Posts Tagged: F2F

By: CNFA Farmer-to-Farmer Team

This article is a contribution to a four-week blog series celebrating 30 years of USAID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program.

From November 16 – December 11, 2015, partners of the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program are sharing their knowledge and experience in providing volunteer technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses, service providers, and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries. Closely aligned with Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, the F2F Program works to support inclusive agriculture sector growth, facilitate private sector engagement in the agriculture sector, enhance development of local capacity, and promote climate-smart development. Targeted volunteer assignments address host-led priorities to expand economic growth in ways which increase incomes and improve access to nutritious food. This blog series aims to capture and share the experiences of hosts, volunteers, and program partners. 

Bruce Williams owns Lakeside Farm Inc., a farming and timber business in Virginia and North Carolina, and is a veteran Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer who has worked with the program since 1995. He is also the President and owner of Agronomy and Horticulture Services, L.L.C., which leads pesticide safety recertification and training programs. Bruce recently sat down with CNFA’s F2F Country Director for Mozambique, Antonio Aljofre, to speak about the impact and future of the Farmer-to-Farmer program.

Bruce Williams: Hi Antonio, how are you? Glad to hear you are visiting stateside. Is this the first time you have been to Washington D.C.?

Antonio Aljofre: Yes, it’s my first time to U.S. It has been a great opportunity to meet our colleagues and see how things are moving here in the U.S. 

BW: Oh wow, yes, it’s quite impressive up there to see all the museums. I hope you’re getting time to get around to see some of the sights.

AA: Yeah, well time has been very busy, but I have seen some incredible things so far. As you know, in Mozambique, you worked with very smallholder farmers. I was able to meet some smallholder farmers in the U.S., and they were totally different.

BW: Oh, yes, it’s a different world altogether.

AA: So let’s get started, how has your experience been volunteering with Farmer-to-Farmer? I know that you have been not just to Mozambique, but to Bolivia, Moldova, and Nepal, among others, and most recently completed an intensive pesticide assignment in Angola. 

BW: Yeah, that was a lot of work but I enjoyed it. I learned a lot – it has been very beneficial because I get to learn new things, learn about new people. I almost feel guilty because I usually learn a lot more on these trips than what I give. I see all sorts of new insects and plant diseases, and I learn a lot about people and about culture. All of the assignments are fun, some of them are more work, but the common thread is that they are all interesting.

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By: CNFA Farmer-to-Farmer Team

This article is a contribution to a four-week blog series celebrating 30 years of USAID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. 

From November 16 – December 11, 2015, partners of the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program are sharing their knowledge and experience in providing volunteer technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses, service providers, and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries. Closely aligned with Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, the F2F Program works to support inclusive agriculture sector growth, facilitate private sector engagement in the agriculture sector, enhance development of local capacity, and promote climate-smart development. Targeted volunteer assignments address host-led priorities to expand economic growth in ways which increase incomes and improve access to nutritious food. This blog series aims to capture and share the experiences of hosts, volunteers, and program partners. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) declared 2015 the International Year of Soils – underscoring the importance of soil as a factor in achieving global food security.  While 95% of our food comes from soils, FAO estimates that 33% of global soil is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, salinization, compaction, acidification, chemical pollution and nutrient depletion (Source: FAO)

To mitigate the potentially devastating effects of soil degradation, the Farmer-to-Farmer program strategically develops assignments which focus on soil management and conservation to improve agriculture production. As part of these assignments, volunteers address soil fertility challenges with organic matter building techniques, such as composting, mulching, use of green manures, and the incorporation of legumes to conserve the health of soils in the long term. Through improving soil conditions, farmers can significantly improve the quality, and quantity, of their crops, and keep soils healthy for continued production into the future. CNFA is pleased to reflect upon past innovative and successful soil management assignments to highlight some volunteer all-stars who helped farmers in Southern Africa better manage this vital natural resource.

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By: Ann Savage, CNFA Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer and Business Consultant with Savage Enterprises International, and Victoria Treski, CNFA F2F Program Coordinator

This article is a contribution to a four-week blog series celebrating 30 years of USAID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program.

