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Factors contributing to the Success of Aquaculture Field Schools
G S. Saha1, H K. De1, A S. Mahapatra1 and N. Panda1
ABSTRACT
ICAR- Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) had piloted four Aquaculture Field
Schools (AFS), a model of farmer to farmer extension, in Odisha and Chhattisgarh states in India. The
AFS’ are attracting farmers and stakeholders as they provide a platform to share experience and enable
cross learning. In this research, an attempt has been made to identify the factors that contribute to the
successful performance of AFS. Data were collected from 166 user farmers, selected randomly from the
list available with operators. Five variables viz., age of fish farmer, frequency of visit to AFS, duration
of visit, interaction with the fellow farmers and advocation of advanced technologies of ICAR-CIFA to
other farmers were observed to be significantly contributing to yield of fish. The Multiple correlation
coefficient, R=0.48, indicated that there is a significant and positive correlation between the observed
and predicted value of fish yield.
Keywords: Aquaculture Field Schools; Factors; Farmer; Extension; Odisha; Chhattisgarh
1 ICAR- Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Kausalyaganga, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752 104
Received : 06-03-2020; Accepted : 05-06-2020
Research Article
Journal of Extension Education
Vol. 32 No. 1, 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.26725/JEE.2020.1.32.6441-6447
INTRODUCTION
Aquaculture extension services have
been focussing primarily on transferring
aquaculture technologies, improving fish
farming skills and promoting good practices in
technical areas, such as site selection, farming
systems and technology, seed production, feed
management, fish disease and biosecurity,
water management, harvesting, post-harvest
handling, marketing and record keeping
(FAO, 2017). Effective extension service
has contributed to increased aquaculture
production and has the potential to contribute
to economic development of rural fish farmers
(Tu and Giang, 2002).
Extension has undergone profound changes
over time with an increasing scope in terms
of both contents and recipients (FAO, 2017).
While agricultural (including aquaculture)
extension often is narrowly defined as
“technology transfer”, it should be broadened
to encompass human resource development
that focuses on learning and building farmers’
self-confidence and their capacities in
networking, problem solving and decision
making. Aquaculture extension services should
be provided to not only fish producers but also
to ancillary and supporting businesses, such as
seed producers, feed formulators, net makers,
6442
harvesting teams, fish traders and other key
players in the value chain (FAO, 2017).
Aquaculture Field School (AFS) is a
school without walls for improving decision
making capacity of farming community in
aquaculture. It is a participatory extension
approach whereby fish farmers are given
opportunity to make choice in the methods
of aquaculture production through discovery
based approach (De et al. 2012 & 2013).
AFS is composed of a group of farmers who
regularly meet and share information among
themselves. Typical group strength is 20-
25. The basic tenets of AFS are: fish farmers
are experts; the fish farm is a learning place;
fishery extension worker as facilitator not
teacher; scientists/SMS (subject matter
specialist) work with rather than lecture them;
learning materials are learner centered. The
principles of farmer field school can be easily
incorporated in the aquaculture venture
where the entrepreneurs/farmers after being
trained by research institute, can train other
small farmers in that area about the scientific
practices of the fish farming. The major
objectives of the Aquaculture Field School
(AFS) are to build farmers’ capacity to analyze
their production systems, identify problems,
test possible solutions and eventually adopt
the practices most suitable to their farming
system. The principle of AFS is similar to that
of Farmers Field School (FFS) implemented in
agriculture. A Farmer Field School (FFS) is a
forum where farmers and trainers carry out
collective and collaborative inquiry, debate
observations, apply their previous experiences
and present new information from outside
the community with the purpose of initiating
community action in solving community
problems (Minjauw, 2002).
The ICAR-Central Institute of
Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar has
established four aquaculture field schools
(AFS), three in Odisha and one in the state
of Chhattisgarh, to promote farmer to farmer
extension. The AFSs organizes training
programmes for farmers with sponsorship
from Agriculture Technology Management
Agency (ATMA), Odisha Skill Development
Authority and other development agencies.
Field school aims to increase the capacity of
groups of farmers to test new technologies in
their own fields and to assess the relevance
of results to their particular circumstances
(Braun et al. 2000). There is a need to integrate
the curriculum of different steps in scientific
method of aquaculture like where to rear,
when to rear, how to rear, how to harvest, how
to market the product etc. These field schools
cover a wide area where the progressive
farmers are there and through them the
technology of fish culture like culture and seed
production of carp, catfish, and air breathing
fish, ornamental fish etc. are disseminated.
