Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Livestock is a critical part of sustainable agriculture that international development projects must address to advance livelihoods globally while simultaneously protecting Earth’s precious natural resources. Since 1991, Partners of the Americas (POA) has worked on the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F), which aims to improve the sustainable use of natural resources through direct technical assistance. F2F thrives because it is able to connect people with people- U.S. agricultural professionals (serving as F2F volunteers) collaborate with farmers and agriculture sector stakeholders in developing countries. In recent years, POA has made significant strides in Guyana and Jamaica, providing climate-smart technical assistance to support sustainable livestock systems. Guyana Guyana is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and changing climate patterns . Scientific data indicate that rising temperatures are leading to heat stress, severe water deficits, and increased

  Fondo Agua Yaque del Norte (Fondo Agua) and APEDI are two prominent environmental conservation organizations in the Dominican Republic. Fondo Agua uses financial mechanisms to raise capital managed as a trust to fund environmental conservation and recovery in the Yaque del Norte river basin. APEDI is a leading Dominican non-profit that promotes economic and social development in the country. The two organizations have formed a partnership to promote sustainable development outcomes in the country.   Noticing the lack of formal environmental education, the organizations decided to create an environmental education manual focused on natural resource management for universities, schools, and other educational programs. To accelerate the creation process, the organizations requested the support of Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers to guide the organizations’ staff on topics and content for the manual. D ue to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, F2F DR recruited a local an