Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Jerry Nolte & Tony Jilek are veteran F2F volunteers who have worked in Nicaragua for the past few decades, building upon the work and relationships they have developed in the country.  Both are retired University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) Agriculture professors. Jilek taught at UWRF in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science (CAFES) for 26 years and Nolte taught for 30. In addition to their continuous support to the Farmer to Farmer program, both Jilek and Nolte are active members of the Partners of the Americas' Wisconsin/ Nicaragua Chapter. Yesterday, December 18th,  the River Falls Journal in Wisconsin wrote an article about their Farmer to Farmer trips and work with Nicaragua/Wisconsin Chapter.  Please check it out: http://www.riverfallsjournal.com/event/article/id/103746/ Nolte & Jilek in the field during their 2011 FTF trip

US and Haitian farmers creating a garden with donated seeds This week in Haiti, Farmer to Farmer volunteers and field staff are busy working together with a group of women in Lory to plant gardens, improve their seedling nursery, and advance their chicken production and processing. Lory is a small town in the North of Haiti, about 10 km from Cap Haitian. The women in this community have made the most of the training they have received - beginning with small gardening and later moving on to rabbit production and now chicken production. They have expressed the desire to beautify their town and even explore future options for agri-tourism. Traditionally, Lory is known for the pottery that they hand-craft with the clay from their area. The group in Lory recently received a follow-up visit by Master Gardener Tom Syverud from Wisconsin, focusing on organic production. Continuing with the momentum of this visit, currently in country are three farmers from Vermont - John Hayden, David...

Meghan, Kelvin and Chrissy on their way to visit hydroponic producers in Essequibo. From October 7 - 15, 2012, the F2F field team in Guyana was privileged to be able to host our colleagues from F2F Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, DC. The visitors were Mrs. Meghan Olivier, Deputy Director of the F2F Program and Ms. Chrissy McCurdy, our Program Officer. For a long time, Chrissy had been affiliated with F2F activities in Guyana via e-mails, photographs and second-hand information from her teammates and volunteers, but this was going to be her first visit to the “Land of Many Waters”. Guyana Field Staff wanted to ensure that the visit was both meaningful in terms of HQ staff exposure to as wide a range of activities as possible and, at the same time, experiential in terms of exposure to various local cuisine and sight-seeing. Meghan presenting a hydroponic production sign to producer, Verna D'Aguiar. Because the F2F program has had activities in 6 of Guyana’s 10 admin...

Distributing seeds. In October, Farmer to Farmer veteran Ira Richards returned from Nicaragua after having successfully carried out a promotional campaign for the use of Mucuna pruriens , better known as the velvet bean. The plant, infamous for its itchiness, is widely used across the world as a forage, fallow and green manure crop, as it fixes nitrogen and fertilizes soil. Mr. Richards followed up with farmers producing the velvet bean as a nutrient supplement for their cattle and soils, providing technical assistance to further optimize the use of the beans in hopes that increased production and usage will result in better cattle nutrition, increased milk production, and more sustainable agriculture in general. Velvet bean vines climbing a tree Working with the dairy cooperative San Felipe de Boaco, Mr. Richards distributed 20 pounds of velvet bean seed for demonstration trials and seed multiplication for each of the 26 farmers who participated in a planned field day at the...

Volunteeer Alan Robinson exploring Cimarrones' biodiversity. Alan Robinson, retired Community-Based Tourism Consultant hailing from Buena Vista, CO, will be wrapping up his 3-week trip to Ecuador in just a few days. Mr. Robinson has been in the Baeza region of Ecuador (2.5 hours SE of Quito) since November 14th, where he and host Noé Pinto of La Corporación Ecológica Cimarrones (Cimarrones Ecological Corporation) have been exploring sustainable and environmentally-friendly ecotourism opportunities for Baeza’s Cimarrones sector. Key objectives of Mr. Robinson’s visit include: completing an evaluation of the potential value of Cimarrones’ natural resources and biodiversity; providing recommendations on how to utilize these resources to initiate an ecotourism project; and connecting with other ecotourism companies in the region to discuss collaboration. Last week, Mr. Robinson provided the following update from the field, describing the activities that he and Noé have carried ...

"Guyana is a weird country, you know. But I'm sure you've figured that out by now.." mused the newest guest at the bed and breakfast. In fact, we had. Jack and I met up in Miami, him having come from a hectic five weeks campaigning for the elections and I from 5 months teaching in Patagonia, Chile. It was an appropriate meet-up. As two young travelers, naturally we would be sharing a bacon pizza in Miami before heading out to teach video production in Guyana. We were excited, for the project as well as visiting a country neither one of us had considered visiting prior. Nearly two weeks later, we are both in agreement that this country is unlike any other. From the parade of rescued dogs that meet us every time we unlock both security gates to get to our house, to a different style of chicken and rice being served at every corner, we have ceased to be surprised. Men with dreadlocks drive horse-drawn carts, competing with traffic and taxis. Lotus flowers are ...

