A group of farmers energizing themselves by singing

Energizer is a training procedure, such as an opener, icebreaker or the like, designed to start things off and set the proper climate for a learning activity. Energizers comprises of various stimulating exercises to invigorate the farmers from their usual activities. The goal of an energizer is to activate a group of people, whether participants at the F-ToF course or farmers in the FFS group. The energizers can be singing, dancing and other games as shown in the pictures above. In the case of FFS groups, farmers may also decide to make a group song which they sing during meetings, and energizers may also be educative. During these fresh up activities the participants are usually divided into smaller groups.

As experienced by some groups of participants when using energizers during their FFS sessions with the farmer’s groups, energizers used to be adapted to the setting: i.e. in some groups they work well and create a good and more relaxed atmosphere among the farmers, while when dealing with a very shy group of farmers or working within a highly religious community, certain types of energizers may be inappropriate or too overwhelming.