Key strengths of the FFS approach can
be broadly categorized as: the enhancement
of human and social capital and a key entry
point for new practices and technologies
(Watson, 2008). Within a short span of their
establishment all the AFSs have proved
to be the ground for new, meaningful and
participatory learning about the scientific
practices in aquaculture. Farmers’ practical
problems are regularly being analyzed, their
Journal of Extension Education
6443
capacity enhanced and quality decision
marking ability strengthened through these
field schools.
Since the AFSs are piloted by the
Institute, it is imperative to know whether
the AFSs are promoting parallel extension or
not. It is also important to identify the factors
that determine success of AFS as a model of
farmer to farmer extension. The study was
conducted with these two specific objectives.
An insight into the functioning of AFS and
the factors that influences its success would
be of immense significance for upscaling and
replication of this model.
METHODOLOGY
Successful performance of AFS would
result in improved information access to
participating farmers. Information exchange
and skill upgradation that takes place in AFS
also contribute to enhancing yield as well as
income of farmers. In this study success has
been measured in terms of yield levels of
farmers, which is a measurable and quantifiable
variable. Direct indicators and physicochemical
parameters e.g., seed, feed, fertilizer, health
management etc. do influence yield. However,
the purpose of this study was to understand
AFS as a novel approach of extension and
how this novel approach of extension is
contributing to enhancing yield. From the
perspectives of extension advisory to farmers
who visit AFS to learn technology and share
information about aquaculture, the variables
were studied viz. age and qualification of fish
farmer, primary occupation, frequency of
visit to AFS, occupation, family size, duration
of visit, interaction with the fellow farmers,
advocation of advanced technologies of ICAR-
CIFA to other farmers which are independent
variables.
Data were collected from a total of
166 farmers from four AFSs viz. AFS Sarakana
(80), AFS Bhatpadagarh (35), AFS Durg (24)
and AFS Baisinga (27) using semi-structured
interview schedule. Respondents were
selected randomly from the list of farmers
being maintained at the AFS by its operator.
The schedule was prepared after consulting
experts in the field of aquaculture extension.
Data were collected by personally interviewing
the farmers, who visit AFS on a regular basis.
The survey was conducted during 2016-18. Data
include age, qualification, primary occupation,
family size of the farmers, duration of visit to
AFS, frequency of visit, water area and fish
yield of visiting farmers, type of fish farming,
scope for interaction with experienced farmers,
recommendation for new technology/ practice
by the fish farmers.
Analysis
By using SPSS, Multiple regression
analysis was performed with yield as
dependent variable and eight independent
variables i.e. age of farmer, qualification of
farmer, primary occupation, and frequency
of visit to AFS, duration of visit, interaction
with the fellow farmers, confidence of the
facilitator of the AFS, recommendation of
new technology/practice to other farmers.
Coefficient of determination (R2) has also
been worked out to quantify to what extent
yield is explained by the selected independent
variables.
Factors contributing to the Success of Aquaculture Field Schools
6444
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Primary information about the respondents
Majority (63%) of the respondents
are visiting AFS since last 4-6 years. In case
of Baisinga farmers reported to have visited
it even before the same was rechristened
as AFS. It was learnt during interview that
farmers used to visit it for buying fish seeds,
other inputs and also for consultation with the
facilitator. The majority of the respondents
(35%) visit AFS on quarterly basis followed by
once a year (25%) and once in six months (20%).
Farmers who visit annually do so for buying
seeds as they practice 'grow out' culture.
It was informed by the farmers that they
visit AFSs for sharing information with their
fellow farmers. Majority of the respondents
were small farmers possessing water bodies
of less than one acre. Around 19% of them
were having pond area of more than 3 acres.
AFS is run by the operator who is trained and
mentored by the institute. As the operator
himself practices recommended package, it
is expected that he would disseminate the
same to other farmers. The data indicate that
as many as 86% of the respondents agreed
to have discussed at AFS the pros and cons
of new practice/recommendation of the
institute. Others visiting AFS benefit from the
operator farmer’s experience and receive his
or her guidance. Eighty five percent of the
respondents have indicated that they were
able to gain knowledge from the interaction
with the fellow farmers at AFS. Yield levels
reported by 86% of respondents were in the
range of 1000-1500 kg/acre.
Fish yield is governed by several
factors that includes biological, physical,
Table 1.
Regression Analysis
Model
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig. Correlations
B
Std.