The libraries in the Dominican Republic face serious challenges when it comes to book stacks and storage. Library materials require stable environmental conditions. Spikes in humidity and heat are unkind to books. The library at the Universidad ISA faces such challenges. The library windows are open with no glass panes or screens. There are some wooden blinds that are often closed to keep out the sun. While this helps keep the students and library staff comfortable, the books in the stacks suffer from the heat and humidity. Since the library is not air conditioned some ceiling fans keep the air moving. Because the windows are open, pests such as termites, polillas, and moths have direct access to the stacks. They enjoy a diet of glue from the bindings and paper from the textblock. Mold and mildew thrive in tropical climates and the books in the Biblioteca ISA are not immune to this. We found evidence of mold and mildew in many books in the stacks. Other effects of high humidity ar...

This photo, received from F2F Volunteer and Carbon Roots International co-founder Ryan Delaney, shows the power of biochar for soil fertility in Haiti In August, Carbon Roots International co-director and founder Ryan Delaney traveled to the North of Haiti to team up with Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer Program and conduct trials and trainings on biochar. Biochar is agricultural waste which is transformed into a potent soil amendment; it sequesters carbon and can be made into charcoal to be used for cooking fuel. To read more about biochar visit CRI's website . While in Haiti this month, Ryan and Farmer to Farmer staff checked on the trials and trainees they had previously visited and were impressed with the results. Perhaps most astounding was the change that occurred at Matelot Placid's farm in Acul du Nord, pictured above. While in Acul du Nord in August, Ryan had trained 30 men and women in making biochar and left instructions ...

From October 5th - 28th, Maryland resident Maixent "Izzy" Ralaingita provided training in Natural Disaster Risk Mitigation to residents of 3 communities in El Salvador. Mr. Ralaingita, an Emergency and Disaster Management professional, was requested by Salvadorean non-profit PROBUSQUEDA to work with these 3 communities to build their capacity to live safely with natural hazards and deal effectively with natural disasters. Community members listen attentively as Mr. Ralaingita reviews disaster mitigation concepts.  PROBUSQUEDA , which advocates for victims of El Salvador's civil war and provides food security programs for victims and their families, recognized the need for community Natural Disaster Mitigation training when heavy rains in the Fall of 2011 flooded homes and destroyed crops. Community members found themselves inadequately prepared for such an event and unable to effectively and efficiently respond. Thinking about the future and strongly considering...

The following blog post comes from Robert Spencer, Alabama Cooperative Extension personnel and repeat Farmer to Farmer volunteer, who writes about his past week in Haiti: Robert and producer in La Coline inspect teeth to determine age of buck The first five years of my visits to Haiti have primarily focused on meat quality and food safety as it relates to rabbit production and processing; much of is based on HACCP guidelines. During the past year (year 6) I have added production quality, or as I call it “Animal Welfare”, to my subject matter. This topic was the result of my realization that producers lacked a basic understanding of production essentials in regards to caring for their animals. Based on my observations, I decided to focus on specific areas including nutrition (vegetation, feed, and water), care of newborn, shade and protection from harsh environmental conditions, sanitation, and more. I felt this area was more important knowing that without quality production, ...

This year, the Nicaraguan Dairy Chamber (CANISLAC) joined the first Pan-American milk consumption campaign, promoted by the Pan-American Dairy Federation (FEPALE). As part of this initiative, CANISLAC developed a campaign that aims to raise awareness and engage various stakeholders in promoting dairy consumption as highly beneficial to human health. A campaign flyer with nutrition facts The ca mpaign is centered around talks given during school visits. These talks focus on the importance and nutritional benefits of consuming dairy products and their derivatives. In addition to visiting schools, the campaign utilizes the media — including three TV channels, the backs of buses, billboards and commercials — in an attempt to reach most of Nicaragua's population. Farmer to Farmer volunteers with Nicaraguan counterparts This year, Farmer to Farmer volunteers Danitza Tomianovic and Batya Silva participated in the movement.  During their assignments, which focused on ...

Our first day was spent working with Mario Torres, the Technical Services Technician a the library at the Universidad ISA. Mario gave us a tour and explained the library processes and services. The library offers photocopying services on the first level and a small computer/multimedia lab just across the way. Many students use the breezeway between the two areas as a study space. Upstairs is a reading room and the library collection. The students can use one computer in the reading area to access the library catalog and databases as well as in the computer lab. The library catalog is not available through the internet. There is a small alcove with journals and then a closed stack area. A library staff member must retrieve the material for the library user as the material is not readily available to the library user. All of the technical services work is done in Mario's office. Currently, the focus is on scanning the older theses. The plan is to make them available to the students...

