Farmers' field schools bring about significant changes in socio-economic condition

RANGPUR, Jan 7: Farmers' Field Schools (FFS), for developing farmers' skill at different areas of Taraganj upazila in Rangpur district have ushered in a new hope to the farmers.
A good number of farmers have already brought significant changes in their socio-economic condition by applying the lesson in fields which they learnt in the schools.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) set up the FFS in different areas of the upazila in 2013 considering the vulnerability of the rural people and to mitigate the impacts of the climate change. There are some 25 FFS in the upazila. The number of learners is 1,350 in the schools. Each learner gets lesson on modern agricultural science and technology in the schools.
Some 50 learners are enrolled in each school at free of costs for six months. They get introduced with high-yielding crops there. They are also given adequate knowledge on aquaculture, poultry farming and cattle rearing in the FFS. Thus they find the way to change their financial condition.
Visiting Nadirpar village of Ikorchali union of the upazila recently it was found that compost fertilisers were being produced at many houses and homesteads.
Besides, compost farmers are producing vermicompost fertilisers abundantly.
Safiul Islam of Nadirpar village said earlier they cultivated crops using traditional method and got less production. But the scenario has changed now. At present he has learnt to produce more crops using less quantity of chemical fertilisers and pesticides from FFS.
Rabbani of Chairmanpara village said earlier he had to struggle a lot to maintain his family of six members by cultivating crops on 1.30 bigha of his land. He could not even manage 3 meals per day for his family.
But now he can save Tk 30,000 to Tk 40,000 every year after meeting other requirements of family including food. He received training on producing compost fertiliser. Now he produces compost fertiliser and cultivate crops using the organic fertiliser instead of chemical ones which reduced production cost to a great extent and also enhanced crop production, he added.
Fatema Begum of Menannagor village said she got admitted herself into FFS and received training on Poultry and cattle rearing there. A good number of extreme poor people of her area and adjacent areas have changed their socio-economic condition by setting up poultry farms and dairy farms, she added.
According to Upazila Agriculture Office sources the FFS gives the farmers agri-based knowledge that sharpens their critical faculty of thinking and stimulates them to innovate.
The learners of the FFS are given adequate knowledge and proper training on farming crops using scientific method and modern technology. FFS has become a blessing for the poor of the area as it provided them a way to earn additional money which brought significant changes in their socio-economic condition, sources added.

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