Assessing the effects of Farmer Field Schools on farmers’ trajectories of change in practices

In West Africa, farmers face challenges to innovate and change their practices toward more sustainable cropping systems. Farmer Field Schools (FFS), an advisory service based on participatory principles, aim support farmers’ innovation. This study investigates innovation by characterizing trajectories of in agricultural after they participated FFS. Two contrasting types FFS for family the cotton-growing area Africa were selected. The differed how implemented; farmer participation was either consultative (farmers little developing curricula structure) or collaborative actively structure). Former participants interviewed successive changes over a 4 8-year time span. sample included seven rainy season (17 interviews Burkina Faso, 22 Togo), four vegetable gardening (21 Togo). Efficiency-Substitution-Redesign framework applied pest management, organic mineral fertilization legume practices. Our results show that way implemented influenced After FFS, limited. we found variety production use compost, biopesticides, inclusion legumes system through intercropping pure cropping. Redesign systems increasing on-farm compost production, collective crop rotations. Collaborative can be seen as step-by-step design processes locally adapted is first are used assess effects approach valuable understanding decision making role initiatives such