Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

To celebrate Halloween, the FTF Team in Washington dressed up to represent our programs: a bee for our beekeeping project, a rabbit for our small animal project, a tree representing our forestry and tree crops project and a Nicaraguan producer (maybe even our Country Coordinator Ronald Blandon).  :)  Enjoy the holiday and volunteer today (costumes not required).  :)

Recently the Farmer to Farmer Program in Nicaragua welcomed Julie Longland for a pest and disease control assignment specifically focused on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Ms. Longland worked with potato growers and field workers in the main potato production areas of the highlands near Jinotega, Matagalpa and Estelí.  Farmer to Farmer began working with the potato growers in this area in January of this year as part of its horticulture country project. IPM is an important area of technical assistance given that many growers use pesticides as the primary control method to managing pests and diseases.  Growers are often unaware of the safety hazards to themselves and the environment. Often times these growers don’t know the other tools that are available that may be both safer and less expensive to use.  As Ms.Longland expressed, “With all of the recommendations, it was emphasized that any positive change, even if only a small adjustment, would be a real improvement in their man

Today, October 19th , is BONUS DAY on Global Giving! Donations to projects will be matched (at a 33% rate) by Global Giving - increasing the impact that your donation has in rural Haiti. Funds have already helped provide tools and seeds for the village of Lory. Visit the "Vegetable Gardens For Improved Nutrition" project site today:  http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/vegetable-gardens-for-improved-nutrition-in-haiti/

From Robert Spencer, FTF Volunteer:  Here I am on my third volunteer visit this year and each one is great; as I put it “each trip is friends, food, education, and fun”. Field Officers Papy and Anderson are amazing hosts and always make sure we accomplish our mission while enjoying ourselves and serving the clientele. I have been coming to Haiti since 2006 and have become so accustomed to spending time here I consider it my ‘home away from home’. My travels continue to take my colleagues and I to villages further out from Cap Haitien (in the north) including the villages of Gran Pre, Caracol, Limonade, Lory, and Port Margot. And to the southwest part of Haiti which includes the villages of Aquin, Les Cayes, Asile, and Passe bois d’orme. As we make progress with increasing the people’s knowledge base, my presentations are further developed to cover more specific areas such as: animal husbandry, food safety as it applies to organ meat (i.e. liver), zoonotic and biologic concerns, home-

Three Farmer to Farmer Volunteers from the University of Wisconsin-Stout recently appeared in a news article in the Chippewa Valley Post . Click here to learn more about their trips to Nicaragua!