Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Agricultural Productivity and Poverty in East Africa

The authors used a longitudinal impact evaluation with quasi-experimental methods to provide evidence on economic and production impact of a farmer field school (FFS) project in East Africa. FFSs were shown to have positive impact on production and income among women, low-literacy, and medium land size farmers. Participation in FFS increased income by 61%. Participation in FFS improved agricultural income and crop productivity overall. This implies that farmer field schools are a useful approach to increase production and income of small-scale farmers in East Africa, and that the approach can be used to target women and producers with limited literacy. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.