In the first year of our formal training programme we set out to reach 200 farmers with a mix of classroom sessions and on-farm demonstrations. We ended up reaching 300. The lessons from that scale-up are worth sharing.
First, farmers came for the skills but stayed for the community. The single most requested feature after year one was more peer sessions where farmers could compare records, prices and mistakes. Curriculum is important; peer accountability is what actually changes behaviour.
Second, short and repeated beats long and one-off. Half-day sessions every two weeks produced better outcomes than a single week-long workshop. Farmers had time to try what they learned and come back with real questions.
Third, records matter more than we expected. Farmers who kept even the simplest input/output register outperformed those who did not, regardless of experience. Our second-year curriculum now leads with record-keeping.
Training is not a one-off intervention. It is a long relationship. Year two of the programme now runs across four districts, with 800 farmers enrolled — and we are already planning year three.
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