Bright and early on Monday morning, our field officer, Don Rafael picked us up at the hotel. Our first stop was the Universidad Nacional Henriquez Umana. The Farmer to Farmer office is located in the university. We met a volunteer, Brit, who is taking photographs around the DR for F to F. We also met Felix who was starting his first day as a field officer. Rafael took us to the library on campus where we had a short tour of the library. It had AC, several computers available for searching the internet, a reference area, special collections, a Dominican collection, and several reading rooms. It was a nice impromptu introduction to academic libraries in the DR. We continued on to Santiago and our assignment at the library at the Universidad ISA. Along the way we stopped for a morning coffee and some quipe. Quipe is similar to falafel but made from wheat. It was delicious. After a two hour ride we arrived at our hotel in Santiago. The area where the hotel is located is primarily commerc...

This post below comes from our Farmer to Farmer Team in Guyana: Volunteer Samuel Schaefer-Joel with formulations of organic pesticides On September 16, 2012 Mr. Sam Schaefer-Joel, a Product Review Coordinator of the Organic Materials Review Institute based in Oregon, USA, travelled to Guyana to help the Guyana F2F Field Team come up with appropriate recipes of home-made natural pesticides made primarily from locally available raw materials, such as neem and hot pepper. He also provided advice on how to use and how to store the natural pesticides. Samuel, who is also a Master Gardener and Master Composter / Recycler and who had farmed for several years in Mexico and California, was most suited for this hands-on type of assignment. While in Guyana he visited several shadehouses and met with shadehouse operators in order to understand the production system as well as the types of pests that are common to that system. Samuel’s main focus was to modify an existing natural pesti...

Update from the field from F2F volunteers Valerie Malzacher and Felice Maciejewski... Valerie and I arrived in Santo Domingo. Our trip went well. We met up in Miami, our flight was on time and our luggage arrived. Rafael and his lovely wife, Sofia, picked us up at the airport. We saw many interesting things along the way. Hurrican Sandy has stirred up the Caribbean. The water which is usually a beautiful blue, now looks like the Big Muddy. Waves crashed along the Malecon. Lots of palm trees and other vegetation such as bougainvilia. It is Sunday, so there are lots of folks out spending time with their families near el caribe. We both have been up since early, early this morning. Off to find some dinner and then to bed early. Tomorrow, bright and early, we head for our assignment, Universidad ISA in Santiago. About a 2.5 hour drive. Nos vemos!

It all happened because of a very colorful woven market bag.  About a year ago, my colleague, Valerie Malzacher, library director at the Chalmer Davee Library at UW-River Falls, came to a meeting with this very cool bag.  I had to ask where she got it as I suspected it was from Latin America. I am attracted to all things colorful and Latin American! She told me she got it in Nicaragua. Since I had lived in Costa Rica for almost six years I was very interested in hearing about her experience in Costa Rica's neighbor to the north.   She told me about her experience with Farmer to Farmer and her assignment to a Nicaraguan agricultural library. Intrigued, I told her that I would love to do something like that, especially since I speak Spanish and I am a librarian. Fast forward to today. I have the honor to have been selected to participate in the Farmer to Farmer program in the Dominican Republic. As library director at the Rebecca Crown Library at Dominican Univers...

photo credit: Justin Hackworth You may have heard that honey can soothe a sore throat or that it is a good alternative for sugar, but have you heard about the other multifaceted health benefits of raw honey? Many types of honey you will find in the typical grocery store is processed (heated and pressure-filtered) to ensure a longer shelf-life without crystallizing. But raw, unprocessed honey sold by beekeepers, farmers markets, or organic food stores contains a multitude of health benefits that you will want to know about. Can raw honey increase the calcium that your body absorbs? Ease insomnia and anemia? Treat ulcers? Fight gum disease? The website of a North Carolina nurse and beekeeper gives a comprehensive list of these and other wonders of honey for health, nutrition, and even beauty, and explains the properties of honey which enable such health benefits. Publications which report on benefits which have only been medically-proven by research studies take a more conservativ...

In July, Farmer to Farmer volunteer Chase McNulty journeyed to Ecuador to use his animal health expertise to assist local farmers with a host of issues. Mr. McNulty, making his second trip with the program,  focused on improving animal husbandry, milk production and sanitation. He also addressed a critical concern of local dairy farmers —the prevalence of mastitis and brucellosis among cattle. Mastitis is a disease of the mammary glands, while brucellosis decreases the reproductive abilities of infected cows and can also be transmitted to humans, causing further complications. Mr. McNulty inspecting a cow with a fellow veterinarian. Working with two veterinarians in Chaco and the Andean region of Ambato, Mr. McNulty went on farm calls, gave lectures to groups of small and large scale farmers and even made appearances on radio and television to promote proper dairy practices. Through hands-on instruction, Mr. McNulty trained farmers in brucellosis testing and management. He ...

