Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

By F2F Volunteer Kris Fricke  This was my first visit to Central America after having done many projects in Africa. As I stepped out of the plane into the warm humid air filled with the vibrant smell of foliage I was struck by how much it reminded me of Africa, though of course it's also quite different and I was comparing and contrasting in my mind throughout the trip. The plumes of smoke from volcanos visible right from the airport and throughout the capitol were really a marvel to me! My project was with Fabretto in the town of Somoto in the mountains in the north and in the tiny town of San Jose de Cusmapa near there. The area was beautiful and scenic with little villages of classic tiled adobe houses nestled among the mountains.  Somoto was a small town of cobbled streets that were very pleasant to stroll about upon, with seemingly most of the town's population sitting on their doorsteps in the evening. Fabretto is working with youth in many surrounding c...

By Andrés F. Varona, Farmer-to-Farmer Program Officer    In September 2017, Johnson Ndi traveled to Nicaragua, to support our Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) host, Fabretto Foundation, with multiple seminars on business development and sales. As part of this F2F assignment, Mr. Ndi visited and led trainings at several of Fabretto’ youth centers in Managua as well as in northern town of San Jose de Cusmapa. At these centers, he delivered a series of youth-focused workshops meant to train Fabretto staff, tutors, and students on various aspects of merchandising and e-marking for small agricultural enterprises. He also led some hands on trainings on effective sales techniques and strategies, negotiation skills, and the use of digital tools to increase the market presence and customer base. The key goal of this assignment was to strengthen ability of participants to launch successful sales operations tailored to agricultural crops and value-added products in the Nicaraguan market...

By F2F Volunteer Robert Crook In September 2017, I traveled to the Dominican Republic to work on a USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Climate Change Adaptation program. For this F2F assignment, I was asked to work with Mission ILAC, a faith-based organization located in Santiago de Los Caballeros, the DR’s second largest city. For over 60 years, Mission ILAC has a long and well-respected history of implementing medical programs that provide vital medical care and surgeries for underserved rural populations. In the last decade, the organization has been actively working on improving the economic livelihoods of local farmers around Santiago. Much of this technical assistance is focused on ways to empower agricultural producers and prevent rural populations from migrating to the crowded urban areas of the country. During my time in Santiago, I was fortunate enough to work alongside Mission ILAC staff in order to develop a more strategic and climate-smart vision for their agricultural e...

By: Dr. Aliyar Fouladkhah, F2F/USAID Volunteer, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Tennessee State University The two hour drive from Santo Domingo to Santiago gave a snapshot of the vibrant agricultural industries in the Dominican Republic. The road to Santiago is lined by farming fields with many road-side vendors selling fruits and vegetables. In addition to being the second largest city in DR and the fourth largest city in the Caribbean, Santiago is also home to several distinguished universities, including ISA University (Universidad ISA)—the host institution for this Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) assignment. Upon arrival at ISA University, I had to opportunity to meet with department head of the food science program. The program currently is home to 8 lecturers/research advisers and approximately 275 students, around 10% of the population of the ISA University students. The timing of this F2F assignment was commendable since it was scheduled during the last two weeks...

By F2F Volunteer Bettina Barillas Before arriving, I didn’t know what to expect—I had received a lengthy preparation packet and briefly spoken to the Field Officer, but these documents could not have prepared me for the warmth with which I was received. After 24 hours of travel, I arrived absolutely exhausted, but nervous and excited for my two weeks in country. I was filled with anxiety about whether my Spanish was good enough, whether I would be of service, and how my relationship would be with my host organization. I quickly learned, however, that all of my worrying was pointless—I had arrived to an organization that not only cared greatly about my experience, but also was excited to have me and share their own country with me. The team at my host organization not only briefed me on their project, but they shared their own personal stories and motivations that drove them to work towards a better Nicaragua. They shared their traditions. They shared their food. They shared the...