Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

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...