L-R: Jen Snow, Associate Director; Ibro Diallo, Guinea Country Director; Mike Bassey, Nigeria Country Director

Mike Bassey joined Winrock International in April 2011. Mike is a Certified Accountant and has a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Roehampton, London. Before his work with F2F, Mike managed the Drucker Center for Entrepreneurship Development (DCED) of the Kaduna Business School before joining the World Bank/Government of Nigeria Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) project. Working with Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteers has in many ways strengthened Mike’s motivation to do his own volunteering. In his free time Mike heads a Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God as a volunteer Pastor and enjoys fixing simple plumbing and carpentry.

I started out just like most young Nigerians: not wanting to study or have anything to do with farming or agriculture; I wanted to become a certified accountant. After achieving that goal and working in a for-profit, efficiency-driven environment, I felt professionally unfulfilled. However, when I began managing a World Bank/Government of Nigeria agricultural and tourism value chains development program focusing on opportunities for smallholder farmers to increase productivity, income and overall improve their livelihoods, it opened my eyes to the how rewarding the agriculture sector could be.

Working with smallholder farmers was  wonderful but working with F2F volunteers who each come with different skills offered me the opportunity to learn a lot and I now know what it takes to be a beekeeper, fish farmer, and trainer; increasing my skills in organizational development, institutional assessments, partnership development, recordkeeping, leadership, campaigning for safe pesticide use For instance, with:

Leslie Harris Cosgrove – I learned about business and project development for grant funding. I learned about the components and the documents (strategic plan, revenue-raising plan, and platform statement) required for successful grant proposal writing as well as the art of winning grant proposal writing. Two of the most resounding experience working with a) Leslie was seeing the faculty of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State rise from a practically zero Ph.D. research grants to 26 Ph.D.D research grants in three years following the 2015 training to the leaders and faculty of the institution; and b) the formation of the Net which she co-facilitated with Professor Chris Igodan of the Ohio State University.

A group leader delivers the groups project to the volunteer

Mathew Baker, a professor from the Texas Tech University –Dr. Baker and I had several great discussions  on leadership development and managing people. It was a huge surprise when, upon returning to the US, Dr. Baker asked me to do a one-page write-up on ‘community extension service’ – one of the topics we discussed during his visit. This resulted in a paper that was jointly presented by Baker and me at a conference at the Ohio State University.

Volunteer with Mike (center) and host members

Jolene Warnke-Roszel – I learned about the dangers inherent in abuse and pesticides misuse; to the applicators, farmers and their families, livestock, communities as well as consumers through air pollution, contamination of source of drinking water and farm products. I also learned about ways to minimize the hazards associated with these chemicals.

Jennifer Kushner – I learned lessons about general monitoring and evaluation and specifically learned how to develop a program logic model. I worked with the volunteer and the Nigeria F2F team to develop a logic model for the Network for Agricultural Technical Education’s Making Agriculture Glamorous and Attractive to Nigerian Youth Initiative.

Volunteer (center) with host members and Mike (right)

Teresa Morris – I learned so much about sustainable agricultural practices – best practices in natural resource (soil and water) maximization and management, composting, etc.

Volunteer discusses with the village leader

I have always considered myself fortunate to interact with these highly skilled professionals and benefit from these relationships. Especially since they provide me with a huge resource base for me to continue to leverage. The new program presents me with yet another excellent opportunity to continue to deepen my learning experience.

International Volunteer Day is celebrated on December 5 every year. It serves as an opportunity for organizations like Winrock to celebrate volunteerism and reflect on the inspiring work of our volunteers.

An important part of volunteerism, and of particular importance to the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program, are the people-to-people connections and cultural bridges formed by US volunteers and in-country hosts and beneficiaries. Many times, a volunteer assignment yields more than improved products or services or increased income and sales: it yields a life-long friendship.

John Rodgers and Hiza Akhmatov discuss dairy cattle embryo transfer, 2005

Mr. John Rodgers, owner of Plum Bottom Farm in Belleville, PA, grew up working on a farm and is intimately knowledgeable of dairy farm operations. John traveled on his first volunteer assignment to Kazakhstan in 1993 and over the next 15 years, he has traveled 136,500 miles and volunteered 539 days to contribute to agricultural development in Central Asia.

In 1997, John was awarded a $40,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture to purchase and transport 199 US dairy cow embryos to Kazakhstan, which helped improve herd genetics and cattle rearing in the country. In the summer of 2006, John was instrumental in the launch of the first Agricultural Progress Days of Kazakhstan, with Winrock International and several US and Kazakh institutions, focusing on technologies to increase farm productivity.

