agricultural

By F2F Volunteer Harry Greene My name is Harry Greene, I live in Burlington, Vermont, and I am the co-founder of and head of farm development for Propagate Ventures. We are an investment management firm that links financial capital with agroforestry and multi-species agriculture. My role at Propagate involves creating replicable economic models for polyculture (biodiverse) agroforestry systems. In plain English: I design organic orchards that grow more than one type of fruit; I work with everything from building the soil, to planting the trees, to forecasting management requirements over a 10-year time horizon. I also work as part of team that manages a 245-acre organic farm in Shelburne, Vermont, where I run a chestnut-centric tree nursery and agroforestry consultancy called 100 Years of Sun, which is the nursery and installation arm of Propagate Ventures. In February of 2017, Partners of the Americas’ Farmer to Farmer (F2F) program contacted me with the opportunity to travel to the D...

Dr. Pablo Jordan Soto traveled to the Dominican Republic from March 26 – April 9, 2017 to assess the organic banana production practices of the Banelino Association and the Project La Cruz de Manzanillo and provide them with recommendations on environmentally-friendly technologies and best practices to increase the quality and production of their banana crops. Banelino is an association of banana producers that encompasses over 300 farmer households. Aside from its focus on banana production, the association also manages a number of social, educational, and medical programs for its members, including a youth training program in banana production. The Project La Cruz de Manzanillo is a national project that supports job creation for residents of Bateyes, a community in the Provice of Montecristi. The project has 250 hectares of land dedicated to banana production and employs over 2,000 low-income families. During his trip, Dr. Soto visited 12 farms in Valverde and Montecristi to meet wi...

F2F volunteer, Erin Menzies, with Gustavo Gandini, Technical Director of Banelino Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program has been supporting Banelino ( Asociación de Bananos Ecológicos de la Línea Noroeste or the Association of Organic Bananas of the Northwest Line) since 2014.  Banelino is a banana association comprised of over 300 small producers, the majority of which produce organic bananas. Their bananas are sold across Europe. In addition to supporting small producers in the Yaque del Norte region, Banelino offers a wide array of services for their producers and families. For example, Banelino has a small health center at their headquarters that provides healthcare and health education for members. They also have a small library open for use by producers interested in learning how to become organic or for organic producers interested in learning how to improve their current practices or production. Banelino is dedicated to the economic and social developmen...

F2F Volunteer Cynthia Ocamb recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to complete an integrated pest management assignment focused specifically on Black Sigatoka. The DR is one of the biggest producers of bananas in the Caribbean and one of the most devastating diseases affecting crops is a leaf spot disease called Black Sigatoka, or black leaf streak. This disease causes significant reductions in leaf area, yield losses of 50% or more, and premature ripening, a serious defect in exported fruit.  Dr. Ocamb examining leaves for disease In meetings and field visits with producers and technicians, Dr. Ocamb explained why infected leaves should be removed regularly: “to reduce the leaf area with active infections and suppress subsequent spore production” and showed each producer what the early stages of Black Sigatoka look like and how the spores travel via water from infected leaves to uninfected ones. She also noted that leaf tips (rather than the entire leaf) can be removed if les...

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!

Partners Farmer-to-Farmer Program staff from around the region met last week in the Dominican Republic to receive training, share experiences, and meet with some local hosts. The meeting was a great opportunity for new F2F field staff and seasoned veterans alike to learn from each other and form new relationships. Through these yearly workshops, we aim to build the capacity of F2F staff to collect success stories, measure program impact, and anticipate the needs of hosts and volunteers. Exchanging stories from four diverse F2F countries generated new ideas and excitement about the program and we look forward to carrying that out in the coming months! Below are photos we snapped throughout the week during a field visit to a F2F banana cooperative, workshops, and relaxation time. Enjoy!

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...