Table 1.

Exercises on mosquito biology, ecology and management which were added to the agricultural topics of the Farmer Field School curriculum.

Exercise	Methods	Purpose
1 Agro-ecosystem analysis	Comprehensive sampling of the crop ecosystem (using soup spoons, visual counts, plant measurements, etc.) and visual presentation and analysis	To monitor the agro-ecosystem and make context-specific decisions on necessary action related to crop production and human health
2 Mosquito breeding habitat	Dipper sampling in, and characterization of, various aquatic habitats of mosquito genera	To study where different mosquito genera breed
3 Adult mosquito sampling	Collecting adult mosquitoes at different times and habitats and identify major genera, i.a. using home-made aspirators	To monitor potential disease vectors and their activity
4 Mosquito lifecycle	Rearing of young larvae in water jar covered with mesh	To understand the relation between maggot, pupae and adult, and the development time
5 Mosquito identification	Observing larval behaviour and adult characteristics	To distinguish Anopheles, Aedes and Culex in the larval and adult stage
6 Predation	Exposing larvae or pupae to a range of arthropods inside jars	To understand the role of predators in controlling mosquito developmental stages
7 Analogy on disease cycle	Role play on the cycle of the parasite through human and mosquito hosts	To understand the role of the vector and the human reservoir
8 Agricultural methods to suppress mosquito breeding	Alternate wet-dry irrigation of study field plots; land levelling at planting	To study how farmer practices influence mosquito breeding and crop development
9 Source reduction	Farmer action to drain or fill water bodies, including in the peri-domestic environment	To practice measures to contain vector breeding
10 Mapping	Drawing map of village environment with water bodies, crops, houses, etc.	To facilitate planning for coordinated action on environmental management