How to Conduct Farmers Field School (FFS)

on Modernized Production of High Quality

Inbred Rice and Seed Certification
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND
 Farmers Field School (FFS)

Background
In the late 80s, the Farmers Field
School was developed by the Food
and Agriculture Organization of
United Nations (FAO) in South East
Asia to help the small-scale rice
farmers to learn for themselves
and identify skills required in
adopting relevant farm practices in
their fields.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Farmers Field School (FFS)

Concept
Experiential “School
Learning without walls”

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Farmers Field School (FFS)
Principles
● Field is a learning
● Facilitation not teaching
● Hands-on and discovery-based learning
● The farmer as expert
● Equity and hierarchy
● Integrated and learner-defined curriculum
● Comparative experiments
● Agro-ecosystem analysis
● Special topics
● Team building and social animation
● Participatory monitoring and evaluation
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND
 FFS on Modernized Production of High
Quality Inbred Rice and Seed
Certification
Season-long training through TESDA accredited farm
schools with 14 sessions/meetings that shall train a group
of 25 farmers on the latest rice farming system. It shall be
conducted in farm schools with graduates of RSTC and TOT
as resource persons and under a TESDA’s scholarship
scheme.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 FFS on Modernized Production of
High Quality Inbred Rice and Seed
Certification

Farm School
● Refer to existing TESDA-registered farm schools, technology
institutions (TTI), ATI learning sites, state colleges and
universities (SUCs), local colleges and universities (LUCs)
offering agriculture qualifications, and other training
providers (e.g., ATI, PhilRice, PHilMech, and RFOs) with
TESDA accredited agriculture/rice-related training
programs under the Rice Fund.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 FFS on Modernized Production
of High Quality Inbred Rice and
Seed Certification
Participants
● Must be a member of the RSBSA and DA
accredited Farm Association, Coop or group
● Active and practicing rice farmer
● Willingness to participate and ready to work in a
group
● Must come from same locality (area) preferably
within the area of the farm school
● Must be willing to share experiences
● Willing to be tapped by the LGU and RCEF related
agencies for future engagements

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide

Ground Work Conduct Post

Activities
• Identification and of Sessions Implementation
Selection of
•Payme
•Arrival, Registration and
Participants Billeting
• Financial •Introduction
•Administer Pre-test
Arrangement
• Schedule of
Activities
•Overview of PalayCheck
and Key Checks 1-9
•Conduct of AESA
nt to
• Coordination of
farm school with
•Analysis and Decision
Making
•Closing the session
Farm
resource
Schools
•Evaluation of Facilitators
•Administer Posttest
speakers •Field day and Graduation
• Establishing of
learning field

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide

A. Ground Work Activities

1. Identification and Selection of Participants
One batch of FFS should consist of 25 rice farmers that have
met the eligibility criteria of the scholarship grant.

2. Financial Arrangement
Prepare a budget for the training cost which includes the
expenses on supplies (e.g. PPE, farm inputs, materials for
graduation and field day), utilities, and honorarium for trainer
and field facilitator.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 TRAINING COST
25 pax, 14 sessions, 5 hrs/session or 9 actual days
ITEM ASSUMPTIONS COST
Supplies Including the: PPE - Long sleeves and field 105,900
hat, Farm inputs, Field day and Graduation
Expenses

Honorarium for 1 Master Trainer 18,000

Trainer 2000 / DAY @ 9 days
Field Facilitator 5 facilitators for 5 groups per Hands on at 30 25,000
hrs actual @ 5000 each
Power, Utilities and 80,000
Rental of machineries
and Equipment
TOTAL TRAINING 228,900
COST
Per Pax 9,156

Farmers Tuition 9,200

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

COST PER FARMER
25 pax, 14 sessions, 5 hrs/session or 9 actual days

ITEM ASSUMPTIONS COST

Training support fund Per participant total for whole training 1440
per Farmer
TOTAL TUITION 10,640
AND ALLOWANCE
PER FARMER
Per Day for Farmer 102

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide

A. Ground Work Activities

3. Schedule of Activities
The starting month of the FFS is determined by the planting season
(wet/dry). FFS has 14 sessions with a minimum of 4 hours each
session including the graduation and field day.
4. Coordination of farm school with resource speakers,
trainers, and field facilitators
Graduates of Rice Specialist Training Course (RSTC), Mechanization
Specialist Training Course (MSTC) and Training of Trainers (TOT) on
Modernized Production of High Quality Inbred Rice and Seed
Certification can be tapped as resource speaker, trainer and field
facilitator.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide

A. Ground Work Activities

5. Establishing of learning field
Area allotted for learning field – 5000-7500 m²
 2500 m2 as recommended size of learning field/demo farm based on a class size
of 25 students/trainees specified on Grain Production NC II

 1000 m2 Varietal Trial ( 3 newly release rice varieties and 2 nationally

recommended inbred rice varieties)