From November 16 – December 11, 2015, partners of the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program are sharing their knowledge and experience in providing volunteer technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses, service providers, and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries. Closely aligned with Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, the F2F Program works to support inclusive agriculture sector growth, facilitate private sector engagement in the agriculture sector, enhance development of local capacity, and promote climate-smart development. Targeted volunteer assignments address host-led priorities to expand economic growth in ways which increase incomes and improve access to nutritious food. This blog series aims to capture and share the experiences of hosts, volunteers, and program partners. 

The Congo River is a source of life in the northwest region of Angola, sustaining a variety of agricultural activities and a burgeoning fishing industry. Citizens of this region are hard-working and dedicated, striving to enhance their livelihoods through a process of continual learning, and passing along acquired knowledge to others in the community. In 2013, a group of these farmers from the Municipality of Soyo, Angola established a cooperative named CAPIPAZ. In English, CAPIPAZ stands for Cooperative Agro-Livestock Industry for Fishermen’s Friends of Zaire -a fitting name given the organization’s relationship with both the agriculture and fishing industries. The cooperative collectively farms on 2,385 hectares, growing a variety of vegetables ranging from tomatoes and onions to sesame and okra. The cooperative also maintains a symbiotic relationship with local fisherman, whereby the Board of CAPIPAZ purchases and provides fishing materials to fishermen in return for fish they catch that the Board then sells at the market.

In addition to a booming farming operation, CAPIPAZ members own a restaurant and hotel, both of which provide additional sources of revenue.  As their first venture into the tourism industry, CAPIPAZ members were anxious to ensure that their business operations not only succeeded but had room to grow.  However, the cooperative lacked management training, as well as an agreed upon strategic focus and formal business plan.   After identifying these internal challenges, CAPIPAZ requested assistance from CNFA to work with cooperative members to enhance their business capacity by building their technical skillsets and guiding them to develop a business strategy.

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By: The Farmer-to-Farmer Team, Washington D.C. and Malawi

This article is a contribution to a four-week blog series celebrating 30 years of USAID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program.

From November 16 – December 11, 2015, partners of the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program are sharing their knowledge and experience in providing volunteer technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses, service providers, and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries. Closely aligned with Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, the F2F Program works to support inclusive agriculture sector growth, facilitate private sector engagement in the agriculture sector, enhance development of local capacity, and promote climate-smart development. Targeted volunteer assignments address host-led priorities to expand economic growth in ways which increase incomes and improve access to nutritious food. This blog series aims to capture and share the experiences of hosts, volunteers, and program partners.

Meet the Chalera Mushroom Farmers’ Cooperative

Established in 2003, the Chalera Mushroom Farmers’ Cooperative is located just outside of Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital.  The cooperative, comprised of 29 women and six men, had been experiencing difficulties in cultivating mushrooms for sale and consumption since its inception, due to inadequate growing methods and a lack of access to quality resources. Despite these challenges, the members of the Chalera Cooperative refused to abandon their goals of developing a successful mushroom cooperative, and turned to Farmer-to-Farmer for assistance with learning new methods of cultivation to improve their operations.

CNFA responded to their request by sending Matthew Cleaver, a seasoned CNFA volunteer and mushroom expert, on an assignment to equip cooperative members with the skills needed to improve their mushroom production.  With more than 15 years in the mushroom industry, Mr. Cleaver has an impressive record of successfully introducing new technologies to mushroom farmers, enabling them to increase their yields through improved production practices.

Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer Addresses Challenges to Production

Mr. Cleaver worked with the Chalera members to find solutions to the challenges they faced, including inadequate chemical pasteurization methods and a lack of proper growing spaces.  He trained the members on chemical, heat, and natural pasteurization methods, which are vital in reducing any microscopic “competitors,” allowing the fungi to thrive. He also made recommendations to the group on how to transform their grow-house into a mushroom growing haven by adding clear plastic over the windows and roof to allow light and heat in, keeping the space at an ideal temperature for mushroom cultivation. The cooperative members pictured here are working to implement one of the key lessons from their training: reducing the size of corn husk pieces which are used as a base for mushroom cultivation, which helps the growing fungi absorb more water.

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