learn about the crop, the pests, and natural enemies.
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The learning cycle
Examples of field experiments
There are many experiments that could be carried out by farmers during an FFS. It will depend on the situation which experiments are the most appropriate. The facilitator will consider the questions asked by farmers during the first meetings and based on this select, together with the farmers, one or more field experiments. Here are some examples of experiments that are often used during field schools:
Crop compensationSimulate insect damage by cutting parts of the leaves or by removing shoots or tillers. This type of experiment demonstrates that crop plants can compensate for some damage, by producing new leaves or shoots. Farmers who experience this will be more confident to tolerate some damage.
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Use of traps Set up some traps to study insect populations. For example light traps, yellow sticky traps, or pitfall traps. This can be used to monitor pest populations, but it could also be used as an experiment to see if pests can be controlled with the traps (e.g. control flea beetles in Chinese kale with yellow sticky traps).
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Field cages Discover how natural enemies can keep pest populations under control. Set up two or more field cages; one with only pests (e.g. Brown Plant Hoppers on rice), and one with pests and natural enemies (e.g. Brown Plant Hoppers together with some spiders).
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Use of botanical pesticides and bio-pesticides Study how botanical pesticides (e.g. Neem) or bio-pesticides (Bt, NPV, Steinernema, Trichoderma) can be used to manage pest populations. For example set up small experiments where Neem is compared with plots that are unsprayed.
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Mulching Compare plots with and without mulching and see how this has an effect on the development of plants, insects, and diseases.
Plant spacingCompare different levels of plant spacing and see how the crop plants develop under different conditions. The differences in plant density have an effect on the micro-climate and we can learn how this has an effect on development of pests and diseases.
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Fertilizer experiments Set up small plots with different levels of fertilizer use. Compare use of synthetic fertilizer (NPK) with organic fertilizers (compost or manure).
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Release of natural enemies Use predators or parasitoids that are available from pest management centers (PMC) and release them in the IPM plots. Use for example: earwigs, assassin bugs or Trichogramma wasps. Compare crop varieties Compare different varieties of the same crop and study how they differ. Pay special attention to differences in pest resistance or tolerance.
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Intercropping Compare monoculture with multiple cropping systems. Try intercropping with plants that are known to stimulate natural enemies (e.g. beans or other flowering plants) or use plants that repel insects (e.g. citronella).
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Data recording Why keeping data? When observing the crop (IPM plot, FP plot, field experiments) or the insect zoo, we need to record data:
How to keep data?
What data?
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