Today’s blog entry is from volunteer Dan Miller, who describes some of the sights and activities from his time in Bangladesh:

The first impression that you get when you get out of the airport in Dhaka is that Bangladesh is very crowded. You would be right. A country slightly smaller than Louisiana has almost half the population of the US, and everyone in Dhaka seems to be on the street at the same time. The only saving grace is that most people are being moved in either rickshaws or small motorized vehicles called Easy Bikes (battery operated) or CNG (natural gas operated). If they were all in cars, the city would come to a complete halt.

Once you get out of Dhaka, the country side is verdant, at least now that the monsoons are almost over, and the fields are flooded. This isn’t necessarily bad because the fields are rice paddies, but they are still too deep in most cases to be planting rice. Any place that isn’t covered by houses is covered with plants. They even plant a tree called dhoincha (Sesbania spp.) that they use for fuel and goat fodder. Since it’s a legume, it helps put nitrogen in the soil so people don’t have to buy fertilizer. (more…)

“Thank you very much!”, said the trainees in my GMP for Food Safety workshop in Bangladesh when I attempted to greet them with “Assalamu Alaikum.” That’s exactly how friendly people are in this lovely country with beautiful agriculture land. While the traffic on the road is second to none, i.e., everyone in the country is moving yet very slowly, the vibrant momentum is apparent in every corner of the city, the small isles in a town, and farmers in the field. Not a single person is sitting around doing nothing. Everyone is trying so hard to make the best out of their day. I was impressed by how the company I assisted declared their mission as “Poverty and hunger are curses. Our aim: To generate employment and earn dignity and self-respect for our compatriots through profitable enterprises.” The spirit is clearly reflected by the fact that more than 75% of workers at their Natore factory are female. If it weren’t for the job opportunity at the factory, the ladies most likely would work as a servant and barely make their ends meet. I am grateful for the opportunity coordinated by Winrock to provide my expertise in food processing and food safety to assist the company to carry out their mission. Not only was the experience rewarding and enjoyable, but it also enabled me to see every sector of the food processing industry in Bangladesh. It will only take me one split second to say yes to future opportunities to visit again.

–Dr. Martin Lo, volunteer with Winrock International’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program in Bangladesh

Drs. Jonathan Crane and Randy Ploetz, members of the University of Florida Tropical Research and Education Center, recently completed volunteer assignments in the Shan State region of Burma (also known as Myanmar), as part of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program. During this two-part assignment, volunteers in the fields of avocado production and disease management were requested by the Myanmar Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Producer and Exporter Association (MFFVPEA) to assess the overall condition of avocado production in Burma.

Dr. Jonathan Crane, a tropical fruit crop specialist, was first to arrive. During his assignment, he was able to visit several small farms where he spoke to farmers and offered them advice for improving their avocado production. In addition, he conducted trainings where farmers learned about several topics such as fruit and variety classification, pruning, and propagation through grafting. (more…)

Dr. John Lindquist went to Kaduna, Nigeria in September to complete a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignment with hosts Doreo Partners and Babban Gona, to build the capacity of their technical teams in maize and rice production.

Doreo Partners invests in businesses that increase the profitability of smallholder agriculture. To this end, Doreo created an entity called Babban Gona (“Great Farm” in the Nigerian Hausa language), an agricultural franchise that is on a path to lift 5 million smallholder farmers out of poverty by 2030. The Babban Gona MIK (Mullura Da Ingantaccen Kungiyar – Caretaker Of The Trust Group) program aims to transform rural youths, both male and female, into private sector extension service providers who are trained to meet the needs of the smallholder members of Babban Gona’s franchise Trust Groups. (more…)

In January 2014, Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer Dr. Andrew Sánchez Meador provided training to faculty and post-graduate students from the Continuing Education Center of the Agriculture and Forestry University of Nepal. One of the training participants recently reached out to Winrock’s F2F Nepal staff to share how this training has impacted him personally and professionally: (more…)