World Food Day is designed to increase awareness and understanding, and spark year-round action to alleviate hunger. The theme this year is “Agriculture Cooperatives: Key to Feeding the World,” chosen to recognize the role cooperatives, producer organizations and other rural institutions play in food security. Partners of the Americas’ Farmer to Farmer Program contributes to food security and helps fight hunger in many ways in the communities and countries where we work. Volunteers have assisted cooperatives, producer organizations, and rural institutions to improve practices and increase knowledge and technical skills. This results in higher crop yields, better quality agricultural products, and higher profits from product sales, which gives families more purchasing power to buy healthy food. Training in nutrition is also critical and volunteers have helped families learn how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets. Food security exists when all people, at all ...

It's perplexing that Nicaragua, Central America's leading producer of dairy exports and livestock, lags the furthest behind in terms of the region's dairy consumption. In fact, although estimates put annual per capita milk production at 75 liters, eight liters of soda are consumed for every liter of milk consumed in Nicaragua. Across the country, dairy consumption is declining, while sugary drinks and canned goods are being downed in increasingly large numbers. Ms. Brathwaite giving a presentation to a group of students. To combat the health hazards this trend presents, Farmer to Farmer volunteer Kshinte Brathwaite joined forces with the Sí a La Leche  campaign two years ago to  promote the nutritional aspects of dairy products to school children. The initiative partners with the Nicaraguan Chamber of Dairy (CANISLAC) to give presentations at  various schools and learning centers near Managua through hands-on activities.   At the schools and learning centers...

This week, headquarters and local Guyana Farmer to Farmer staff are taking some time to visit project sites to monitor progress and talk to the farmers about the recommendations they've received by past volunteers. In just the first day, we already have seen and discussed a lot! Below are some pictures from just four visits. There are many more to come! Several of these images feature our collaboration with the local shadehouse and hydroponics program implemented by the Guyana Chapter of Partners of the Americas. F2F volunteers have provided a great deal of technical assistance, most recently in cost of production, marketing, making organic pesticides, shadehouse design and irrigation systems, and creating hydroponics training videos.  Shadehouse operator "Valo" describes a hydroponic system new to Guyana which is being developed following the assistance of FTF Volunteer Michael Driver. Once completed, this system could reduce costs of production and incr...

Group of CONAGAN participants Dr. Yoana Newman and Dr. Rocky Lemus are tropical forage production specialists that volunteered with Farmer to Farmer in Nicaragua September 14-26, 2012. Dr. Newman and Dr. Lemus worked with the National Agrarian University (UNA) at their demonstration farm in Camoapa (114 km from Managua).  Camoapa is the largest cattle producing region in Nicaragua as a result the local industry is focused in cattle raising, trading, and dairy. Forage management is an important issue in Nicaragua because f eed intake and availability are major constraints for the local dairy cattle industry especially during the dry season , which lasts from December to May. Silage and hay can be used to provide fodder during this period to maintain a diet high in nutrients for the dairy cattle. Dr. Newman and Dr. Lemus worked with both students, university staff and local producers to make silage from locally available res...

Howard Fenton, Accountant with University of Wisconsin - Cooperative Extension, will be wrapping up his 2-week flexible volunteer assignment in Honduras this weekend. Since arriving in Tegucigalpa on September 15th, Howard has been working with Sustainable Harvest Honduras (FUCOHSO) to provide training in basic accounting and record-keeping to approximately 100 of FUCOHSO's participating families. FUCOHSO's goal is to help families from Honduras' rural farming communities overcome poverty while at the same time conserving the region's natural resources. A number of families who have been part of the program for a while are now shifting from subsistence farming to income generating activities. As they begin to form cooperatives and make a move toward comercialization, it is necessary for them to develop basic business skills for managing their enterprises. This is a need that Howard has been addressing through his trainings in basic accounting and record-keeping. ...

Farmer to Farmer volunteer Aaron Chevalley is completing the last leg of a Green Building Concepts & LEED Design assignment in the Dominican Republic. For the past week and a half, Mr. Chevalley has delivered presentations and taught a course at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña's School of Architecture in Santo Domingo on LEED standards. These guidelines provide a framework for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, structures that are resource-efficient and environmentally sound. Mr. Chevalley presenting to students In order to promote measurable community improvement, the class focuses on hurricane and earthquake resistant design, sustainability, and even goes beyond the scope of architecture by touching on community connectivity and cultural sensitivity. The course is no easy A, as it is centered around discussions, which lead into student participation and handouts. Daily assignments are given, including a midterm exam, ...