Volunteers Reach Farmers through Training Videos

In addition to hands-on workshops, training videos are an effective means by which to introduce farmers to specific skills and to spread the word about projects. In Guyana, there has been increasing demand for video production specialists to create short videos that can be disseminated across the country.

One example is a video on the Carambola Fruit Fly produced in collaboration with IICA-Guyana, by Farmer to Farmer volunteers Clay Mason and Alex Crowder. In Guyana, the Carambola (also known as star fruit) is an important source of income for many farmers. The spread of the Carambola Fruit Fly is therefore an issue of great concern to farmers and government agencies alike.  In this eight minute video, a representative from the National Plant Protection Organization in Guyana is able to cover topics ranging from how to identify Carambola Fruit Fly larvae to how to create traps for the pest. 

Another video produced by Farmer to Farmer volunteers Cheryl Diermyer and Pat Fellows combines an overview of a highly successful hydroponic shadehouse project in Guyana with a training video. In this video, women who are project beneficiaries offer their testimonials as well as their expertise on such topics as hydroponic bed preparation and how to mix and apply fertilizers. This video therefore serves to inspire potential shadehouse producers and to teach them technical skills. 

Stay tuned for future videos! These videos are just two examples of how volunteers and local partners continue building the capacity of farmers long after the completion of their assignments. Capturing knowledge on video ensures that lessons reach even more people than would have been able to attend in-person trainings.