Curbing antimicrobial resistance in the poultry value chain through the farmer field school approach in Zimbabwe

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has completed a three-week training for Farmer Field Schools (FFS) Facilitators in Zimbabwe to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the poultry value chain. The training aimed to improve the FFS methodology, facilitation skills, and data collection capacity for biosecurity, antimicrobial use, and economics related to poultry production. The training was held in Bulawayo on 24 February 2024, attended by farmers, senior government officials, extension officers, development partners, and FAO representatives from the subregion. The FFS methodology in the livestock sector is relatively new, having been adopted more in the crop production sector in Zimbabwe. Between 2020 and 2023, FAO piloted the FFS approach in broiler production across four provinces in Zimbabwe. The training was supported by FAO in partnership with the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS).