August 2010


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JOURNAL ARTICLE OF THE YEAR AWARD

Dr David Dolly, Lecturer in Agricultural Extension in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension and Deputy Dean Student Matters, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, has been awarded the Journal article of the year award (2009) on behalf of the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education (JIAEE). The JIAEE is the official refereed publication of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education.

The association has worldwide membership and seeks to serve as a catalyst in bringing the collective expertise of agricultural and Extension educators to bear on the problems of human resource and agricultural development.

Dr Dolly’s article is entitled, “An assessment of the Implementation and Outcomes of Farmer Field Schools to improve vegetable production in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Farmer Field Schools seek to build intelligence capacity among food producers in developing countries with regard to adopting technologies for sustained ecological environments and healthy pesticide-free food. The Food and Agricultural Organization and other international bodies have piloted this methodology worldwide.

Since its introduction, Trinidad and Tobago conducted forty field schools. The UWI participated in ‘Training of trainers’ exercises to spread the FFS concept throughout the Caribbean. The Ministry of Agriculture Land and Marine Resources (now Food Production Lands and Marine Affairs) supported these field schools while staff at the Extension Training and Information Services Division facilitated Dr Dolly’s involvement with the activities.

Other Caribbean countries have conducted few schools. Studying the methodology in Trinidad and Tobago is an important imperative if the region is to ascertain its suitability as an Extension methodology.

Dr Dolly’s article highlights the initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago and compares this implementation with a major review of the school’s implementation throughout Africa.