agricultural

Elizabeth Church traveled to the Dominican Republic to work with greenhouse technicians to implement integrated pest management and biological controls (IPM). The overall goal of this project was to increase the resilience to changing weather patterns of greenhouse technicians in the Jarabacoa region by helping them implement IPM systems. Biological controls can minimize pesticide use and improve overall sustainability of the operation. Many of the crops in the greenhouses have been negatively affected by various pests and diseases. Reoccurring problems that were observed by Elisabeth include whitefly on the tomatoes, Diptera larvae pests and thrips damage in peppers, and fusarium and charred rice hull in cucumbers. Elizabeth found that none of the greenhouses were ready for biological control implementation and estimated that the greenhouses need 1-2 more years of proper IPM practices in place before successful biological controls can be implemented. Elizabeth had the opportunity to m...

Agronomist Ilan Bar recently traveled to Guatemala to work with producers associated with the Commission of Ornamental Plants, Flowers and Foliage (AGEXPORT) on ways to strengthen the nutrition, fertilization and irrigation of their crops. Ilan Bar was truly impressed by the level of expertise of the owners of the large greenhouse operations he visited. AGEXPORT works with over 150 producers and exporter groups across Guatemala. Many are educated agronomists and highly trained technicians doing a lot of great work.  These dedicated producers and Ilan were determined to make the most of their time together and spent as many as 14 hours a day running through all of the production operations and outlining areas of improvement. They achieved this by conducting extensive hands on assessments and discussing various methodologies to ultimately improve quality and production of their ornamental plants and flowers. Reoccurring recommendations centered around plant nutrition and fe...

A grower from the Jarabacoa Greenhouse Cluster in the Dominican Republic Currently, small-scale greenhouse owners in the Jarabacoa region of the Dominican Republic produce several horticultural crops including tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and herbs. While the producers are able to consistently produce quality yields, they are vulnerable to volatile local and export markets, including wide price fluctuations. A F2F volunteer was requested to assess domestic and international markets for high-value vegetable crops and give recommendations to producers regarding next steps to ensure more consistent market and price options, possibly including negotiating firm production contracts. The goal was for producers and extension agents to better understand their options to increase the consistency of farm gate price and sales. Supermarket in Jarabacoa F2F volunteer  Jean Schwaller traveled in January to access markets.  One problem identified by the Ministry of Agriculture is acces...

Source:   Western FarmPress Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic - Western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis ) are one of the most detrimental pests for agricultural production in the developing world.  Their impact is particular profound in impoverished communities where integrated pest management (IPM) practices and advance production strategies are neither as prevalent nor comprehensive. In Caribbean nations like the Dominican Republic (DR), these types of thrips have cause devastating crop losses, particularly to vegatable farmers cultivating inside greenhouses. To address the impact that thrips have on crop production and producer wellbeing, Partners of the Americas’ identified Dr. Vonny Barlow, a U.S integrated pest management specialist, to help train Dominican farmers on the importance of sound IPM and greenhouse production methods.  During his two week field assignment, Dr. Barlow provided technical assistance to farmers from the Jarabacoa Greenhouse Cluster. ...

When you think of the Dominican Republic (DR), you probably imagine endless fields of bananas and rice. However, there is another agricultural sector booming in the northwest region of this Caribbean nation: greenhouse vegetable production. By 2014, the DR exported more than US$111.6 million of greenhouse vegetables, making it one of the most dynamic sectors in the agricultural industry of the country. Currently, there over 930 million square meters of greenhouses throughout the DR. Dr. Liburd (far right) meeting with researchers from the agricultural research center One of the key organizations in the greenhouse sector is the Cluster de Invernaderos de Jarabacoa, or the Jarabacoa Greenhouse Cluster. The Jarabacoa Greenhouse Cluster was established in 2002 and is comprised of over 100 member farmers in the Jarabacoa region who produce vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant for local consumption and for export. The Jarabacoa Greenhouse Cluster offers technical ass...

Do you know what it means to be climate-smart? For smallholder banana farmers in the Dominican Republic, climate-smart agriculture can mean the difference between surviving and thriving during extreme weather events. Find out how Partners' Farmer-to-Farmer strategy in the DR is leveraging the agricultural knowledge of American agricultural experts to help Dominicans become more resilient to climate change and ensure a food secure future for their families!

This article is a contribution to a blog series on how Partners Agriculture and Food Security programs contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals . This week’s blog highlights what Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers have been doing to achieve SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The Dominican Republic currently has one of the highest amounts of available fresh water in Latin America, but global climate change has led to more frequent and severe droughts, floods and storms on the island. These non-typical climatic events have reduced both the quality and quantity of the country’s supply of fresh water for human consumption and agriculture. By adapting agricultural practices to global climate change, Partners aims to create sustainable economic development that benefits producers and consumers as they become more resilient to a changing environment. As we approach the halfway point in our 2013-2018 F2F cycle, volunteers have already made huge progress in...