Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

The Farmer to Farmer team would like to wish all our U.S. volunteers a very Happy Thanksgiving! We're thankful for all your hard work and dedication to agriculture and sustainable development. We thought everyone might like to see some photos of dishes from different countries where Farmer to Farmer is working. Enjoy! Haiti - rice and beans Dominican Republic - fish, avocado and plantains Guyana - tropical fruit salad Nicaragua - plantains and cheese Happy Thanksgiving from the Farmer to Farmer team!

The Pan American Dairy Federation is currently carrying out a campaign across the Americas to increase awareness and engage various stakeholders in promoting the consumption of dairy products as a way to benefit human health. CANISLAC, the dairy association leading the campaign efforts in Nicaragua has partnered with Farmer to Farmer to achieve the goal of reaching various populations around the country. CANISLAC recently recognized the support of Farmer to Farmer and the hard work of our volunteers and staff. That publication also featured photos of Farmer to Farmer volunteer, Kshinte Brathwaite. Nicaraguan school children sample milk and yogurts as part of the Si a la Leche Campaign.

Here in the United States, we all continue to hear news out of Haiti - cholera, Hurricane Tomas, and elections. Our Farmer to Farmer staff and volunteers who have recently been in Haiti during the past month are all doing well. As we follow the news and developments closely, they send reports directly from Haiti.  Sometimes the local reports vary slightly from what is portrayed by the international media. Dr. Kaplan-Pasternak checks rabbit body condition in Haiti We thought you would enjoy reading some excerpts from the blog of Myriam Kaplan-Pasternak (see below), a repeat FTF volunteer and veterinarian who is currently in Haiti. She, along with the Farmer to Farmer staff and members of Makouti Agro Enterprise, are in the middle of a "whirlwind tour" of Haiti, where so far they have given trainings in at least 9 villages that are just starting rabbit production projects. The goal was to set up 220 new cages and train 400 new producers. Their stop in Cap Haitien may...

The 2008 – 2013 Farmer to Farmer Program “core” projects are in Haiti, Guyana, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. However, the program can work in other countries as well with flexible assignments. The flexible (“flex”) assignments allow Farmer to Farmer to send US volunteers to support ongoing agricultural and environmental projects, explore new project areas, and take advantage of opportunities outside of the core countries. Volunteers on flex assignments provide technical assistance and trainings to support new or on-going projects. In October, 2 volunteers from the University of Arkansas traveled to Bolivia on "flex" assignments: Dr. McLeod, a Professor in the Department of Entomology and Dr. Correll, a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology. In coordination with the Arkansas - Eastern Bolivia Chapter of Partners of the Americas and CIAT (Center for Tropical Agricultural Investigation) the volunteers provided technical assistance to communities in the depar...

Volunteer Norman Bezona has published an article in the Hawaii Tribune Herald , following his recent Farmer to Farmer trip to Haiti. In the article he reflects on post-earthquake Haiti and the Haitian and Hawaiian coffee industries. Dr. Bezona first traveled to Haiti with Partners of the Americas’ Farmer to Farmer Program in 1999 and has made great contributions to the production of certain species of bamboo in Haiti which can be used for construction. An article on Partners of the Americas' efforts to improve the Haitian beekeeping industry also appears on Regions Bank's See the Good website.

Through Partners’ Farmer to Farmer Program, US technical experts from universities and businesses, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, have traveled to Haiti , Honduras and elsewhere to provide assistance with coffee production, processing and marketing to small-scale producers. Haiti : Coffee Sales Increase with Professional Labels and Packaging Makouti Agro Enterprise, a Haitian-owned agribusiness based in Cap Haitien , works closely with the  Farmer to Farmer Program. Makouti requested technical assistance in product marketing, packaging and labeling. Makouti member Gerard Michel Joseph, for example, sold his coffee in simple brown paper bags with no label and customers could not see the quality, origin or the brand of the coffee. To address this need, a Farmer to Farmer volunteer helped develop logos, design labels and improve packaging. The label demonstrates the coffee’s quality: natural with no added preservatives, finely ground, and locally harvested.   Re...

Farmer to Farmer volunteers Cheryl Diermyer and Lauren Rosen traveled around Nicaragua to put together a video that highlights the cattle and dairy farming industries. The volunteers interviewed farmers, business owners and others to bring to light the importance of consuming local dairy products. The consumption of local meat and dairy products is important for nutritional and health reasons and it helps the local economy. The video is being aired on local TV stations and in schools and is being promoted by cattle and dairy farmer associations. Farmer to Farmer works with the whole dairy value chain in Nicaragua, even the marketing/media competent that is generally out of reach for the producers and cooperatives. Watch this video to get a glimpse into the dairy and cattle industry in Nicaragua:

Guyana is known as the Land of Many Waters. As a matter of fact, rivers are often the best means to reach certain areas in Guyana. The capital city, Georgetown, lies below sea level. This makes for a unique experience for FTF volunteers, and those whose assignments bring them to these parts of Guyana often enjoy the adventure and scenery. The Essequibo is Guyana's major river, draining many of the rivers from the interior of the country. Guyana is a beautiful country with rich biodiversity. Below are photos from various FTF staff and volunteer trips over the years. Enjoy! FTF Field Staff pose for a shot on the way to Mainstay, to visit the pineapple growers Amerindian mother teaches her daughter to swim These stilts are helpful in case of flooding Automobile ferry

In the Dominican Republic, Farmer to Farmer volunteer, Ralph Bucca, provided workshops and hands-on trainings on the preservation and processing of fruits and vegetables. At the University ISA, the volunteer gave presentations on the use of solar food dryers and, with much help from the participants, they all constructed a solar dryer. Amongst the participants in the workshops were 30 university students, the Director of the Department of Food Science and Technology, and the Director of Appropriate Technology for Peace Corps/Dominican Republic. The workshop participants at Univeristy ISA show off their newly constructed solar food dryer. The university students prepare bananas, peppers, tomatoes and eggplant to test out the new solar dryer. In addition to trainings at universities, the volunteer visited a mango dehydration business. The volunteer found that the current solar dryer design at their facility is allowing for too much humidity to enter and therefore, not a...

Volunteers Trevor Hylton and Brian Rosa examine butternut squash crop with Hauraruni members Over the past 18 months or so, Partners' Farmer to Farmer Program has been assisting the Haururuni Friendly Farmers Society in their shadehouse and in-field production of vegetables. You may remember previous blog posts about their efforts and challenges - growing crops in very sandy soils, experimenting with shadehouse production of vegetables and other technologies. We are excited to announce that their hard work has paid off and Hauraruni has reached its goal: they have recently exported their first crop to Antigua and Barbados! Whereas only 60% of the crop - butternut squash - was expected to be deemed export quality, a startling 91% was determined to be high enough quality for export. The farmers are able to sell the remaining crop to local markets, and they are planning to send a 200 lb sample to New York City. This achievement is a significant success since small-scale farmers...