Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Take a moment to watch this short video about the global Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program! Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), F2F promotes sustainable economic growth, food security, and agricultural development worldwide. Partners of the Americas currently implements F2F in Latin America and the Caribbean, working primarily in Nicaragua, Haiti, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. Through the program, U.S. agricultural volunteers share their knowledge on an individual basis to help increase farm production and farmer incomes while preserving the natural resource base. U.S. volunteers participating in F2F spend two to four weeks on assignment working directly with local counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean to address previously identified local needs. Technical assistance is focused on agricultural commodity chains, from field to market, addressing bottlenecks wherever they are identified. This video provides a great over...

In general, there are only two seasons in Nicaragua: the “dry season” and the “wet season.” The wet season is characterized by strong downpours that allow plants and flowers to thrive and cattle to have enough pasture to graze. However, water becomes very scarce during the dry season. This is a particular problem in Jicaro, Nicaragua where community members rely on homemade cheese as their primary source of animal protein. During the dry season when forage is scarce, their cattle suffer from low dairy production. The dry season negatively affects milk production in Nicaragua. In March, returned F2F volunteer Arlen Albrecht, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX), traveled to Nicaragua to provide technical assistance on improved dairy production and dairy cattle management during the dry season. During this time, dairy cows are typically fed corn stalks, dried corn husks, and dried sorghum. Arlen stressed the importance of supplementing these diets with o...

Benito Jasmin, F2F Haiti coordinator, examining coffee seedlings  First-time F2F volunteer Katyana Andre and long-time volunteer Myriam Kaplan-Pasternak are currently in Haiti assessing coffee production and marketing in target regions. They're focused specifically on individual cooperatives in the North. While coffee from Haiti has long been exported, the quality of coffee in certain regions has not been up to international standards. Haitian coffee is facing considerable agricultural challenges with pests (including CBB and rust), the infrastructure for processing coffee is often in disrepair, and cupping evaluation scores are frequently low. Additionally, many Haitian cooperatives and producers have a poor understanding of quality standards for export. By interacting with these individual groups and visiting their operations, these F2F volunteers can gain a better understanding of the steps necessary for improving coffee quality and develop cost-analyses of coffee product...

The Dominican Republic (DR) is one of the top ten most affected countries in the world by extreme weather and natural disasters. In recent years, global climate change (GCC) has led to more frequent and severe droughts, floods, and storms throughout the country. The map, courtesy of the USAID Dominican Republic Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Report conducted in September 2013, shows the areas most susceptible to flooding and storm surges; and also highlights the key watersheds.  The DR’s agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable to GCC. In 1998, Hurricane George destroyed approximately one third of the country’s crops, totaling losses of approximately $278 million. In 2007, Tropical Storm Noel destroyed a significant proportion of the country’s plantain and vegetable crops. These extreme natural disasters reduce crop yields and compromise the nation’s food security. Peggy Carlson and Courtney Dunham in the F2F Country Office in the Dominican Repu...