Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Jamaica’s agriculture sector is increasingly turning its sights on the export of value-added products. Given the new trend, a group of producers sought technical assistance from a F2F volunteer in designing a floor plan and operating procedures for a facility that complies with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards.   The group of producers is Alligator Pond Processors, an organization that is in the very beginning stages of remodeling an existing building for the purposes of manufacturing jams and jellies, fruit preserves, and various coffee-infused products to export globally. Volunteer Jaymee Zabienskie worked closely with Jimmy and Ronna, the operators of the processing facility, on GMP and HACCP standards and gave them various production ideas for jams, jellies, dehydrators, and fruit preserves. She distributed digital materials with facts sheets regarding products they are wishing to produce, as well a...

Dennis McCarthy jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with Partners of the Americas’ Farmer to Farmer office in Jamaica for a Small Ruminant (sheep and goat) assignment in September of 2019. After years of working as an Agricultural Development Officer with USAID, Dennis was ready to put his technical expertise towards more direct, hands-on assistance to small holder farmers at the field level. Dennis volunteered with The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in Jamaica in cooperation with Partners of the Americas, who identified the need for targeted training of their extension agents and farmers in assisting goat & sheep producers in the field. He led group trainings for extension agents, producer farmers, university students, and livestock commercial support representatives (feed companies, farm equipment suppliers, and The Jamaican National Association of Goat Producers) at the Bodles Research Station. He also visited various goat producer operations in St....

The community of La Rosa in the Dominican Republic suffered from electric and water shortages, and a lack of investment in their farmers and community members. Despite their hardships, a group of active, engaged community leaders wanted to create successful community-based cooperative businesses. Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Volunteer Brian Foster came to help the La Rosa community make their plans a reality. He developed and presented a series of business planning workshops in the community to explain agribusiness concepts and the business planning process. The workshops were organized and facilitated by staff from F2F and the Dominican NGO “Servicio Para La Paz” (Service for Peace). Currently, Servicio Para La Paz is undertaking a water supply project in several communities that plans to eventually supply potable water directly to households. Four workshops were conducted based on the organization of community-based businesses in: 1) cacao production and chocolate products;...

When Desmond Mortley heard about the opportunity to train farmers in Jamaica in organic peanut farming, he was ecstatic. He saw growth on the horizon for organic crop production in Jamaica. The professor of organic agriculture at Tuskegee University was sent to Jamaica for two weeks as a Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer in August of 2019, knowing that Jamaica had a very high potential for organic peanut production and that his work with women’s farmer groups there could help them tap into that potential. Over the course of his assignment, Desmond trained 20 farmers at the Middleton Women’s Farmers Group and Ujima National Farmers Market the “dos and don’ts” of organic peanut production and gave them recommendations on how to improve their farming practices to improve yields. As an expert in vegetable crop production and with experience in organic farming, Desmond recommended that the farmers at Middleton and Ujima do a few things to make their peanut harvests better. He saw...

Natural is best unless necessary when it comes to farming, according to Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer Eli Gottfried. Luckily for him, farmers in Las Rosas, the Dominican Republic are dedicated to the principles of soil conservation and a more natural approach to farming. Gottfried trained the farmers of Las Rosas in July 2019 on three areas: soil conservation, crops for each environmental situation, and composting methods. He visited 10 sites and reviewed the soil to see if they were able to produce specific crops. Gottfried also gave three workshops in the community on soil health and conservation. The community of Las Rosas is located between two mountain ranges with sandy clay soil. This environment yields crops such as cacao, banana, coffee, peas, beans, cassava, sweet potatoes, and mangoes. Gottfried appreciated that the farmers he met already had soil conservation techniques implemented and with a lot of natural methods. These practices can help maintain a ...

Guyana possesses immense potential for agricultural and economic expansion within and beyond its coast, according to Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer Dr. Walter J Zimmerman. During Summer 2019, Dr. Zimmerman provided his expertise in soil fertility, soil conservation, and climate-smart agriculture to help Phoenix Enterprises develop more efficient land management practices in the country. Located on a 10-acre farm outside of Georgetown, Guyana, Phoenix Enterprises is a developing micro-enterprise for bottled coconut water. Dr. Zimmerman provided recommendations for the company after performing an observational survey and learning about on-site plans and methodologies. Additionally, he led two workshops, the first with a group of local farmers and the second with agronomists at the National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute (NAREI). Agriculture in Guyana is one of the pre-eminent sectors of the economy, accounting for about 1/3 of the country’s Gross Domestic Pr...

During the low season in Guatemala, growers have often struggled to sell their deciduous fruit, especially peaches. Their short shelf life can cause a disadvantage in the market. Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Rahman volunteered with Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Guatemala to help solve this problem. He worked with the organization, La Asociación Nacional de Productores de Frutales Deciduos (ANAPDE) to extend the marketing season for their peaches by cold storage and a modified atmosphere. ANAPDE farmers and technicians wanted to learn techniques involved in handling these products and also understand the physiological features of the fruit as it matures and before it is served as food to best ensure that it is picked, processed, and stored to best preserve its quality. To do so, Dr. Abdel-Rahman provided training on the post-harvest of horticultural crops and peach maturity and ripening. He taught farmers, technical personnel responsible for collection and storage centers, and e...

At the beginning of August, queen bee breeder Shaana Way traveled to the Dominican Republic to teach queen rearing to Dominican beekeepers and farmers. She consulted with ASOAPIFRODA (Asociación de  Apicultores  La  Fronteriza  de Dajabon ) , a bee association near the border with Haiti that collectively manages over three thousand hives, and BANELINO, an organic banana cooperative that is expanding its program to include beekeeping opportunities for banana growers. Both groups had stated interest in learning to raise queen  honeybees  to expand their apiaries and improve their colony sustainability.   Raising queen honeybees is a powerful tool to grow hive numbers and select for the most advantageous genetics for the beekeeper’s local climate. Other traits that can be selected include bee temperament, productivity, disease resistance, and hygienic behavior. The industry standard of queen production, called grafting, involves moving a l...

Kath Lestina Volunteer Assignment with Farmer to Farmer Guatemala and YSF Photo by Becca Roebbl Marco Barbi left a successful business in Spain in 2008 because he was not in harmony with a newly discovered spiritual journey. He wanted to align his new values with his professional life and give back to the community in a positive way. After moving to Guatemala, he found that opportunity with Yogi Super Foods (YSF). Since no one was selling Kombucha in Antigua at the time, Marco started preparing it at home and soon he had enough to share with his friends, who responded positively. With this encouragement, he decided to develop recipes and packaging to produce Kombucha. In 2014, as his popularity grew in Antigua, Marco expanded to Guatemala City, hiring people and securing all the licenses and product registration needed to establish his business. Yogi Super Foods now has over 40 products, which provide customers with essential nutrients for the body and include an   inspir...