In March, Ed Doherty, marked the first Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer to Nigeria under the new phase of the program focused on agriculture education and training (AET). This new phase of F2F in Nigeria will focus on formal AET institutions (e.g., universities and training centers) as well as producer groups and service providers (including microfinance institutions) providing training and services directly to smallholder farmers.

The Rural Finance Institution Building (RUFIN) Program requested support from F2F to conduct strategic institutional assessments for two apex microfinance institutions, the National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB) and Association of Non-Bank Microfinance Institutions of Nigeria (ANMFIN). RUFIN, established through a loan agreement between the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government of Nigeria, was designed to improve performance and ensure sustainability of rural microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Nigeria, ultimately improving income and food security of poor rural households. Doherty’s assignment was an essential step to strengthening these apex institutions to effectively monitor and supervise MFIs so that they can provide better services and training to farmers in the future. Rural poor families will directly benefit from the improved financial services, in terms of quality, quantity, and access to credit.

Doherty, a management consultant, trainer, and coach specializing in improving the performance of individuals and work groups, reviewed documents, conducted site visits and stakeholder meetings, and led both apex organizations through organizational self-assessments. During fact finding, it became clear that an absence of teamwork was affecting performance, so following the assessments, Doherty also designed and delivered a one-day workshop to build skills on “Listening, Conflict Resolution, and Team Development,” which was attended and well-received by members of both apex organizations, RUFIN staff, and staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, among others.

Following the assessment, Mr. Kabir Mustapha Yar’adua, NAMB Executive Security wrote:

“Mr. Doherty has succeeded immensely in pointing to us the way forward to refocusing the Association to serve the members in its core mandate of Advocacy, Capacity Building, Networking and Self-regulation. Personally, I am convinced that if we executed his recommendations, the Association will give value to its more than 800 MFBs in a sustainable way, professionalize microfinance banking, help the regulatory authorities in their supervisory roles, and generally increase the impact of the sub-sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP.”

Sounds like the program in Nigeria is off to a good start!

One of Winrock’s volunteer recruiters recently retired after 26 years with our organization. Johnnie spent 16 of those years as a volunteer recruiter (and much more!) with our Volunteer Technical Assistance team. Below, she reflects on life as a recruiter and the immeasurable connections she has made with so many volunteers over the years. (more…)

Onion farmers in Seik Phyu Township, about an hour outside of Bagan in the Dry Zone of Burma (also known as Myanmar), are participating in a competition to see who has the best onions. Onions are judged primarily on color, weight, and yield, and the competition is fierce.

These farmers have been using organic practices recommended by volunteer Howard Prussak (via the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program) to improve the quality and yields of their onion crop. When given the chance to participate in the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) training, farmers were very interested. “I wanted to learn how to grow better onions and earn more money,” said U Hla Myo, the current frontrunner in the competition. (more…)

Chances are, when you walk into the Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer office in Yangon, you will hear someone talking on the phone probably arranging a meeting or discussing a volunteer assignment with a host organization, be greeted with smiles from the staff, and be grateful for the air conditioning. The small but mighty staff of the F2F program in Burma (also known as Myanmar) dedicate themselves to each and every task, working relentlessly to make sure that the small-scale farmers, fishers, and others engaged in rural work receive the best training F2F can deliver.

After spending some time with the staff, both in and out of the office, Winrock program associate Alex Loken (from our Arlington, VA office) sat down with each of them to find out what their most memorable moment has been while working for the Farmer-to Farmer program. Their thoughts are included below: (more…)

This week’s blog post comes from volunteer Barry Evans, who completed his Farmer-to-Farmer assignment in Bangladesh last month: (more…)