Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

When working in countries with limited resources, creative and local solutions are key. In January 2015, Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Wayne Burleson traveled to Nicaragua for a two week assignment to train local farmers in intensive rotational grazing and the installation of electric fences for herd management. During his assignment, Wayne identified two notable challenges for cattle farmers. First, electrical fencing supplies and other materials are difficult and uncommon to find locally. Second, the security of fencing equipment is an important concern for local farmers, as fencing equipment is very valuable and could be stolen. To address these challenges, Wayne worked with farmers to identify local, inexpensive materials they could use for their fences that would be less likely to be stolen and more readily accessible. He then trained farmers on the installation and maintenance of these practical electric fencing systems.  Wayne offers the advice, "W hen you find yourself i...

Partners' Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer, Paul Przybylowicz, and field officer Andrea Fión make national tv in Guatemala during Dr. Przybylowicz's assignment with a small specialty mushroom agribusiness, ONGOS, S.A. Dr. Przybylowicz arrived to Guatemala on February 15, 2015 to train producers at ONGOS, S.A. in the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms on logs, a process that is much cheaper than their current cultivation processes on sawdust. Dr. Przybylowicz holds a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and is a professor and Academic Dean of Curriculum of Environmental Studies at Evergreen State College. He also is the author of the Shiitake Growers Handbook: The Art and Science of Mushroom Cultivation. It is an honor to have him participate in our program. Watch the video on his work and the Farmer-to-Farmer program in Guatemala here:

Update from the Field by the Orners Today the Orner Family, with Farmer-to-Farmer Coordinator Jose Cano's assistance, visited the farming community of Los Angeles, Guatemala. Here we shared our appreciation for their beautiful culture, farming techniques and family unity. After a brief introduction of why we farm, we asked the farmers if they harvest and eat wild mushrooms. They responded enthusiastically saying the best time to harvest champignon is November and December during the Guatemalan rainy season. When presented with the idea of cultivating mushrooms on their own farms, they showed much interest. Rusty drew the life cycle of the oyster mushroom and invited the group to feel and smell the mushroom spawn. By looking, many mistook the bag as synthetic fertilizer, urea, since the grains of sorghum displayed a milky white substance due to the rapid growth of oyster mycelium. After a deep whiff, all participants were in agreement on the sweet, rich fungal aroma. H...

Update from the Field by the Orners This week the Orner Family (Rusty, Claire, Walker and Ashton) dove full force into sharing their sustainable farming passion with new friends from Guatemala.  The first audience included Agros school students. By creating hands-on activities for forty-eight students total (21 ninth and 27 eighth/seventh graders on two different days), soil health became the core of the excitement. The Orner Family handed out placards for each student who acted out their scientific roles.  These theatrical roles included the following:  plant, sun, soil, water, sugar, extra sugar, beneficial bacteria and fungi, non-beneficial bacteria/fungi, potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, trace minerals, compost, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizer.  The interactive activity engaged students to be and to see how their role was influenced by conventional and sustainable farming methods.  For example, in a sustainable farming scenario, the extra suga...

There are approximately five to six million cocoa farmers worldwide and more than 20 million people whose livelihood directly depends on cocoa. Unlike industrialized crops, 80-90% of cocoa comes from small, family-run farms with under 5 hectares of land. According to the World Cocoa Foundation , people around the world enjoy cocoa products in many ways, consuming more than 3 million tons of cocoa beans annually.   The process of producing cocoa by-products is a complex one. It involves several stages that entail growing, harvesting, fermenting, grinding, pressing, chocolate making, and marketing. Although cocoa sales have increased significantly over recent years, the value chain still faces a number of challenges in growing and selling cocoa. First, low productivity is a direct result of low adoption rates of modern farming techniques or farm management skills. Poor access to financial resources for purchasing input supplies and high-quality planting materials, as ...

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Steep deforested hillsides demonstrate the need for soil protection According to the UN General Assembly, 2015 has been declared the International Year of the Soils ( IYS ). The purpose of IYS is to raise awareness on the importance of soil for food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development, and overall human life. The Dominican Republic, like many tropical islands, suffers from years of deforestation and improper land use that results in damage to the environment, excess pollution in streams and rivers, and extended dry periods that make land unsuitable for agricultural production. In the Jarabacoa region, home to the Yaque del Norte watershed, much of the deforestation occurs on slopes in excess of 30-70%, which exacerbates the problem of soil erosion. However, farmers depend on this land to provide food for their families and many of the farmers rely on yearly harvests as their sole source of income. In December 2014, Partners...

Partners Farmer-to-Farmer Program staff from around the region met last week in Guatemala to receive training, share experiences, and meet with some local hosts. The week was a great time for old friends to get together and also to make new acquaintances. The training focused on skills to help us improve program implementation and monitoring and evaluation but some of the best learning was during coffee breaks and informal gatherings - sharing experiences across countries and with staff with all levels and years of experience. Below are some photos of the event. Enjoy!