LocationsRewriting the Story of Farming Through Farmer Field Schools under the SCRALA Project
A Classroom Without Walls: Learning through Farmer Field Schools
June 18, 2025
Farmers demonstrating skills gained through the Farmer Field School in Rufunsa District
Photo: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
What exactly is a Farmer Field School, you might wonder? At first, the idea can seem a bit unusual—a school without walls? But that's what makes it unique. In these schools, the land itself becomes the classroom, and the farmers play the roles of both students and teachers. With the guidance of a Camp Extension Officer, they learn agricultural practices that boost their yields and also help their crops withstand the severe effects of climate change effects such as droughts and floods. It is a crucial approach to tackling food insecurity and poverty.
What are these transformative agricultural methods, you may ask? Well, these include minimum tillage, which preserves soil moisture and keeps the ground healthy; basin making, which captures and stores water during periods of little rain, to nourish crops; ripping, which breaks up compacted soil, allowing roots to spread and grow deep and crop rotation that helps rejuvenate the soil and keeps pests at bay.
The Farmer Field School concept is supported by the Strengthening Climate Resilience of Agricultural Livelihoods in Agro-ecological Regions I and II (SCRALA) project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, with technical support from Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA), Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the fund manager. The project is helping smallholder farmers across Zambia embrace climate-smart practices.
Farmer shows off her green sorghum field demonstrating the power of Farmer Field School's knowledge from Rufunsa District
Photo: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
The 2023/2024 farming season tested farmers’ resilience like never before and affected close to 10 million people. A relentless drought, induced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), swept across the land, drying up water sources, damaging crops and threatening the hard work of countless farmers who rely on seasonal rainfall for crop and livestock production. Across many communities, hope seemed to wither alongside the harvests. Yet in the fields where farmers practiced Conservation Agriculture such as ripping, mulching, and basin-making learned through the Farmer Field Schools (FFS), a different story was unfolding—one of adaptation and resilience.
Aerial view of a Farmer Field School in Rufunsa District, Zambia.
Photo: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
Armed with practical knowledge of better farming methods, these farmers faced the drought head-on. Over 547 farmers (59% women) had good harvests and managed to aggregate around 232.2 metric tonnes of maize, sorghum, groundnuts, and other staple foods vital to food security across the 16 districts where the project is implemented.
Throughout the fields, signs of change were visible. Farmers embraced drought-tolerant crops such as cassava, cowpeas, and soybeans. They adopted early maturing varieties that could survive shorter, harsher rainy seasons; in all, more than 40,000 farmers benefited directly from the Farmer Field Schools. Nevertheless, it is easy to talk about numbers and methods, but the true impact of the Farmer Field Schools is best seen through the lives of the farmers themselves.
Take Mr. Peter Mwangeleka for instance, from Chongwe District. A lead farmer trained in Conservation Agriculture through the Farmer Field School under the SCRALA project, Mr. Mwangeleka didn’t just apply what he learned—as a lead farmer, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, training others in his village. Those who embraced the methods saw their fields pull through the drought with surprising strength. But not everyone was easily convinced. Some farmers, as set in their ways as a rooster believing the sun can’t rise without his crowing, stubbornly clung to old methods. The season was harsh, the drought unforgiving, and their crops withered under the scorching sun. After seeing the difference, many vowed to embrace climate-resilient practices going forward.
Mr. Mwangeleka practiced ripping, crop rotation, and basin planting on 6.5 hectares of land. Last year, even with reduced rains, he harvested 0.9 tonnes per hectare using ripping, while others who ignored Conservation Agriculture faced total crop failure. In previous years, he had managed to harvest up to 2.5 tonnes per hectare, showing just how tough the season was. But his yield was a clear result of the knowledge gained through the FFS.
Peter Mwangeleka, a farmer under FFS in Chogwe District standing in his maize farm expecting a bumper harvest due to FFS techniques he applied.
Photo: Mulapwa Mukopole/UNDP Zambia
In Rufunsa, Mary Katenge and Mariana Kobocha discovered the quiet strength of soil management. By preserving moisture through basin farming and planning their planting schedules according to weather forecasts disseminated by the Zambia Meteorological Department, an initiative supported by the SCRALA project to help farmers make better farming decisions, they managed to secure reliable harvests.
Kaini Bubala, from Sialumba village in Zambia's Kazungula district, recalls: “I remember that season when we experienced dry spells, and many fields had dried up, but our small demonstration field under the FFS was the only green field in the area. It made people in the community wonder what the secret was.” Mr. Bubala was able to harvest more than 100 kilograms of cowpeas, which he safely secured in hermetic bags—yet another initiative supported by the SCRALA project. This post-harvest management technique, taught to farmers, helps reduce losses and contributes to food-secure households.
Another farmer, Geofrey Lwimbo, 44, applauded the Farmer Field School for providing him with knowledge that helped him to improve his farming techniques, leading to better yields, food security, and higher income for his household. He admitted that in the past, he had mixed basal and top-dressing fertilizers and extensively ploughed his land. However, after seeing the good results from the demonstration field under FFS, he adjusted his farming methods and implemented the same on his farm. "I used to harvest 80 by 50 kg bags, but thanks to good farming practices, I have improved the yields to more than 100 bags in the same size field.”
These farmers, and thousands like them, are changing the story of rural smallholder farming. Through aggregation, they are pooling their harvests, storing them in better conditions, commanding better prices, and strengthening their local economies. But perhaps even more importantly, they are proving that with the right knowledge and tools, rural communities can not only withstand the shocks of climate change but can also thrive. While these success stories offer hope, they also highlight the urgent need to reach more farmers who are still grappling with climate-induced challenges in areas beyond the current reach of the project so that No Farmer is Left Behind in the fight for climate resilience and food security.
