Farmer-to-Farmer at the 2014 Peace Corps Connect - Nashville Conference

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This past weekend, Courtney Dunham, Senior Program Officer for Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-to-Farmer Program attended the “2014 Peace Corps Connect – Nashville” National Conference to promote Partners’ work in agriculture, food security, and youth development and to find potential Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) interested in becoming Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteers. Courtney also got a chance to meet with Gary Linn, the Chairman of the Partners Nashville Chapter, who is an RPCV from the Dominican Republic.

Courtney observed:

“As a former RPCV from Honduras, I know that RPCVs can make great Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers. RPCVs often have the language skills, cross-cultural awareness, and flexibility that allow them to quickly dive into their assignments. They are used to working in challenging situations and can adapt accordingly. This is especially important for F2F’s short-term 2-4 week assignments. RPCVs also embody the people-to-people mission of Partners of the Americas, which is to ‘connect people and organizations across borders to serve and to change lives through lasting partnerships’.

Farmer-to-Farmer assignments provide a great way for RPCVs to reconnect with their countries of service or to continue volunteering in other countries. From 2008-2013, Partners of the Americas fielded over 590 volunteers to over 10 countries in Latin America. We hope to do the same over the coming years!”

Courtney with Gary Linn, the Chairman of the Partners Nashville Chapter
To read more about the experience of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with the F2F Program, click the "Peace Corps" label to the right. To find out how you can participate in F2F, visit our website for more information!

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