agricultural

By Jan Surface, F2F Volunteer in the Dominican Republic  This past January, F2F volunteer, Jan Marie Surface traveled to the Dominican Republic, where she worked with Plan Yaque on recommendations to improve water quality within the Yaque del Norte watershed. Plan Yaque is a non-governmental institution that combines efforts between the State and Civil Society for the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of natural resources of the Yaque del Norte River Basin. Its fundamental purpose is to contribute to regional and national development towards the construction of a better and sustainable quality of life in the Dominican Republic. During her stay, Jan Marie provided examples on how to set up photo-monitoring points; a list of references for best management practices to improve water quality, tips for writing grants, equipment recommendations for their new water quality lab, and UV treatment recommendations. One of the highlights of her trip, was meeting with William...

By F2F Volunteer Peter Phillips Micro-watershed that feeds into the Yaque del Norte River system During June 2017, I spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic with the goal of training Dominican colleagues on themes related to water conservation and water quality. The majority of my assignment was focalized in the Arroyo Gurabo micro-watershed of the Yaque del Norte River in and near the city of Santiago in the Cibao Valley. My host agency was a local NGO, Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral (APEDI), and my faithful guide was Partners of the Americas’ Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) field officer, José Alejandro Almodóvar Gómez. The Yaque del Norte is the longest river on the island of Hispaniola. Extending for more than 200 km, the river originates in the high mountains of the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic and discharges in the northwest of the country not far from Haitian border. Santiago is the second largest city in the country and is located at the midpoint along the Ya...

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 the work Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers have been doing to achieve  SDG 17:  Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. Partnership can be a powerful tool for innovation, development, and social change - key cornerstones of programming at Partners of the Americas. Our Farmer-to-Farmer success stories often focus on sustainable development strategies throughout Guatemala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. What we don't often emphasize is the long-lasting impact of F2f on volunteers' lives once they leave their host countries.   While on-site, our volunteers face daily challenges as they apply their skills in unique environments. Check out how agricultural experts use their F2F experiences to improve global partnership and meet this Goal 1...

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...