The Field Alliance
The Field Alliance (TFA) is an alliance of independent international organizations that all share a mission to provide quality, responsive education for rural communities. The Field Alliance and partners focus on issues of ecological agriculture, poverty reduction, and human rights through educational programs delivered via formal and non-formal educational systems. The Field Alliance supports participatory and action research approaches in order to provide communities in need with responsive and sustainable education that will improve farmer livelihoods, preserve culture, and support the global community by securing the future of agriculture.
The Field Alliance (TFA) grew out of a long-standing involvement with the FAO Community Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program. Field experience demonstrated the vital importance of creating and maintaining relationships and networks among like- minded individuals and organization in order for educational programs to be beneficial and sustainable in the long-term.
Through the establishment of international network, TFA supports farmers in a multifaceted capacity: through training and advocacy on group production issues, economic, community health, and cultural issues and farmer’s right. TFA also facilitates educational interventions with farmers through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), as well as with students in formal and non-formal education systems. From 2007 – 2018, The Field Alliance has carried out the Rural Ecological Agriculture for Livelihood (REAL) program with partners from Cambodia, The Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The REAL partners included non-profit organizations which are independently registered in their own countries and governmental agencies that share many important interests in various aspects of the REAL program. [YouTube video: https://youtu.be/2XPzipzJxP0]. Currently, TFA is implementing a small piloted project on “Linking Agroecology for Safe School Lunch” in Thailand and Vietnam and will end in 2024.