 1000 m2 Standing Crop/AESA Field (one variety) Relay Planting 30-45

days planted after the transplanting the Varietal trial

 500 m2 Hands on area on different farm activities (seedbed

establishment, transplanting, repair and construction of dikes and ditches,
other activities)
 2500 -5000 m2 for machine demo ( according to PhilMech)
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND
 Implementation Guide
B. Conduct of Sessions
Module of FFS on Modernized Production of HQ Inbred Rice and
Seed Certification
Terminal Objective
● The participants should be able to produce their own HQ inbred
rice seeds in the next cropping season through application of
modernized integrated rice management technology.
Enabling Objectives
The participants should be able to
● Apply the concepts and principles of the PalayCheck System
specifically on the production of high quality inbred rice and seeds
● Understand the inbred rice seed certification process
● Communicate effectively, work in teams, and improve financial
literacy and decision making skills
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND
 Conduct of Sessions

SESSION TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME

ALLOCATION

Arrival of Participants and Registration

Opening Program
Pre-test
Minimum of
Session 1 Training Overview 4 hrs
Transformational Leadership
Rice Industry Situationer
Understanding RCEF and Implications
to rice farmers

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

SESSION TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME ALLOCATION

Rice Morphology and Growth

Stages
Session 2 Overview and Review of Minimum of
KeyChecks 1-5 4 hrs
Farm Planning, Budgeting
and Recordkeeping

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

SESSION TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME

ALLOCATION
Session 3 KeyChecks 6, 8 and 9 Minimum of
Critical Topics: Land 4 hrs
Preparation, Roguing, Nutrient
Management, Pest
Management, Harvest and
Postharvest
Session 4 KeyCheck 7 Minimum of
IPM concepts, IPs and NEs, 4 hrs
Conducting AESA

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

SESSION TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME

ALLOCATION
AESA 1
Session Roguing Minimum
5 Special Topic: Methods of of 4 hrs
crop establishment
(Transplanting, Direct
seeding)

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

DATE TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME

ALLOCATION
AESA 2
Roguing
Session Minimum of 4
6 ST: Mechanical hrs
Transplanting
ST: Farm machinery
operation and safety

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions
DATE TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME
ALLOCATION

Session AESA 3
Minimum of 4 hrs
7 Roguing
ST: Tools to assess nutrient deficiencies,
Fertilizer Computation

Session AESA 4
Minimum of 4 hrs
8 Roguing
ST: Nutrients and their deficiency
symptoms

Session AESA 5
Minimum of 4 hrs
9 Roguing
ST: Water saving technology

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions
DATE TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME
ALLOCATION
AESA 6
Minimum of 4 hrs
Session Roguing
10 ST: Postharvest
(Include Indigenous practices)

Basic Financial Literacy

Basic Financial Mgt
Session The Five Cs/Ks of Credit Minimum of 4 hrs
11 Credit/Loan Mgt
Preparation of Farm Plan and
Budget
Lending programs

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

DATE TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME ALLOCATION

Seed Certification
Session Process Minimum
HANDS ON ACTIVITY: of 4 hrs
12
Seed testing

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Conduct of Sessions

DATE TOPICS/ACTIVITIES TIME

ALLOCATION

Session Crop Cut, Yield and Yield Components 1 day

13 Final Analysis

Session Field Day and Graduation 1 day

14

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide
C. Post Implementation

● Payment to Farm Schools

The expenses for the conduct of Training of
Farmers will be reimbursed by farm school
owners, which will be facilitated by TESDA
national office.

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Implementation Guide
C. Post Implementation

● Payment to Farm Schools

Payment to farm schools will be made upon the
submission of the following documents:
 Billing statement of training provider
 Farmers’ Profiles encoded in the TESDA Training
Management Information System (T2MIS)
 Daily Attendance Sheet
 TESDA copy of the RESP Scholarship Grant duly
signed by the beneficiaries and concerned officials

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

HOW TO BE A FARM
SCHOOL

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
TESDA shall implement a scholarship program for farmers, farmworkers listed in
the RSBSA, including members of Farmers’ Coops and Associations recognized by
DA, to enroll in Farmers Field School to be conducted by farm schools

1 2 3
Registration Scholarship
Application Scholarship
of Modified
by farmers thru Grant
FFS by Farm
Schools the Farm
(3-11 days) Schools

6 5 4
Post Competency Training
Implementation/ Assessment Implementation
(Billing of FS) (optional)
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND
 Farm School Requirements
● Letter of Intent/Application (downloadable form)
● Valid Certificate of as DA-ATI certified Learning Sites
● Regional TOT Certificate
● Business Permit, BIR and other permits
● Qualification Map (downloadable form)

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

Letter of Application/Intent Form

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

Letter of Application/Intent Form

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

 Monitoring of Farm Schools

● Monthly FARM SCHOOL status report from TESDA

from enrolled participants
● Directory of Participants (T2MIS Data Sharing)
● How to assess competency of the farmers that
attended the Farmers Training (FFS)
● Develop a unified competency assessment (NTR)
● TESDA will lead the development of the
competency assessment

RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND

THANK YOU
RICE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND