Farmer-to-farmer extension in Kenya: the perspectives of organizations using the approach

Many extension services choose farmers to work with them in implementing their programs. Those farmers selected to lead farmer -to-farmer extension are often called by different names but in this study, we use the term “lead farmer” as a generic term even though different names sometimes imply different roles. Farmer-to-farmer extension programs date back at least to the 1950s and are common throughout the tropics. The objective of this study is to assess the experiences of 30 organizations in Kenya implementing the approach, highlighting select ion of lead farmers, gender issues and motivations to become and remain lead farmers. Sampling was done using the snowball method, in which extension managers using farmer -to-farmer extension were interviewed and respondents directed interviewers to other potential respondents. The sample included 16 international non -profit organizations, 7 governmental services, 6 national non-profit organizations and one farmer organization. Main reasons for adopting the lead farmer approach were because it is user-friendly and easy to implement (33 percent of respondents), it increases an organization ’s ability to cover a large area (30 percent), and its perceived sustainability (27 percent). The most common names for lead farmers were farmer trainers, contact farmers and community facilitators. Lead farmers tended to be slightly younger and slightly better educated than other farmers but of the same wealth level. About 20 percent held other leadership positions in the community. In 27 of the 30 organizations, lead farmers were assigned to work with farmer groups while in the other three cases, they served entire villages or groups of villages. Lead farmers worked with a median of three groups composed of 50 farmers. Most organizations required lead farmers to maintain records (87 percent) and in turn monitored lead farmers’ activities (77 percent).

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