Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Horticultural Specialist Gary Hickman is currently volunteering in the Dominican Republic on a greenhouse assignment. Mr. Hickman will be consulting with government officials and providing training workshops for local farmers to help them improve production, optimize productivity, and increase income. During his visit, he will be meeting with various members of the Dominican government (both current and previous) to discuss the future of greenhouse policy in the country. These meetings include former President   Hipólito Mejia. H ere, Hickman is pictured in a meeting with the Agricultural Committee of the Dominican Congress discussing the new greenhouse public law.   “Every day the Farmer to Farmer Program is getting some kind of recognition by the agricultural sector…” - Rafael Ledesma Schoowe

Marta Fajardo (left) with FTF Volunteer Yoana Newman Dairy farmer Marta Fajardo raises around 60 cows on an 85-hectare farm in the Camoapa region of Nicaragua.  She has been working with Farmer to Farmer volunteers for several years to help improve her milk quality, herd health, forage and feed options and more.  During a recent visit to her farm, Marta was excited to report increased calving rates – double what they had been in the past. Marta’s cows now calve every year rather than every other year, and Marta is happy to attribute this exceptional increase to the mineral salt she now adds to her cow feed – the suggestion of a Farmer to Farmer volunteer. Marta’s cows have also increased their milk production from three to three and a half liters per day, and she has seen other improvements in her farming systems. Because one of the key aims of the Farmer to Farmer program in Nicaragua is to aid farmers in producing more, contaminant-free milk, stories like Mar...

Recent FTF-Haiti volunteer Nick Brubaker put his photographic skills to good use while in Haiti. Since his return to the US he has created a photojournalism piece with some of his many photos, bringing attention to the situation of farmers in Haiti and especially the work of Farmer to Farmer and Makouti Agro Enterprise in improving the Haitian agriculture industry and the lives of small-scale farmers. This photojournalism piece was recently entered into the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation "Small Farmers are the Answer" Challenge, a competition soliciting various forms of creative works which show the value that investing in small-scale farmers has in economic growth and development. Nick volunteered in Haiti this spring as a website design specialist for the purpose of improving the design and functionality of the Makouti Agro Enterprise website. Special thanks to Nick for his work developing the slideshow. Thanks also to our other talented FTF volunteers, and the mon...

Glen Juergens, Certified Forester and member of the International Society of Tropical Foresters, recently returned from a successful Farmer to Farmer “flex” trip to Honduras where he worked in collaboration with the Sustainable Harvest Foundation of Honduras (FUCOHSO) to survey 14 water sources for 12 communities in the Departments of Yoro and Santa Barbara. FUCOHSO is an organization which aims to improve the nutrition of rural families in remote communities, aid in the attainment of economic stability, and teach better farming methods using organic technologies in a sustainable manner. FOCUHSO also focuses on imparting to families the importance of protecting the environment, forest and water resources in order to improve their lives over the long term. As a former Peace Corp volunteer stationed in Honduras, Juergens personally confirms that FOCUHSO is making significant and beneficial improvements to the lives of these people. Below are a few excerpts and reflections from...

Several of the countries where Partners' Farmer to Farmer Program is active celebrate Mother's Day this coming Sunday. Mothers play a critical role in economic and social development all over the world. Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer Program would like to recognize and honor the tireless efforts of all of the mothers we work with, both local partners and US volunteers. Young mother in the Dominican Republic. Photo credit: Justin Hackworth

This past week, Partners has had many volunteers in the field working together with local groups on topics ranging from greenhouse integrated pest management to beehive inspection to organic production practices. Here are a few photos we have received from the field. In the Dominican Republic, volunteers Tom Evans and Wally Pill consult with local technicians for the planning and management of greenhouses. Both Professors at the University of Delaware, this is their third FTF trip to the DR. In Haiti, Florida Apiary Inspectors Doug Corbin and Rob Horsburgh inspect beehives (hive nucleus in this photo) together with Partners' FTF Field Officer Gerard Michel Joseph (Papy), visiting apiaries belonging to beekeepers who have long participated in the Program as well as apiaries new to the Program. Mr. Corbin remarked that he has seen many improvements in beekeeping in the North of Haiti since his last visit in 2008. The volunteers traveled in collaboration with FAVACA. In Guy...

In the town of Grand Boulage in the mountains of Haiti, Andremene Solomon is the primary caregiver for her entire family. Her husband has a physical disability, and she earns the bulk of the income that supports their family of six. Andremene started receiving training and assistance from the Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer Program and Makouti Agro Enterprise a number of years ago as part of the rabbit production project in her town.   Since her involvement in the program, she has increased her household income by producing and selling rabbits. She has been able to sell enough rabbits to pay for the school tuition for all four of her children, costing 2,500 Haitian dollars (~$61USD) per year, for those in secondary school.  She has also used her income for medical fees as well as helping nourishing people back to health by feeding them rabbit meat. Her household food consumption has also increased.  Andremene ( pictured above, 2nd from the right, w...

Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer volunteers have been working together with Jamaican producers for more than five years in areas such as vegetable farming, pig farming, and organic production. While the Program peaked in 2007 and 2008, Partners' FTF volunteers continue to maintain professional relationships with their counterparts in Jamaica and travel to provide ongoing assistance. This continued partnership has yielded positive results over the years, such as the Santoy Cooperative becoming a national leader in tropical protected agriculture structures. An interdisciplinary team composed of a plant pathologist, irrigation specialist, and soil scientist will return to Jamaica next month to continue collaboration with partners such as the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Below are some photos "from the archives". Field demonstration, 2005 Organic production training, 2006 Students help with greenhouse construction, 20...

Two volunteers from Wisconsin recently traveled to Guyana to assist with producing two videos, the first a training video on the topic of hydroponics, and the other featuring the success story of "Valo", who has received assistance from several FTF volunteers over the years. See below for more information and to watch the videos! The volunteers, Cheryl Diermyer and Patricia Fellows, have also posted to the blog recently, giving more details about their activities in Guyana, and Cheryl's "Si a la Leche Campaign" video from her past visit to Nicaragua is also linked to this blog. "Green Gold" is a hydroponics training video featuring the stories of two successful shadehouse producers from Guyana. Partners' Farmer to Farmer volunteers have recently begun to support this shadehouse project, which is funded by CASRI and the MIF and implemented by the Guyana Chapter of Partners of the Americas. The project supports both commercial and small-scale (hou...

We conducted a survey of FTF volunteers who traveled recently with Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer Program, and we received some good responses. Thanks to all who participated! When asked if they would volunteer again with Partners' Farmer to Farmer Program, 98% of respondants said yes. 72.4% of our volunteers who responded reported giving group presentations on their trip once they return to the US. More than 57% of volunteers had leveraged some funds or resources such as donated equipment for their trip, and 74% of volunteers remain in touch with their local host after they return home to continue troubleshooting issues and finding solutions to challenges. Below are a selection of comments which show the importance that many of our volunteers attribute to the Farmer to Farmer Program. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers! “Teaching and research in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin for 25 years, University of Florida for 3 years, and Iowa State Univ...