My work with the CREL project here in Bangladesh has allowed me to visit all the top destinations of the country many do not get to see. The floodplains of the South-west region just outside the Sundarbans mangrove forest, home to the famous Bengal Tiger. The wetlands, forests, and tea plantations of Srimongol in the north east. The longest (natural) beach in the world in Cox’s Bazaar, and the beautiful Chittagong Hill Tracts where foreign visitors are required to obtain permits to enter. My work colleagues joke that they should be professional tour guides after the wonderful job they did showing me the highlights of each region, including local food, markets, cultural and natural attractions. (more…)
In Nigeria’s agriculture sector, the availability of adequate credit to finance agricultural activities is a major enabling factor. Hasal Microfinance Bank is interested in becoming one of the leading agricultural lenders in Nigeria, but has limited expertise in the sector. Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Bob Bonnet, with 37 years of agricultural lending experience, worked with the Bank to develop policies and practices specifically designed for the agriculture customer. He then developed materials to guide the loan staff on credit analysis, and trained them how to work with farmers to help them make more informed financial decisions while evaluating the credit risk to the bank.
Reflecting on his assignment, Bob explains: (more…)
“For me to be a part of an organization supporting a sustainable system of agriculture is a dream come true and gives me hope.”
–Inspiring words from Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Mamadou Thiam after his volunteer assignment in Guinea, which focused on providing “training of trainers” to NGO workers on farm management and methods for effective technology transfer to smallholder farmers.
Mamadou’s training and recommendations will enable the NGOs to more effectively assist farmers in applying new technologies and improved practices to increase on-farm production.
Posted in Africa, Guinea, Volunteer Feedback | Tagged agriculture, Guinea, inspiration, international volunteer, service |
Hot off the presses — here’s a link to a wonderfully descriptive article in the latest edition of Roast Magazine about Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Rick Peyser’s work with coffee farmers in Myanmar. Happy Reading!
Today’s blog post comes from Andrea Burniske, reflecting on her Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignment in Bangladesh:
It seems unreal that [almost a month ago] I arrived for the first time in Bangladesh. I had similar assignments with two hosts: provide training on proposal writing (for development projects) and project management, oriented towards agriculture and agribusiness, but flexible enough to develop opportunities for other areas as well. (more…)