Tuesday, 16 November 2004
D0372

Facilitating farmer-to-farmer teaching / learning: Development and mass production of stand-alone tools for non-reading subsistence farmers

Robert Madsen, bmadsen@cdkc.edu1, Florence V. Dunkel, ueyfd@montana.edu2, Janelle Beartusk, bmadsen@cdkc.edu1, Sandi Whitefoot1, Jonathan K. Whitefoot1, Christine M. Smith, christinelighthouses@yahoo.com2, Kadiatou Toure Gamby, gambi@afribonenet.ml3, and Yacouba Kone, yacoubaokone@yahoo.fr4. (1) Chief Dull Knife College, Life Sciences, Box 98, Lame Deer, MT, (2) Montana State University, Department of Entomology, 333 Leon Johnson Hall, Bozeman, MT, (3) Institut d'Economie Rurale, IER/SRA BP U 38, Bamako, Mali, (4) Peace Corps, Natural Resources and Agriculture-Gardening Sector, Peace Corps B.P. 85, Bamako, Mali

Eleven years of IPM Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP)-Mali on-farm, participatory assessment / research, resulted in many useful technologies and several IPM packages. Some packages were for IPM in subsistence crops, such as cowpeas, some for export market crops, such as green beans, with zero pesticide tolerance. Packages ready for dissemination are being taught/demonstrated in farmer field schools. This farmer-to-farmer process reaches several hundred farmers yearly. To assist in more rapid IPM package dissemination, we developed a poster series for each package, that is a step-wise set of drawings which teach technologies and assists farmers in monitoring / decision-making. We engaged organizations working individually with subsistence farmers, US Peace Corps, World Vision, to assist. Each poster (8.5 x 11 inches, interpretive comments in English and Bambara on reverse side) and fit into Peace Corps Volunteer / World Vision agronome backpacks. Prototypes, reviewed by farmers, Malian and US scientists who conducted the research and reps from 3 extension organizations, were revised electronically by Chief Dull Knife College students, staff, faculty, and laminated versions mass produced. Thus far, 75 sets (18 posters per set) of IPM Postharvest Cowpea series, 12 sets of IPM Green Beans for Export prototype were distributed to facilitators. The importance of this technique is that it is stand-alone teaching technique trainers can teach themselves and share with non-reading farmers. 29 Ag / Natural Resources Sector 2004 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) are potentially reaching 29 villages, approximately 300 farmers per PCV, 8,700 subsistence farmers in Mali per year.


Species 1: Coleoptera Bruchidae Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea weevil)
Keywords: Mali IPM-CRSP, farmer-to-farmer

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