PIC: DARDLEA officials handing out certificates to the participants
By Kopano Dibakwane
The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs(DARDLEA) in Mpumalanga held an award ceremony to hand out certificates and to congratulate 30 Inala farmers from Embalenhle, in Secunda, for completing their 12 months training in the Farmers Field School(FFS).
According to DARDLEA the training focused on crop production, market access and other areas of farming.
“ The Farmer Field School methodology, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, is a group-based approach where farmers and trainers debate observations, apply the or experiences, present and share new information,” said DARDLEA
According to DARDLEA, the FFS methodology was also piloted in other provinces such as Limpopo and Northern Cape, and has been hailed as a big success and appreciated by the participating farmers because it benefits them and their communities.
“ It is an extension method, practiced and controlled by the farmers to help them create their own scientific understating of the crop agro-ecosystem. They are assisted by Agric Advisors,” said DARLEA.
