Growing Knowledge & Building Partnerships

Aaron (middle) with Pedro Nel and Aida Delgado of CORPONARIÑO  On April 19th, Aaron Chevalley of Mountain View, Arkansas, concluded a month-long volunteer assignment with the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Nariño (CORPONARIÑO) in southwestern Colombia. CORPONARIÑO is the top environmental authority in the department of Nariño, charged with administrating the environment and renewable natural resources as well as pursuing sustainable development. Aaron, a LEED-certified architectural designer and independent design consultant, responded to a request from CORPONARIÑO to develop architectural plans for a “green”, environmentally-friendly structure to serve as its new sub-regional headquarters in Túquerres, one hour south of the city of Pasto. A wood-burning kiln used to harden bricks From March 22nd to April 19th, Aaron carried out several key tasks with input from CORPONARIÑO and assistance from a local architect. He first conducted a survey of po...

The Farmer to Farmer Program is often viewed as a transfer of technology and information from North to South, but one volunteer's story exemplifies the often-overlooked flow of information and innovation from South to North. Cheryl Diermyer, a digital storyteller trainer and Senior Learning Technology Consultant from Wisconsin, has volunteered with Partners of the Americas' Farmer to Farmer Program once in Nicaragua and twice in Guyana, helping to create agricultural training and promotional videos. She has incorporated what she has learned back home in Wisconsin, both in her personal and professional life. <p><p><p><p>Aaaaa</p...

On Friday, May 18th, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosted the Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security in Washington, DC. Farmer to Farmer Program Director Peggy Carlson had the opportunity to attend and hear speakers and panels that included everyone from an African farmer to President Barack Obama. Although the conference was primarily focused on Africa, agriculture development and food security world-wide were on the agenda. President Obama stressed his commitment to fighting hunger by investing in economic growth and agriculture. He was optimistic that progress could be made:  "We can unleash the change that reduces hunger and malnutrition. We can spark the kind of economic growth that lifts people and nations out of poverty. This is the new commitment that we’re making. And I pledge to you today that this will remain a priority as long as I am United States President." Panel topics included: Healthy Agriculture-improving nutriti...

Dr. Jacobsen with Producer at Finca Santa Teresa in Leon Dr. Karen Jacobsen, a dairy cattle veterinarian/nutritionist and former University of Georgia professor volunteered with the Farmer to Farmer program in Nicargua this past March. Since 1987 her primary focus has been nutrition and her recent Farmer to Farmer assignment focused on dairy cattle nutrition and diet formulation. This was her 7th Farmer to Farmer assignment, previously she has volunteered in Georgia, Mal awi and Egypt. This was the first time that her husband, Dr. Michael Mispagel volunteered with Farmer to Farmer . He is an entomologist who worked with the National Agrarian University's (UNA) department of Plant and Forest Protection and department of waste management. Dr. Jacobsen with Producer Alberto Ordoñez near Rivas During Dr. Karen Jacobsen's assignment she visited one dairy farm near Camoapa in the Central Highland region, one near Rivas and 3 near Leon. She also participated in the...

Ellis and Linda Hardison of Robbins, North Carolina, joined the Partners’ Farmer to Farmer volunteer network this past January when they spent two weeks in Guyana on a beekeeping assignment. The Hardisons’ trip was just the second beekeeping assignment carried out as part of the Farmer to Farmer Guyana Program. The couple set out to provide training and education both to practicing beekeepers looking to improve the quality of their bees and honey, as well as to locals interested in learning about the basics and benefits of beekeeping.   Ellis and Linda Hardison pose with Guyana beekeepers Ellis and Linda identified three major accomplishments achieved during their visit. The first was providing instruction on effective ways to develop good, productive queens. They presented both the no-graft and Nicot system (grafting) of raising queens and discussed the pros and cons of queen regeneration, the most popular method among the training participants. The second included visi...

