1. WORLD CONGRESS ON AGROFORESTRY 2014
10-14 FEBRUARY 2014, DELHI, INDIA
Trees for Life: Accelerating the Impact of Agroforestry
Why volunteer? Insights from a farmer
to farmer extension program in Kenya
and Uganda
Evelyne Kiptot 1,*, Monica Karuhanga 2, Jane Kugonza 3, Ronald Wambire 3, Steven Franzel1 1
1
World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya, 2Makerere University, 3World Agroforestry
Centre, Kampala, Uganda
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

2. Outline
Introduction
Farmer to farmer extension
Volunteer farmer-trainer approach in the EADD
project
Objectives
Methodology
Findings
Conclusions and recommendations
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

3. Introduction
The decline in public extension services has led to
development of alternative low cost extension
approaches that are participatory, demand driven and
farmer centred
They place farmers at the centre of knowledge
generation and sharing
They deliver technologies, empower farmers to
innovate and also facilitate collective action for service
provision
These extension approaches that are farmer led are
commonly referred to as farmer to farmer extension
(FFE)
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

4. Farmer to farmer extension
the provision of training by farmers, to farmers,
often through the creation of a structure of
farmer-trainers
They vary from place to place in mode of
operation, selection criteria and incentives
FFE works on the assumption that farmers have
the ability to spread innovations because of
comprehensive local knowledge, use of local
language and are known by their community
members hence have their trust
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

5. The volunteer farmer trainer approach
 One such approach that is being used by the EADD to
disseminate dairy feed technologies is known as the volunteer
farmer trainer (VFT) approach.
 ICRAF’s role is to facilitate the spread and use of improved feeds and
feeding systems among members of targeted dairy cooperatives through
innovative extension approaches such as the volunteer farmer-trainer
approach.
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

6. Who are volunteer farmer trainers?
 They are volunteer farmers selected on the basis of
being good communicators, interest, being an
active dairy farmer and be willing to give part of
his/her land for demonstration purposes.
 The selection is a participatory process involving
farmers in DMGs, their representatives and the
management committee of the chilling plant in
each project site.
 They are trained in feeds and feeding methods by
extension officers, researchers and service
providers
 Rely on
extension staff for training and for
addressing problems that they cannot handle.
 Are given seed for setting up demonstration plots
of various feed technologies on their farms.
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

7. Bulking and selling milk
Financing, Extension services
(AI, Technical support,
inputs)
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

8. Justification of the study
The project started in 2008 with its main objective
being to double the incomes of 179,000 dairy farmers
in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda through improved dairy
production and marketing
While the project has been able to achieve its targets,
the sustainability of this achievement is likely to
depend on the continued commitment of VFTs.
A key challenge is how to keep VFTs motivated, hence
sustainability of extension activities
The big question: why do farmers volunteer as trainers
and what keeps them motivated?
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

9. Objectives
To get perspectives of VFTs
about factors that motivated
them to become trainers and
to continue volunteering
It is expected that such
information will assist the
project partners to design
and implement strategies that
will
improve
the
effectiveness of this approach
and also
ensure its
sustainability.The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

10. Methods of data collection
Qualitative and
Quantitative methods of
data collection were used
Focus group discussions
were held in each of the
sites with 5-20 trainers
A structured questionnaire
was administered to 99
and 190 individual VFTs in
Kenya and Uganda
respectively
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

11. Demographic and socio-economic
characteristics of VFTs
Variable
VFT Kenya
Mean
VFT Uganda
Mean
Age (yrs)
46.8
47.5
Longest distance (km)
6.7
9.3
Dairy experience (yrs)
11.3
8.7
Education )yrs)
10.7
9.8
Times train/month/dry
2.5
3.0
Times train/month/wet
season
2.3
2.2
No . of villages covered
outside their own
4.8
5.5
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

12. Reasons for volunteering
Kenya
(% of VFTS
N=99)
To become
trainers
Uganda
(% of VFTs
N=190)
To
continue
To become
trainers
To
continue
Gain knowledge
and skills
93
87
96
94
Altruism
85
81
89
84
Social benefits
76
72
88
88
Project benefits
71
73
90
80
Income (Financial
benefits)
64
88
70
76
Increased demand
for training
-
81
-
75
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

13. Pairwise ranking of social benefits
Social
benefits
Kenya
Uganda
Rank
Rank
Exposure
1
1
Gaining
confidence
2
2
Increased
social
networks
3
3
Improved
social status
4
4
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

14. Financial benefits
 In Kenya 50% of VFTs receive
income from selling
seed/seedlings and providing
services.
 Hay fodder (15%), calliandra
seedlings (12%), chaff cutter
services (14%), silage making
(13%)
 In Uganda, only 8% reported
receiving income from selling
pasture seed
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence

15. Conclusion and Recommendations
 Generally, VFTs are motivated by personal and community
interests which are driven by intrinsic and extrinsic factors
 The importance of the motivation however varies from VFT to
VFT
 The interests are key to sustaining voluntary farmer to farmer
extension programs
 They need to be encouraged and supported to invest in personal
development, build social and financial capital from activities
related to fodder innovations
 Linking VFTs to seed companies so that they can produce seed
on contract basis in order to generate income and also ensure a
reliable supply of seed to the community.
 Organizing training and exchange visits from time to time to
improve their knowledge and skills
 Social benefits can be enhanced by involving them in exchange
tours and giving them of scaling up and the trajectory
The science recognition
beyond subsistence

16. Thank you!!!
The science of scaling up and the trajectory
beyond subsistence