281
rates, which were also reported as a problem. Limited budgets for supporting
farmer-trainers also created challenges.
24.2.3 Effectiveness of the Approach
Overall findings on effectiveness were positive. In Kenya, farmer-trainers each
reported training an average of 201 farmers (median: 37) over the month prior to the
interview. In Cameroon the average was 58 (median: 17) over the previous year
(Tsafack et al. 2015), and in Malawi the number was 61 (median: 25) over the previous year. In all three countries, averages were skewed upward because a few of the
farmer-trainers hosted large numbers of trainees who had been brought in by NGOs
or other extension providers. The median number of farmers trained by typical
farmer-trainers (17–37) approximates the number of members in the groups to
which the farmer-trainers belonged and to whom their training was targeted.
In Kenya, the effectiveness of farmer-trainers was corroborated by a survey of
113 randomly selected trainees, who were found to be knowledgeable about the
innovations on which they had received training, and most of whom were testing
some of the new practices they had learned (Kiptot et al. 2013).
24.2.4 Efficiency of the Approach
An extension approach is deemed to be cost-efficient if the cost per farmer trained
is lower than that of alternative approaches. Table 24.1 compares the cost efficiency
of an F2FE program in Malawi with a conventional program in which extension
48
43
48
13
17
27
17
23
10
7
24
12
8
28
24
0
1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
5 0
6 0
Farmer trainer expectations
Drop out rates
Limited budget
Training farmer trainers
Conflicts
Malawi
Kenya
Cameroon
Fig. 24.2 Organizations’ views of the main problems of farmer-to-farmer extension programs
(percent of organizations reporting). Note: Conflicts refers to conflicts between organizations
using the same volunteer farmers or problems arising when organizations compensate their farmertrainers differently or offer contradictory recommendations to farmers
24 Farmer-To-Farmer Extension: A Low-Cost Approach for Promoting…
rates, which were also reported as a problem. Limited budgets for supporting
farmer-trainers also created challenges.
24.2.3 Effectiveness of the Approach
Overall findings on effectiveness were positive. In Kenya, farmer-trainers each
reported training an average of 201 farmers (median: 37) over the month prior to the
interview. In Cameroon the average was 58 (median: 17) over the previous year
(Tsafack et al. 2015), and in Malawi the number was 61 (median: 25) over the previous year. In all three countries, averages were skewed upward because a few of the
farmer-trainers hosted large numbers of trainees who had been brought in by NGOs
or other extension providers. The median number of farmers trained by typical
farmer-trainers (17–37) approximates the number of members in the groups to
which the farmer-trainers belonged and to whom their training was targeted.
In Kenya, the effectiveness of farmer-trainers was corroborated by a survey of
113 randomly selected trainees, who were found to be knowledgeable about the
innovations on which they had received training, and most of whom were testing
some of the new practices they had learned (Kiptot et al. 2013).
24.2.4 Efficiency of the Approach
An extension approach is deemed to be cost-efficient if the cost per farmer trained
is lower than that of alternative approaches. Table 24.1 compares the cost efficiency
of an F2FE program in Malawi with a conventional program in which extension
48
43
48
13
17
27
17
23
10
7
24
12
8
28
24
0
1 0
2 0
3 0
4 0
5 0
6 0
Farmer trainer expectations
Drop out rates
Limited budget
Training farmer trainers
Conflicts
Malawi
Kenya
Cameroon
Fig. 24.2 Organizations’ views of the main problems of farmer-to-farmer extension programs
(percent of organizations reporting). Note: Conflicts refers to conflicts between organizations
using the same volunteer farmers or problems arising when organizations compensate their farmertrainers differently or offer contradictory recommendations to farmers
24 Farmer-To-Farmer Extension: A Low-Cost Approach for Promoting…