Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

     Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer, Dr. Zelalem Mersha, spent two weeks in Jamaica in March 2022. There, Dr. Mersha supported Shooters Farmers Group by teaching members different methods of detecting the Ginger Rhizome Rot pathogen, as well as preventative measures to stop the spread.          Shooters Farmers Group, located in Kellits , Clarendon, was having issues regarding the outbreak of Ginger Rhizome Rot in lands that had been under production for over a period of 30 years. A Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer was requested to assist stakeholders in developing a framework to implement good agricultural practices to mitigate against the outbreak and further spreading of Ginger Rhizome Rot.         This was Dr. Mersha’s first time volunteering in Jamaica with Farmer-to-Farmer. He has spent decades conducting research at different universities around the world, focusing on plant pathology. During his time volunteering, he was able to tailor his academic experience to fit the Farmer Field S

  Ms. Melissa Delzio, a volunteer of the Farmer to Farmer program, she supported APEDI in November – 2021. A little about Ms. Delzio, she is an independent Designer/Art Director, expert in Adobe InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, and Photoshop CC software; skilled in fine art, hand-drawing, and illustration work. She traveled to the Dominican Republic to work with APEDI’s Association on the design of a textbook/manual all about environmental conservation as it relates to the watershed.   APEDI is an association that promotes community development and water generation in the Yaque del Norte river basin. It is part of the Association's decision to promote initiatives and projects on water quality. APEDI has a division called FONDO AGUA YAQUE. The goal of Fondo Agua Yaque is to guarantee access to water for all individuals who depend on the Yaque del Norte watershed, with a focus on the upper watershed, which directly and indirectly affects two million people. Plan Yaque works in the fo

  Mr. Dan Miller, a volunteer of the Farmer to Farmer program and an expert on small ruminants, supported Centro de Educación y Pomoción Rural (CEPROR) in Dominican Republic on October 2021. The purpose of the assignment was to assess the current state of the community’s goat production and conduct training in the best practices for goat husbandry and management. The CEPROR is located in Santa Ana, Villa Tapia, Hermanas Mirabal province, Dominican Republic.   Climatic conditions in the area do not vary tremendously during the year with temperatures above 20ºC and under 35ºC all year and precipitation of varying amounts during the year with no month being completely dry. Changes in day length are also minimal so there is no effect of day length on breeding season. Thus, there are no significant seasonal changes to deal with as in other tropical countries. Climate change is affecting previously reliable weather patterns.   The CEPROR has 40 members who work with goat, rabbit an