Farmer to Farmer volunteers Dennis Bula and Brian Bowen from Wisconsin recently traveled to Nicaragua to provide specific technical advice to potato producers and local advisors. Bula is a career farmer growing seed potatoes in Northern Wisconsin. Bowen is employed by the University of Wisconsin research system, emphasizing plant breeding and commercial variety development.   Together, they made a great team that combined research and applied production. While Bowen has managed potatoes in a research environment for 25 years, Bula's presence was particularly powerful as a grower. The technical assistance had been requested by stakeholders in the local potato industry to address two major topics: 1) seed potato management and 2) an insect-disease complex, which in the Latin American world has taken on several names: papa manchada (stained potato) or papa rayada (striped potato) or most commonly used, Paratrioza . In North America this complex is called Zebra C...

 Yerba Buena Farmer Owner, Agape Adams, inoculates one of the selected logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. From March 10th-24th, 2012, Nicholas Laskovski from Dana Forest Farm in Waitsfield, Vermont, shared his skill in shiitake mushroom production with local farmers at Yerba Buena Farm in Robins Bay, St. Mary, Jamaica. Over the course of his 2-week assignment, Mr. Laskovski helped identify locally-abundant tree species that fit the rough criteria for growing shiitake mushrooms, cut 100 logs from these trees, and led two hands-on trainings for interested farmers. The trainings covered topics including the life cycle of mushrooms and the needs at each stage, what makes a good tree selection, and inoculation.  By the end of the assignment, Mr. Laskovski and training participants inoculated 100 logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. Yerba Buena Farm Owner, Agape Adams, explained why mushroom growing has grabbed the attention of local Jamaican farmers:  Nick Laskovski...

Tom Syverud and Terrill Christensen recently returned to Haiti for the first time in over four years, having first traveled to the country as Farmer to Farmer horticulture volunteers in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Upon returning to the same project in January and February 2012, both commented upon the tangible improvements in farming systems which they observed, as well as the growth and expansion of Makouti Agro Enterprise. Tom Syverud, 2008, discussing with producers in Terrier Rouge With a snapshot from years past in their minds, these volunteers help point out changes which often happen gradually over the years as agricultural seasons change, capacity is built, knowledge is shared, and positive results encourage others to adopt better practices. Terrill traveled as a seedling management specialist, and Tom a small-scale organic horticulture specialist. Below are photos and comments from the volunteers' trip reports which demonstrate the improvements Haiti's farmer...

Mr. Berube demonstrates how to harvest and filter honey. During his recent Farmer to Farmer  flexible assignment in northwestern Ghana, Mr. Conrad Berube of Nanaimo, British Colombia, introduced the basics of owning and keeping bees to interested local farmers. Mr. Berube is Executive Director of the Bees for Babar Society in Nanaimo, which helps subsistence farmers – specifically near Ghana's Mole National Park – install trip-wired beehives on their land to prevent elephants from eating their crops.   Local farmers pose with Mr. Berube From February 26th – April 6th, he arranged for the distribution of 30 hives, smokers and considerable technical information in the villages of Mognori, Murugu and Larabanga. Though not all materials have been distributed to date, several Ghanaian collaborators involved in Mr.   Berube's trip plan to complete the task. Mr. Berube encounters an elephant in Mole National Park. More than 120 individuals partic...

Señora Erenda at PIO XII in Masaya Señora Erenda Lopez of Masaya, Nicaragua, is both an outstanding and longstanding Farmer to Farmer participant. She converted her farm into a training center called PIO XII, which assists other female producers in the area. In a recent Farmer to Farmer Field Staff workshop held in Nicaragua, staff from the Dominican Republic, Guyana and headquarters in Washington, DC had the opportunity to meet Señora Erenda and tour PIO XII. FTF Field Staff planting seeds in one of PIO XII's square-foot gardens Erenda's dedication to her community is as strong as her dedication to her farm. Female producers who receive training and work at the PIO XII training center demonstrated with confidenence their knowledge of organic composting, fertilizers, solar oven use and square-foot gardening. They have put into practice the knowledge they've gained from Farmer to Farmer volunteers on small-scale agricultural pr...