agricultural

Partners of the Americas' Agriculture and Food Security team wishes you Happy Holidays! 2017 has been a busy year, with lots of stories from our  USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program and other activities. In January volunteers  helped improve Dominican coffee , in February they  empowered youth in Paraguay through 4-H , March assignments  evaluated onion growing practices in Guatemala , volunteers in April  helped prevent deforestation in Ecuador , in May a team of volunteers trained farmers on rotational grazing and crop management in Nicaragua , in June F2F highlighted the achievements of a long-time Haiti volunteer , in July a F2F host from Colombia started selling their products in Whole Foods , in August volunteers helped improve goat milk production and processing in Guatemala , in September F2F put the spotlight on two Nicaragua hosts - Fabretto and FADCANIC , an October volunteer helped analyze the meat processing industry in the DR , sweet potat...

By Julie Heifetz, F2F Nicaragua Volunteer August 13-27, 2017 I had the opportunity to work with the Farmer to Farmer program (F2F) in Nicaragua in August 2017. The purpose of the F2F assignment titled: Women and Youth in Agriculture Specialist in Market Research (Artisanal Coconut Oil) was to conduct a preliminary market study to explore the potential of coconut oil in the Nicaraguan marketplace. The assignment objectives included: a look at consumer trends and preferences, nutritional/health aspects of the oil, domestic and international competition and market feasibility. This technical assistance opportunity involved meeting in Managua with The Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast (FADCANIC) to provide input and recommendations regarding the marketing of their agricultural products from Wawashang in the Atlantic Coastal region. FADCANIC is a civil society, non-governmental organization working as a major implementer of development and infrastructure proj...

On this International Volunteer Day, Partners' F2F program would like to highlight a previous team assignment in Guatemala. We would also like to express our sincerest gratitude and appreciation for all of our F2F volunteers, past and present, who have exemplified the true meaning of volunteerism. Dr. Lindsey du Toit assessing onion crops at a field Earlier this year, Lindsey du Toit, Professor of Plant Pathology at the Washington State University, and Bill Buhrig, Extension Educator at the Oregon State University, traveled to the Sacapulas region of Quiche in Guatemala to provide training and assistance to the Association Sacapulteca (ASPROCE), a collective of onion growers in the region. Combining their respective expertise in plant pathology, and crop fertility and post-harvest management, Lindsey and Bill were able to develop a comprehensive analysis of current onion production practices and recommend ways in which the producers could improve the quality and quantity of their o...

Mision Illac (ILAC) is a non-profit organization that operates in the rural communities of the Central Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic. Its mission is to provide agricultural education and training to local community members in order to improve their overall financial well-being, health, and quality of life, and discourage migration to the city. Specifically, ILAC promotes nutrition and environmental conservation through its focus on the production of organic vegetables using sustainable agricultural practices. F2F volunteer Charles Mitchell with ILAC members Partners’ Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program has been working with ILAC since the start of this year, during which it has sent several volunteers to provide assistance and contribute to the organization’s mission. Recently, F2F volunteer, Charles Mitchell traveled to the Dominican Republic to provide training and workshops on best practices for soil conservation. An organic farm inspector and former member of the USDA Natural R...

The Dominican Republic has a long and rich history in the production of cacao. However, farmers have struggled to increase the resilience of their cacao yields to changes in the climate. Rebecca Roebber, Marketing Director and COO of indi chocolate , recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to share her expertise in cacao production and quality assurance. In particular, Rebecca worked alongside IDIAF ( Instituto Dominicano De Investigacion Agropecuarias Y Forestales) staff members to help them improve their production practices to become more sustainable in face of climate change and increase the quality and value of their cacao. Following an initial assessment of their current production practices, Rebecca provided training sessions on methods to increase the quality of organic cacao through improvements in pruning and post harvest practices. She also emphasized the importance of soil nutrition to ensure the quality and sustainability of their cacao yields. Rebecca also noted a si...

Rincon Grande's Dragon Fruit Chips Alimentos Rincon Grande, S.A., located in the small municipality of San Andrés Iztapa, Chimaltenango, is a family-owned and operated enterprise that produces organic fruits and vegetables to sell in domestic markets. In an effort to increase their profits and diversify their products, they have recently begun producing added-value goods, such as chips, from their sweet potato and dragon fruit crops. As part of these efforts, Partners of the Americas sent two F2F volunteers over the summer to provide support in fortifying their marketing strategy and improving the packaging of their sweet potato and dragon fruit chips. Dr. Melvin Pascall discussing packaging materials with staff On September 25th Ohio State University professor, Melvin Pascall, travelled to Guatemala to help Rincon Grande improve the packaging and labelling of their chip products in order to extend their shelf life and increase their marketability. During his time in Guatemala, Dr....

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...