Question 1

FIELD: Farmer Field School beyond IPM in Indonesia

Accepted Answer

FFS was continuously promoted in Indonesia not only by the government but also by a number of NGOs such as the FIELD Indonesia Foundation (Farmer Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy - Indonesia).

It was founded in 2001 by the alumni of the technical assistance teams of the different IPM programs. The core of its members came from the network of local farmer organizations and the Indonesian IPM Farmers Association.

FIELD played a pivotal role in taking the FFS model and its principles to help address broader challenges and problems affecting farmers livelihoods in Indonesia. They have learned that farmers could only implement IPM and other agricultural development programs once they had acquired the ability to carry out their own analysis, make their own decisions and organise their own activities. The empowerment process, rather than the adoption of specific IPM techniques, is what produces many of the developmental benefits of the FFS.

Question 2

SRI-Mas: Upscaling of agroecological-based rice production and supply chain based on farmers’ social learning in Malaysia

Accepted Answer

Following the First National Seminar on System of rice Intensification (SRI) held in 2012, a group of academics, government officials, civil society organizations and farmers came together to establish SRI-MAS, a non-profit organisation working to enhance food security in Malaysia through the adoption of agroecology-based practices by local farmers.

Instead of the traditional top-down approach which views farmers merely as beneficiaries of new technologies, SRI-MAS adopts a social learning approach for agricultural extension and innovation. It fosters Farmer Field Schools to create an experiential learning environment and regularly conducts consultative workshops for farmers on a variety of agroecology-related topics. SRI-Mas runs the SRI Farm Network between five states in Malaysia for SRI communities to share struggles and exchange ideas. It is also connected to the greater Asia SRI Network.

Question 3

CARDEC: Conservation Agriculture Research and Development Center in Cambodia

Accepted Answer

Over the past two decades, Cambodia has seen significant growth in Conservation Agriculture (CA) and Agroecology activities. Notably, the Bos Khnor experimental station led by the General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA) and the Department of Agricultural Land Resources Management (DALRM) serves as a pivotal hub on:

Designing and assessing agroecological cropping systems, including diversification patterns. 
Preserving a genetic bank of cover/relay crops, comprising 45 species and around 100 cultivars.
Conducting long-term experiments (over 15 years) to evaluate agroecological systems' impacts on soil health, biodiversity, and water retention.
Providing training for farmers, development operators, and research partners.

These efforts, documented in peer-reviewed articles, demonstrate Bos Khnor's efficacy in supporting evidence-based land management, policy making, and donor decisions. This has fostered a scientific community, particularly in understanding soil dynamics and water management.
The Cambodian Conservation Agriculture Research and Development Center (CARDEC/DALRM) strategic plan aims to elevate Bos Khnor into a Center of Excellence for Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture, focusing on research, genetic resource conservation, skill development, and infrastructure enhancement through national and international collaborations.

Question 4

Green Extension: Promotion of agroecology in Lao PDR

Accepted Answer

Green Extension is an umbrella term used to describe rural advisory services which support the scaling up of sustainable agriculture. The concept and practice of Green Extension has been developed and implemented in Lao PDR within the framework of the Lao Upland Rural Advisory Service (LURAS) since 2015.

The below table shows the five steps of the green extension process and the figure shows its multiplying impacts.

Question 5

ALiSEA: The Agroecology Learning alliance in South East Asia

Accepted Answer

The Agroecology Learning alliance in South East Asia (ALiSEA), is an open coalition of stakeholders promoting agroecology transition. Initiated in 2015, it aims to enable local and regional agroecology stakeholders to leverage one another’s expertise to produce evidence-based studies and share them broadly to support a regional transition towards agroecology. It has 3 folded objectives:

Strengthening knowledge and experience sharing among agroecological initiatives and actors, 
Increasing visibility and credibility of agroecological movement towards policy makers and consumers and 
Scaling up the development and adoption of agroecological practice among farmers.

ALiSEA Network gathers over 180 member organizations being quite unique by its diversity of stakeholders (CSOs and NGOs, Farmer organizations, Research & Academia, Private Sector) and its member-driven governance model. ALiSEA currently counts five countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
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It aims to answer the need for a knowledge exchange and to share the wealth of experience from different regions; and intends to strengthen its members by testing innovations in different contexts; conducting joint study, sharing results and drawing lessons collectively. Member organizations join forces to document field initiatives and propose recommendations.

