The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a new webinar series designed to integrate Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (SAM) into Farmer Field Schools (FFS), targeting small-scale producers worldwide. This initiative comes at a time when smallholder farmers face increasing productivity challenges, centred around climate-related shocks, limited access to technology and outdated vocational training. As a result, farming remains labour-intensive and increasingly unattractive — especially for women and youth who often lack the finance needed to access modern tools, equipment and technologies. 

Speaking at the launch, Yurdi Yasmi, Director of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division, emphasized the importance of Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization. “SAM not only empowers farmers to use tools a by nd machinery that increase productivity, but also helps reduce drudgery and enhance resource efficiency in a climate-smart and socially inclusive way,” he said. 

The webinar series, set to run until the end of the year, stems from a Global Innovation Accelerator on SAM and FFS launched in June 2024 as a collaboration between FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division and it’s Global FFS Platform in the Office of Innovation. The Global Innovation Accelerator aims to support the integration of SAM into FFS programmes through technical guidance, innovation challenges, plus training and partnerships with the private sector, government and rural organizations. 

As the webinar series unfolds, FAO seeks to inspire the broader integration of SAM through FFS among small-scale producers, thereby driving more efficient, inclusive, and climate-resilient agrifood systems that help farmers produce more with less, ensuring no one is left behind