Developing sustainable farmer-to-farmer extension: Experiences from the volunteer farmer–trainer approach in Kenya

cg.contributor.crpPolicies, Institutions, and Markets
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.coverage.countryKenya
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KE
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.coverage.regionSub-Saharan Africa
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2019.1679576
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn1473-5903
cg.issue6
cg.journalInternational Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.volume17
dc.contributor.authorKiptot, Evelyne
dc.contributor.authorFranzel, Steven
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-29T12:57:53Zen
dc.date.available2025-01-29T12:57:53Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/171236
dc.titleDeveloping sustainable farmer-to-farmer extension: Experiences from the volunteer farmer–trainer approach in Kenyaen
dcterms.abstractThe reform of agricultural extension institutions in developing countries has in the past decade seen the implementation of many donor-supported farmer-to-farmer extension (F2FE) programs that are participatory and client-oriented. Their effectiveness in disseminating agricultural information is widely documented. However, most of these F2FE approaches only survive as long as funding support continues. Scant information exists on what can make externally initiated F2FE approaches sustainable. Drawing on lessons from a F2FE program known as the volunteer farmer–trainer (VFT) approach in an externally funded project in Kenya, this paper examines what makes such programs sustainable. The findings are based on the experiences of four dairy producer organizations (POs) that, three years after the end of project support, still had strong VFT programs. The paper highlights the importance of four drivers of sustainability: local institutional support, social capital, technical backstopping and motivation of farmer trainers to work voluntarily. Strong POs and farmer groups, coupled with the existence of an informal, multi-institutional network that supported the creation of knowledge and learning processes were key components contributing to the sustainability of the VFT program.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.available2019-11-05
dcterms.bibliographicCitationKiptot, Evelyne; and Franzel, Steven. 2020. Developing sustainable farmer-to-farmer extension: Experiences from the volunteer farmer–trainer approach in Kenya. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 17(6): 401-412. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2019.1679576en
dcterms.extentpp. 401-412
dcterms.issued2019-11-02
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0
dcterms.publisherTaylor and Francis
dcterms.subjectagricultural extensionen
dcterms.subjectsustainabilityen
dcterms.subjectfarmersen
dcterms.subjectextensionen
dcterms.subjectproducer organizationsen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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