San Martin producers will be new extension agents in their communities.
After several months of training in different provinces of the San Martin region, the PERU-Hub project, through its Extension Component, concluded the Agricultural Field Schools (ECA’s), a program that seeks to strengthen the technical capabilities of producers regarding their crops.
It was in November 2022, when PERU-Hub started the ECA’s after an extensive call that brought together members of fourteen organizations, many of them being cacao growers, orange growers, palm heart farmers, cattle ranchers, among others. A total of fifteen sessions were held in six intervention areas: Chazuta, San José de Sisa, Cuñumbuqui, Pachiza, Huallaga and Pongo de Caynarachi.
From the first sessions, the farmers were very optimistic about them, showing commitment and participation, a very important aspect. The training sessions were held on the farmers’ own plots of land, which in many cases are difficult to access. However, the farmers have managed to overcome these situations, traveling very early in the morning with motorcycles or their own animals such as donkeys or horses, causing surprise and admiration to the PERU-Hub team.
CONSTANT LEARNING
As part of the monitoring and evaluation of the project, each PERU-Hub ECA was assessed in a didactic way with the so-called ‘box test’. This test, implemented by the PERU-Hub Extension team, allows us to know the previous and subsequent level of the participants. In addition, surveys were conducted at each session to determine the degree of satisfaction with the organization and the subject covered.
The project’s extensionists conducted practical tests in each of their sessions. ECA activities include topics such as planting, pruning and harvesting. In addition to training for the implementation of nurseries, integrated pest management and the use of biodegradable bags, among others.
In livestock farming, the implementation of mixed fodder banks contributed to improving the quality of feed for livestock. Additionally, silage was produced, a highly valuable technique for the conservation of pastures, especially designed for times of drought. The first prototypes of silvopastoral systems and technologies proposed by PERU-Hub for the region were also designed.
FIELD DAY: SHARING WHAT WAS LEARNED
As the ECA sessions progressed, the farmers held a field day, a special activity where participants take on the role of speakers and share what they have learned with other producers, organizations and even invited authorities.
These sessions allow to show and record the progress of the participants. On a field day, PERU-Hub extensionists gather the beneficiaries of the schools on a plot of land, organize them into teams and assign them topics. Each team sets up small stations at different locations on a plot, creating an integrated circuit in this way.
When the time comes, the guests tour each station to learn about each topic, listening carefully to the farmer and asking questions.
This one-time activity during the ECAs is supervised by each extensionist, so that if more technical questions arise, the participant can rely on the support of the engineers.
There were 132 farmers who successfully completed the field schools. During the closing ceremony, each of them received a certificate attesting to their training, amid the applause of their families and local authorities invited to the event. In this ceremony PERU-Hub recognized the effort and perseverance of the beneficiary producers for completing their training, placing them in an outstanding position in their community. This first class of ECA entrepreneurs now has the mission of sharing what they have learned for the development of their villages. In addition to the certificate, each participant received a vest with the name of their ECA class.
It is important to highlight that the ECA’s program will continue to develop in the following years of the PERU-Hub project implementation, identifying new beneficiaries in the different provinces of the San Martin region. In this way, the project will strengthen its presence with new knowledge agents, reaffirming its commitment to the economic and social development of the people and communities of the Amazon.
