THE FARMER LIFE SCHOOL (FLS):

Farmer Life Schools strengthen farmers’ capacity to investigate problems in their community

Farmer Life Schools are based on the learning cycle of the IPM Farmer Field School where each week a group of farmers meet in the field. This regular meeting consists of a set of activities in the village; visits to families, presentations, discussions, special topics and group dynamics. These activities assist farmers in recognizing and analyzing the inter-related elements of their lives, in much the same way as they apply their mastery of ecological concepts to their fields. 

In the FLS farmers examine problems which threaten their livelihoods, weigh available options and make decisions about what action they should take. Issues addressed in FLS’s range from poverty, loss of land, occupational health associated with pesticide use, family planning, alcoholism, domestic violence and the attendance of children at school, to specific health problems concerned with different diseases such as dengue, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.

The core process within FLS’s is the linking of ecology, group organization and student centered learning applied through what is termed ‘Human Ecosystem Analysis’. The HESA involves groups of farmers investigating various threats to their lives, in the same way that pests are looked at in their fields. However, the brighter sides of life, where solutions can be found, are also identified and categorized in the HESA. Supporting and non-supporting factors are divided into 6 categories: Economy, Health, Education, Social Relations, Culture and Environment.

Significantly, FLS are being organized and run, not by outsiders, but by IPM farmers themselves. These farmers have formed a network along Route 5 to assist them in running FLS’s.

See the documents section of this website to download a copy of the project report 'The Empowerment of Farmer Life Schools'.  A detailed description of the HESA process, with sample outcomes, is given in Appendix 3.