Growing together: insights from sustainable farming and biodiversity learning journey
FAO
2024.07.31
From May 13 to 17, 2024, Rwanda hosted an inspiring Learning Journey on Biodiversity Management and Sustainable Farming with support from FAO under the EU-funded ACP MEAs 3 programme. As the third phase of the programme is coming to an end, farmers, extension and policy officers from five focus countries got together for a five-day practical and interactive learning journey to share their experiences and learn from each other on best farming practices applied in their countries.
The ACP MEAs programme aims to help countries adopt eco-friendly farming practices that boost crop yields, while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and managing the associated risks on biodiversity. Through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), farmers and extension officers have been learning to blend new technology with traditional wisdom to tackle issues like pest and biodiversity management, climate change and soil fertility.
Mr. Jean Bosco Kamali, a Rwandan farmer, shared his appreciation for being part of this exchange. He emphasized that “to participate in this learning journey was an amazing experience for me, spending a week traveling with people from these 5 countries has been very powerful. I have improved my knowledge, for example, in the use of biopesticides, my new friends from Zimbabwe, told us that they use garlic, an ingredient that we also have here but didn’t use for this purpose.”
From May 13 to 17, 2024, Rwanda hosted an inspiring Learning Journey on Biodiversity Management and Sustainable Farming with support from FAO under the EU-funded ACP MEAs 3 programme. As the third phase of the programme is coming to an end, farmers, extension and policy officers from five focus countries got together for a five-day practical and interactive learning journey to share their experiences and learn from each other on best farming practices applied in their countries.
The ACP MEAs programme aims to help countries adopt eco-friendly farming practices that boost crop yields, while reducing the use of synthetic pesticides and managing the associated risks on biodiversity. Through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), farmers and extension officers have been learning to blend new technology with traditional wisdom to tackle issues like pest and biodiversity management, climate change and soil fertility.
Mr. Jean Bosco Kamali, a Rwandan farmer, shared his appreciation for being part of this exchange. He emphasized that “to participate in this learning journey was an amazing experience for me, spending a week traveling with people from these 5 countries has been very powerful. I have improved my knowledge, for example, in the use of biopesticides, my new friends from Zimbabwe, told us that they use garlic, an ingredient that we also have here but didn’t use for this purpose.”
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