Through fostering a wide dissemination and understanding of the principles of agroecology, it aims to facilitate their concrete incorporation in the practices of farmers and in public policy. ALiSEA helped to create a safe space for stakeholders to engage and learn from each other in regards to agroecological transition. Furthermore, ALiSEA network contributed to raise the visibility of agroecology at national and regional levels through growing media support and diverse means of communication.
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►Contact person: Lucie REYNAUD, reynaud@gret.org, PAT Sovann pat.cambodia@gret.org

Implementing the leverage points
Case studies and links

Planning for agroecology transitions

PLUP/PALM: Participatory Land Use Planning and Participatory Agricultural Land Management in Lao PDR

Planning for agroecology transitions

MASIPAG: Farmer-led national network promotes local rice varieties in Philippines

SEARICE: Youth Engagement in Advocating Agroecology and Farmers’ Rights in Philippines

Sustainable Agriculture Code of Arakan in Philippines

Working with farmers

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture movement in China

MEDA: Facilitation of Women's Access to Agricultural Value Chains in Myanmar

PGS: Experiences on Participatory Guarantee System Certification from PGS Vietnam (VOAA - Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association) and from Ecofarm Agricultural Cooperative in Cambodia

MSPO: Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme in Malaysia

ECHO Asia: Seed Saving and Seed Banking Initiatives in Southeast Asia

Promoting transitions across the agrifood value chains

FIELD: Farmer Field School beyond IPM in Indonesia

SRI-Mas: Upscaling of agroecological-based rice production and supply chain based on farmers’ social learning in Malaysia

CARDEC: Conservation Agriculture Research and Development Center in Cambodia

Green Extension: Promotion of agroecology in Lao PDR

ALiSEA: The Agroecology Learning alliance in South East Asia

Capacity building and knowledge sharing

CA & SI: Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Consortium in Cambodia

PPSA: Private Sector Initiatives on MSE for Agroecology in Philippines

Multistakeholder engagement

Developing a research agenda

TEEBAgriFood: True cost accounting in Thailand

ToC: The experience of using participatory theory of change in the ASSET research for development project

ASSET: Participatory action research on crop-livestock integration in Vietnam

CSAM: Low cost and low-tech mechanization to decrease drudgery

Financing agroecology transtions

Dei Meas: Sustainability finance instrument in Cambodia

LICA

Anchored in regional cooperation and involving representatives from ASEAN Member States, the Lao Facilitated Initiative on Agroecology (LICA) aims to foster knowledge exchange and strengthen policy coherence to accelerate agroecological transitions across ASEAN countries.

A project funded by

Implementing the leverage points Case studies and links

Planning for agroecology transitions

PLUP/PALM: Participatory Land Use Planning and Participatory Agricultural Land Management in Lao PDR

Planning for agroecology transitions

MASIPAG: Farmer-led national network promotes local rice varieties in Philippines

SEARICE: Youth Engagement in Advocating Agroecology and Farmers’ Rights in Philippines

Sustainable Agriculture Code of Arakan in Philippines

Working with farmers

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture movement in China

MEDA: Facilitation of Women's Access to Agricultural Value Chains in Myanmar

PGS: Experiences on Participatory Guarantee System Certification from PGS Vietnam (VOAA - Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association) and from Ecofarm Agricultural Cooperative in Cambodia

MSPO: Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme in Malaysia

ECHO Asia: Seed Saving and Seed Banking Initiatives in Southeast Asia

Promoting transitions across the agrifood value chains

FIELD: Farmer Field School beyond IPM in Indonesia

SRI-Mas: Upscaling of agroecological-based rice production and supply chain based on farmers’ social learning in Malaysia

CARDEC: Conservation Agriculture Research and Development Center in Cambodia

Green Extension: Promotion of agroecology in Lao PDR

ALiSEA: The Agroecology Learning alliance in South East Asia

Capacity building and knowledge sharing

CA & SI: Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Consortium in Cambodia

PPSA: Private Sector Initiatives on MSE for Agroecology in Philippines

Multistakeholder engagement

Developing a research agenda

TEEBAgriFood: True cost accounting in Thailand

ToC: The experience of using participatory theory of change in the ASSET research for development project

ASSET: Participatory action research on crop-livestock integration in Vietnam

CSAM: Low cost and low-tech mechanization to decrease drudgery

Financing agroecology transtions

Dei Meas: Sustainability finance instrument in Cambodia

LICA

Anchored in regional cooperation and involving representatives from ASEAN Member States, the Lao Facilitated Initiative on Agroecology (LICA) aims to foster knowledge exchange and strengthen policy coherence to accelerate agroecological transitions across ASEAN countries.

A project funded by

Implementing the leverage points
Case studies and links