Farmer-to-farmer exchange of information

Small-scale farmers have a great deal of knowledge. But that knowledge doesn’t always get documented and shared – and in time it is lost.

We’re helping to reverse that trend by promoting farmer-led documentation (FLD).

With the process, farmers themselves document problems they are having as well as their knowledge and experiences for ways to solve problems. In this way, farmers are in control and don’t have to rely on outsiders offering information which may be unclear or not quite right.

FLD in brief
Farmers document:

• Problems they want addressed, such as how to stop cassava wilt
• Practices, for example on yam cultivation or traditional methods for saving groundnut seed
• Innovations they are experimenting with, such as water conservation during the dry season
• Beliefs, for example about the value of a local forest or the medicinal value of an indigenous plan

Farmers share their thoughts through:

• Group discussion
• Interviews
• Storytelling
• Drawings
• Music
• Dance

Thoughts can be documented through several means:

• Tape recorders
• Cameras
• Video cameras
• Pen and paper
• Computer

Some ways to share:

• Radio programme
• A booklet
• Information or ‘question and answer’ sheets
• A database

By sharing and learning what works and what doesn't, farmers are increasing farm productivity and improving their livelihoods.

Find out more
We have produced a few reports on farmer-led documentation.