John Haight and PJ Burgess at the reunion, 2018. John focused on forage crops for dairy cattle. PJ helped with AI techniques and cattle raising. Both were in Kazakhstan in the early 2000s

Hiza Akhmatov, Executive Director of Taurus Services of Central Asia, received volunteer technical assistance while working on a state dairy farm. Later, after forming Taurus Services, he served as a host for volunteers. He said, “I met John when I was working on a state farm in Kazakhstan. He made such an impression on me, that I could help with improving the dairy business. Two years later I quit my job and started working for the organization bring in embryos. This changed my life and the life of my family.” Taurus Services has benefitted from thirty-one volunteer assignments via various Winrock-implemented Farmer-to-Farmer projects in the region.

John overseeing an embryo transfer, 2003

Fast forward to 2018: Hiza was one of 11 farmers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Republic of Georgia who visited John and his family at their Pennsylvania farm and traveled to other dairy operations across the US. John organized a gathering that served as a celebration of agriculture and friendships lasting decades and spanning continents. F2F volunteers John Height, Richard Witter, PJ Burgess, Doug Rake, and John Kiefer were in attendance. Darla Embry, a volunteer recruiter with Winrock, also attended the event. She noted, “The gathering felt like a family reunion; a homecoming of sorts! It was inspiring to see these long-lasting connections.”

Volunteers reminisce at the reunion, 2018

Dr. Michael B. Thomas is an agribusiness consultant who has worked in more than 20 countries in the last 20 years as an agricultural and agribusiness expert.

Twelve avocado producers, members of the Myanmar Avocado Producer and Exporter Association (MAVO) – a recently formed group of both large and smallholder farmers, have recently completed a 2-week study tour of the California avocado industry. “This training opportunity was a unique final outcome of a 5-year initiative led by Winrock International under the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program”, said Dr. Michael Thomas, who organized and led the study tour.

“Although there were both cultural and language challenges, the California growers and industry leaders including staff from Calavo Growers, Mission Produce, West Pak, Bella Vado, the California Avocado Commission, and Brokaw Nursery were very welcoming in sharing their knowledge and exchanging ideas,” said Mrs. Sandar Myo, leader of the Myanmar delegation.

Study tour group visiting the Pine Tree Ranch in Santa Paula, California.

Study tour group visiting the West Pak Avocado, Inc. in Murietta, California.

“It is quite a unique experience to host a group of farmers in the United States who have followed up on recommendations so quickly, these farmers are well-organized and became highly motivated and inspired through the Winrock F2F program”, said Dr. Thomas. The rural farmers, primarily from avocado producing areas of Chin and Shan States, attended the 103^rd annual meeting California Avocado Society in October. Following the meeting, they also visited and experienced first-hand current research orchards and packing house facilities in San Diego and Ventura counties, the leading California avocado-producing counties. The farmers also partnered with Brokaw Nursery, a leading wholesale subtropical tree nursery, to complete the first certified importation of 5 commercial avocado varieties. More than 125 smallholder farmers in Myanmar have now received portions of the 10,000 imported budwood. This cultivar introduction will help to establish a new germplasm repository and future certified nursery stock which will extend the avocado producing months and increase the production of improved avocado cultivars such as “Hass”, “Lamb Hass” and “Zutano”. The hope is that these improved cultivars will serve as a foundation to increase the acreage and production required for both domestic and emerging new export markets, especially in Asia.

Imported avocado budwood being distributed to farmers by the Myanmar Avocado Producer and Exporter Association.

Since 2014 Winrock International has partnered with the Myanmar Fruit, Vegetable, and Producers and Exporters (MFVP) as the local counterpart and facilitated the Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) exchange of seven avocado crop specialists from DC, Florida, and Hawaii including Todd Walton, Daniel Carrillo, Robert Flick, and Drs. Michael Thomas, Jonathan Crane, and Randy Ploetz. These specialists collectively provided a successful series of lectures, technical assistance workshops and hands-on practical training to hundreds of Myanmar farmers on easily-adoptable crop management techniques and value-chain components such farm management, nursery production, grafting, pruning, irrigation, pest and disease management, as well as post-harvest issues and value-added opportunities. The Farmer-to-Farmer Program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and leverages the expertise of skilled U.S. volunteers to increase agriculture sector productivity and profitability, and strengthen agricultural sector institutions. The Asia F2F Program (2013-2018), in particular, implemented by Winrock, generated sustainable food security and economic growth in the agricultural sector by introducing new technologies and innovations, and developing local capacity for more productive, sustainable, and equitable agricultural systems in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.

Members of Myanmar Avocado Producer and Exporter Association receiving imported California budwood at Yangon International airport.

As a result of this F2F partnership, avocado is now poised to become a crop with new economic potential in Myanmar providing new opportunities for local farmers. Although avocado is a fruit that is not native to Myanmar, farmers have long cultivated avocados. The current annual domestic production is small and characterized almost exclusively by locally accepted varieties. The significance of the fruit, known as “green gold” in new emerging global markets is still relatively undeveloped in Myanmar. Globally, the avocado is experiencing rapid new market acceptance and resulting in the establishment of acreage worldwide, especially in neighboring China.

Rural farmer tending to recently grafted avocado seedlings.