Of particular concern was the destruction of the natural balance in rice fields leading to epidemic outbreaks. Nowhere was this more clearly demonstrated than for the Brown Plant hopper in rice. In Indonesia, the destruction of thousands of hectares of paddy rice as a result of pesticide-induced outbreaks of the Brown Plant Hopper contributed to food shortages. The FFS is a learning process for groups of farmers during which they discover the ecological relationship between pests, natural enemies and other factors affecting the heath of their crop, thus enabling them to make more efficient and healthier crop management decisions. The rice field is used as the 'FFS book' providing all the information that is needed for the learning process.
Participants learn together in small groups of five to maximise participation.
Preparation meetings precede a FFS to determine local needs, and concluding meetings to organise 'follow-up' activities Farmers trained in Community IPM grow healthier crops and minimise constraints, such as those imposed by pests, through a better understanding of how their management decisions affect the ecology of their fields. Now in its forth phase, Community IPM involves farmers organising and implementing their own IPM activities. These farmers become the instigators of local agricultural development rather than the recipients. Community IPM is based on group action, which uses agro-ecological concepts to analyse problems, carry out experiments, conduct training for other farmers, protect the health of the community and mobilise support from government agencies and the public. Community IPM emerged from training programs that used the FFS approach.