Short description of the best practice

Farmer Led Documentation (FLD) is an empowering process in which local communities take the lead role in the documentation process.FLD ensures that relevant experiences and good practices at the community level are visible as a starting point for further Farmer Led agricultural development. FLD is an approach that was developed as a participatory communication strategy that would involve the farmers directly thus reversing the traditional cycle of government and development agents bringing information as well as services and impressing them on the local farmers. The FLD approach provides local farmers with a role of being their own knowledge managers, problem solvers and decision makers.|

Location

In Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.|

Brief description of the natural environment within the specified location.

The three countries involved in the Farmer Led and Knowledge management project are located in the Eastern and southern part of Africa with tropical kind of climate.(Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia)|

Prevailing socio-economic conditions of those living in the location and/or nearby

The project mainly focused on and was implemented by Small scale farmers whose major source of income is the agriculture products.

On the basis of which criteria and/or indicator(s) (not related to The Strategy) the proposed practice and corresponding technology has been considered as 'best'?

• Level of adaptation by small scale farmers.
• Results of the entire project.
• Level of sustainability of the practice.

Main problems addressed by the best practice

Farmers have a lot of hidden expert knowledge which could be harnessed to solve their day to day problems. The farmers needed and were willing to document this knowledge and share it with others if they were allowed to take the lead in the process.|Farmers were faced with the challenge of illiteracy, financial constraints, lack of advanced technologies and lack of skills to document. FLD was to address these challenges by encouraging participation of the marginalized groups, use of the locally available documentation methods to ensure sustainability.

Specify the objectives of the best practice

To enhance and strengthen the capacity of farmers to document their knowledge and experiences for shared learning horizontally and vertically.|To build the capacity of development practitioners to integrate FLD into their work.|To enhance and strengthen networking and information sharing on FLD.|To strengthen, promote and upscale FLD methodologies and practices among farming communities and development practioners.

Brief description of main activities, by objective

An exchange and dissemination workshop on FLD.|FLD integrated into the different development organisations projects and programmes.
Implement 6 diverse FLD methodologies which ensure at least 50% participation of marginalized groups piloted and shared widely.|Building the capacity of Farmer led and Farmer Oriented networks and organisations enhanced in the use of FLD for advocacy and lobbying.

Short description and technical specifications of the technology

Farmer Led Documentation is a technology where by the Small Scale farmers take the lead role in documenting their farming practices. FLD involves the use of locally and readily available documentation methodologies like pictures, note taking, songs, recordkeeping and many others.|

Name and address of the institution developing the technology

Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Uganda
|Plot 155, Kira Road, Kamwokya.
P.O Box 35804, Kampala- Uganda

Was the technology developed in partnership?

Yes

List the partners:

1. Oxfam Novib
2. PROLINNOVA international

Specify the framework within which the technology was promoted

• National initiative – government-led
• National initiative – non-government-led
• International initiative
• Programme/project-based initiative

Was the participation of local stakeholders, including CSOs, fostered in the development of the technology?

Yes

List local stakeholders involved:

If yes, list local stakeholders involved:
1. East and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) Uganda
2. Africa 2000 Network(A2N)Uganda
3. Rural Empowerment Network(REN)

For the stakeholders listed above, specify their role in the design, introduction, use and maintenance of the technology, if any.

All the stakeholders listed above played the role of implementing the FLD Pilot project with their respective farmer communities by integrating in their already existing projects. They used technologies like still photos and record keeping.

Was the population living in the location and/or nearby involved in the development of the technology?

Yes

By means of what?

• Participatory approaches

Describe on-site impacts (the major two impacts by category)

• Culturally farmers would document through telling short stories, music, myths and drawings. FLD encourages the use of these practices as documentation methodologies, therefore it encourage the use of cultural practices.|
Documentation in the farms (book keeping) and at trainings by the farmers helps them keep a close eye on the progress of their plants and knowing what to do in case of any problem. This guarantees improvement in production/productivity.
• Book keeping/record keeping has always been a good practice therefore farmers that practice FLD by keeping track of their expenditure and income became more economically stable.
Farmer experiences in conservation farming practices for adaptation to climate change and FLD were documentated, shared within the community and disseminated i.e. publication on farmers’ experience with conservation farming was produced. |

Impact on biodiversity and climate change

Explain the reasons:

While farmer Led documentation does not directly impact on bio dirservity. The improvement in farmer farming practices through documentation leads to positive impact in bio diversity conservation.

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

Has a cost-benefit analysis been carried out?

No

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Was the technology disseminated/introduced to other locations?

Yes

Where?

The Pilot project beneficiaries were very few compared to the entire population surrounding them. While the development organization that were piloting this project could only reach a few small scale farmers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Other community members adopted and replicated these activities.|

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Were incentives to facilitate the take up of the technology provided?

Yes

Specify which type of incentives:

• Financial incentives (for example, preferential rates, State aid, subsidies, cash grants, loan guarantees, etc)

Can you identify the three main conditions that led to the success of the presented best practice/technology?

Highly motivated development organizations that were willing to integrate FLD within their already existing project and programmes. This is shows that FLD is replicable elsewhere as long as the development organisations and agents(NGOs), local governments are willing to work together to build the capacity of the small scale farmers.|

Replicability

In your opinion, the best practice/technology you have proposed can be replicated, although with some level of adaptation, elsewhere?

Yes

At which level?

• Local
• National

Related to human resources

It is important to consider all aspects of human resource in FLD projects

Related to technical aspects

A difference was made by participation of farmers. It enriched the knowledge sharing process as they understood issues better. By taking the lead, farmers were empowered to own the process and the knowledge.|