Error
Beta
Zero-
order
Partial Part
1 (Constant) 632.433 146.397 4.320 .000
AGE 5.328 2.304 .172 2.313 .022 .282 .182 .162
QUALF -14.402 19.992 -.051 -.720 .472 -.029 -.057 -.050
POCCP 73.826 46.239 .113 1.597 .112 .121 .126 .112
FRQVIS 9.148 4.206 .159 2.175 .031 .258 .171 .152
DURATION 26.761 11.477 .172 2.332 .021 .238 .183 .163
INTERACT 125.923 62.927 .156 2.001 .047 .299 .158 .140
CONFIDNCE 14.110 83.437 .012 .169 .866 .109 .013 .012
RECCOM 136.470 64.688 .163 2.110 .036 .244 .166 .147
Journal of Extension Education
6445
infrastructural, technological and farmer’s
socio-economic conditions. Extension service
too influences farmers yield substantially. In
this research a parallel extension i.e., farmer
to farmer extension approach was piloted.
Hence extension and advisory service related
variables were identified and their relation
with yield was worked out. In order to identify
the variables contributing to the success of
AFS, Multiple regression analysis was carried
out with eight independent variables i.e. age
(age), qualification (qualf), primary occupation
(poccp), frequency of visit (frqvis), duration
of visit (duration), interaction with the fellow
farmers (interact), confidence of the facilitator
of the AFS (confidence), recommendation of
new technology/practice to other farmers
(reccom). Since fish yield of the farmers is
operationalized as an indicator of success
of the AFS, the multiple regression analysis
was performed by taking fish yield as the
dependent variable.
Dependent Variable: YIELD
From Multiple linear regression
analysis (Table 1), it is revealed that out of 8
independent variables, only 5 variables viz.,
age of fish farmers (age), frequency of visit
by the farmer to the AFS (frqvis), duration of
visit to the AFS since establishment (duration),
interaction with the fellow farmers (interact),
advocation of advanced technologies of ICAR-
CIFA to other farmers (reccom) are significantly
contributing to the yield of fish (Kg/acre), yield.
The model summary (Table 2) shows
that the coefficient of determination, R2=
0.233 which implies that 23% of total variability
in yield (Kg/acre), the dependent variable is
explained by 5 independent and significant
variables namely age, frequency of visit,
duration, interaction and recommendation.
The Multiple correlation coefficient,
R=0.48 indicates that there is a significant and
positive correlation between the observed
and predicted value of fish yield (Kg/acre).
The linear regression equation is best fitted as :
Ŷ = 632.433 + 0.022age + 0.031frqvis +
0.021duration + 0.04interact+ 0.036reccom
where Ŷ is the predicted value of fish yield.
The FFS approach represents a
paradigm shift in agricultural extension and can
Table 2.
Model Summary
Model R R Square
Adjusted
R Square
Std. Error
of the
Estimate
Change Statistics
R Square
Change F Change df1 df2
Sig. F
Change
1 .483(a) .233 .194 260.581 .233 5.976 8 157 .000
Predictors: (Constant), RECCOM, AGE, QUALF, POCCP, CONFIDNCE, FRQVIS, DURATION,
INTERAC
Factors contributing to the Success of Aquaculture Field Schools
6446
be viewed as a capacity-building investment
in the sector of education, information, and
training. Farmers provide extension services
to fellow farmers by sharing technical know-
how and experiences or helping them solve
problems. The effectiveness of farmer-to-
farmer extension is vital to the validity of the
trickle-down modality observes FAO (2017).
Farmer-to-farmer extension is a vital aspect
of participatory extension methods such as
Aquaculture Field School. The participating
fish farmers in an FFS develop their skills
during the FFS activities at the communal
experimental field/pond, and then adopt
these practices and techniques on their
individual fields/ponds and disseminate the
corresponding knowledge to friends, relatives
and neighbors.
CONCLUSION
AFS is becoming a one stop solution
for fish farmers. Frequency of visit, quality of
interaction, length of association with AFS
lends credence to the fact. The opportunity
for discussion on recommended practices
before adoption facilitate informed decision
making by the farmers. The study concludes
that improved extension and advisory service
made available through AFS has contributed
as much as 23% of the yield. This once again
underscores the role of aquaculture extension
in bridging the yield gap. AFS approach relied
heavily on non-monetary inputs with technical
advice and interaction as primary intervention.
Sharing of experiences with the lead farmer
at the AFS has brought in confidence among
them in scientific fish farming. This approach
of ‘farmer to farmer’ extension with no
physical input would certainly be sustainable
in the long run.
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Factors contributing to the Success of Aquaculture Field Schools