agricultural

In May 2017, University of Hawaii-Manoa (UH) professor, Dr. Ethel Villalobos and UH graduate student, Scott Nikaido, traveled to the regions of Valverde and Monte Cristi in the northeast of the Dominican Republic, where they surveyed eight apiaries and made recommendations on beekeeping management. The objective of this F2F team assignment was to provide hands-on training to banana producers of the Banelino Association on the development and implementation of apiculture projects for honey production. As part of this assignment, Dr. Villalobos and Mr. Nikaido worked alongside Banelino staff and led workshops focused on production techniques and technologies for honey bees and queen rearing. The volunteers also assisted Banelino by identifying the best set of endemic flowers for beekeeping and ways that local farmers could improve their apiculture management practices in order to optimize honey production. Dr. Villalobos during her visit to Partners HQ in October 2017 Throughout their as...

Clare Licher, owner of the Arizona-based family-run business PhiBee Aromatics, not only possesses thirty years of experience in aromatherapy and essential oils, but is also a frequent Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer. In the past, Clare traveled to Jamaica in both 2016 and 2017 to consult with the Yerba Buena Farm regarding the establishment of a commercial essential oils distillery and market growth potential. Most recently, she traveled to Haiti to again utilize her highly-specialized knowledge of essential oils to assist the non-profit, Prosperity Catalyst, and their Haitian affiliate Fanm Limye. [Left] Clare during a workshop in Jamaica in 2016. [Right] Clare during her assignment in 2017. Fanm Limye has operated in Haiti since 2012, working directly with over 400 beekeepers in Western Haiti. Most recently, the organization has assisted beekeepers in cultivating essential oil-yielding plants to provide nectar for their bees and scent candles made from their beeswax. Clare helped Fanm Lim...

On Friday, October 27, Partners of the Americas had the distinct pleasure of hosting Dr. Ethel Villalobos for a presentation on her recent Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer assignment in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Villalobos is the Director of the Honeybee Project at the University of Hawaii – Manoa. During her decades-long career of working with honeybees, she has led groundbreaking research on varroa treatments, mite-bee interactions, colony health assessment, as well as hygienic behavior. Moreover, she has also been developing a series of outreach programs for underserved Costa Rican farmers in need of pollination services. In fact, it was her passion for empowering impoverished farmers with practical beekeeping skills, which inspire her to sign up as a volunteer with Partners of the Americas’ F2F program. In May 2017, Dr. Villalobos and her UH graduate student, Scott Nikaido, traveled to several rural communities in the northeast of the Dominican Republic. The objective of this F2...

By F2F Volunteer Kris Fricke  This was my first visit to Central America after having done many projects in Africa. As I stepped out of the plane into the warm humid air filled with the vibrant smell of foliage I was struck by how much it reminded me of Africa, though of course it's also quite different and I was comparing and contrasting in my mind throughout the trip. The plumes of smoke from volcanos visible right from the airport and throughout the capitol were really a marvel to me! My project was with Fabretto in the town of Somoto in the mountains in the north and in the tiny town of San Jose de Cusmapa near there. The area was beautiful and scenic with little villages of classic tiled adobe houses nestled among the mountains.  Somoto was a small town of cobbled streets that were very pleasant to stroll about upon, with seemingly most of the town's population sitting on their doorsteps in the evening. Fabretto is working with youth in many surrounding communities to tra...

Back in February 2017, longtime Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer Robert Sterk returned to Haiti to lead various beekeeping seminars in and around Port-au-Prince.  During this apiculture-oriented assignment, Mr. Sterk also worked alongside SAKALA, an F2F host, to establish community apiaries where local farmers and youth groups could be trained on various beehive management methods and techniques. Given the impact of the first assignment had on these communities, he decided to return to once more to Haiti in July 2017 in order to build on the progress that had been made.   Upon arriving in Port-au-Prince, Mr. Sterk prepared and led a series of beekeeping workshops with SAKALA associated farmers. These included a series of hands-on trainings related to 1) bee biology, 2) colony health inspections, 2) varroa mite testing with sugar roll, as well as 3) treatment strategies. He also had the opportunity to travel to several communities outside the capital. In the community of Kensco...

Through the Farmer-to-Farmer program, Partners of the Americas has supported beekeepers and honey producers in several countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In October 2016, F2F volunteer Mark Moore traveled to the northwest region of the Dominican Republic to provide hands-on training to banana producers on the development and implementation of apiculture projects for honey production. During the process, he developed a guide to help beekeepers address the specific challenges of keeping bees year-round. Here are some highlights from his guide: December - February During the winter months, Mr. Moore suggests the trick is to keep bees in a state of production so they are ready to make honey as early as possible. He also said to build entrance reducers to not only help keep the hive warm, but to prevent neighboring bees from robbing the hive. Mr. Moore ecxplains that as colonies get weak in the winter, stronger neighbors sometimes take advantage of other h...