Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Thanksgiving is traditionally a day to give thanks for the yearly harvest. Because of the hard work and dedication of our Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers and in-country staff and partners, rural farmers throughout Latin America are thankful for being able to take strides towards a higher quality and more productive harvest. The staff at Partners of the Americas would also like to extend its gratitude to its F2F volunteers, funders, and the Partners network for helping to change the lives of others. The Farmer-to-Farmer program is crucial for providing people-to-people exchanges and promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Whether our volunteers work with dairy farmers in Nicaragua, beekeepers in Haiti, mushroom exporters in Guatemala, or climate change NGOs in the DR, they all play a key role in helping us improve the lives and food security of others. Partners' HQ Farmer-to-Farmer Team From left, Courtney Dunham, Peggy Carlson (Director), Adriana Robertson, and

Feed the Future, the US government's global hunger and food security initiative, recently highlighted some of their work around the world focused on young people and universities. Some of the stories featured include highlighting the work of a Cochran Fellow on improving dairy production in East Africa; promoting agribusiness opportunities for youth in Armenia; and sharing the work of Peace Corps volunteers in Ethiopia who are inspiring youth to think creatively about how to address environmental challenges. One important story focused on the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. F2F leverages the expertise of volunteers from U.S. farms, land grant universities, cooperatives, private agribusiness firms and nonprofit farm organizations to respond to the local needs of host country farmers and organizations. The article - U.S. Farmers and Technical Experts Support the Next Generation of Agricultural Leaders - shared how part of this effort includes supporting youth and university stu

In the Dominican Republic, helping communities adapt to the effects of climate change also means building the capacity of the next generation of leaders to promote and implement initiatives to reduce risk. Partners’ Farmer-to-Farmer program not only assists producers in the Yaque del Norte region, but also collaborates with local universities and environmental schools to achieve this goal. In October, F2F volunteer, Usha Palaniswamy, the current Associate Dean and a professor of math and science at Strayer Univesity in Fl orida, traveled to the DR to work with the Jarabacoa National School of the Environment and Natural Resources (Jarabacoa Environmental School). The objective of her assignment was to incorporate a greater focus on climate change into the current curricula, as well as introduce strategies for adaptation and mitigation. Usha meets with school faculty to discuss  incorporating climate change into the current curriculum The Jarabacoa Environmental School is loc

F2F volunteer, Doussou Traore,  with a CONAGAN representative Although Nicaragua has the greatest potential for livestock production in Latin America, the creation of value-added products is one of the lowest. This lack of added value reduces domestic and international competitiveness of the dairy and beef sector and limits the generation of employment and foreign currency. Furthermore, reduced incentives to implement sustainable, environmentally-conscious production methods have limited the ability of the livestock industry to penetrate more competitive niche markets with higher purchasing power.  Traore meets with  CANICARNE and CONAGAN representatives To support the Nicaraguan livestock industry in increasing their competitiveness and access to niche markets, Partners' F2F program is providing technical assistance to dairy and beef farmers in marketing and good agricultural practices. This month, F2F volunteer Ms. Doussou Traore traveled to Nicaragua to work with the

Partners' Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) field staff in Guatemala held a booth at the 6th National Convention on Organic Agriculture on Monday, October 6. F2F volunteer, Wayne Burleson, also attended the Conference to lead train the trainer (TOT) workshops on using local inputs to produce organic fertilizer. Stay tuned for updates from his trip report and see minute 6:29 of the video below for an interview (in Spanish) with our Country Director, José Cano.   

Partners' Farmer-to-Farmer program is currently recruiting volunteers for several coffee-related assignments in Haiti. Please take a look at the list of volunteer opportunities below! GPS & Mapping Specialist (November 2014 – February 2015: 2-3 weeks) The volunteer will assist host organizations and farmers in surveying their coffee production areas and assign GPS coordinates to them. These coordinates will provide a means to assist producers in deciding where to plant new seedlings for maximum harvest. This information will also be used to help farmers separate higher altitude beans from lower altitude ones in order to increase their economic gain. Coffee Soil Analyst (November 2014 – March 2015: 2 weeks) The purpose of this assignment is 1) to help coffee cooperatives and farmers understand the relationships between soil and coffee quality, and the relationship between soil and the sustainability of coffee trees on the plantations and 2) to inform best practices of c

The Dominican Republic has made significant progress in reversing the trend of slash and burn agriculture over the past 30 years. Numerous projects such as mini-greenhouse construction, mini-hydroelectric generator plants, and reforestation of previously farmed land on steep slopes are also allowing individuals and communities to improve their lives and health while reducing the impact on the environment. In the area of agroforestry, the Dominican Republic government is encouraging private landowners to reforest their land by ensuring that they will be able to harvest the trees at a later date. This has led to an increased amount of forested land in the country, and many of these plantations now have trees large enough for commercial harvest operations. However, as these plantations get older, the trees grow closer together and wood growth begins to slow. In order to maintain forest health, optimize growth, and increase carbon storage (to reduce greenhouse gases), trees with slower