The impact of the F2F program on Delhana’s Family Farm in Guyana

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Mr. Michael Fraser is the founder of Delhana’s Family Farm in Guyana’s Mahaica-Berbice region. He is a retired social worker who always had a passion for agriculture. Without having a technical background in science, he was still eager to pursue his passion, no matter what. After retiring, Mr. Fraser thought that it was time to bring his dreams to reality. 

In 2017, he organized his children and grandchildren, and together they launched Delhana’s Family Farm. Delhana’s Family Farm is a medium-size farm that employs ten people from within the community of Mahaicony, Region 5. They produce soursop, peanuts, passion fruit, black eye peas, bananas, and plantains; all of which are marketed within the community and at supermarkets. 

One of Mr. Fraser’s visions is for his farm to become organically certified. However, there were areas that called for some improvements, including the production of compost and organic pesticides, and integrated pest management. Bearing this in mind, Mr. Fraser went on a prospecting expedition searching for technical assistance. In his pursuit for agricultural prosperity, he embarked on Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program.


It was at this point that he was able to garner top-class assistance from F2F volunteers who provided face-to-face technical support. Through F2F, Delhana’s Family Farm was able to receive well-needed training in: 
  • Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) from Lydia Stivers, 
  • Farm Business Management from Harold Beck, 
  • Natural Pesticides from Dr. Dilip Nandwani, 
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) from Erfan Vafaie, 
  • Composting from Dr. Hwei Yiing Johnson and 
  • Vermicomposting Production from Corinne Coe. 
Mr. Fraser and his staff were diligent throughout each assignment as they anxiously awaited the opportunity to put every lesson taught into practice. Mr. Fraser believes that “a healthy lifestyle begins with producing your own food” and says that he encourages youth to get involved in agriculture and become rural entrepreneurs. Thanks to the help of our F2F volunteers, Mr. Fraser and his staff and family are now closer to achieving their dreams of being an organically certified farm.

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