My name is Chelsey Corliss, I’m 24 years old and I’m an Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteer serving in the Kindia Region of Guinea. I have been living in Guinea for seven months. Environmental conservation and organic farming are two of my interests for my service but I have trouble talking and teaching about organic farming because using chemicals makes farming so much faster and easier, right?

The Farmer-to-Farmer training in Kondoya at Fabik Ferem Ecole was wonderful. I honestly didn’t know what to expect before going. I was actually uneasy about how difficult it was to get to the farm because taxis don’t go out there, but once I got there I realized how perfect Fabik Farm School was for an organic farming training. The school director had so many dreams and aspirations that were so inspirational and motivating. I invited two members of my community who rely on farming for the majority of their income. The trainer, Tom Sebranek did a great job of explaining the topics and engaging his students. I enjoyed seeing my counterparts so engaged, asking questions and becoming excited to implement some of the new techniques they were learning.

I learned new techniques for composting, pest management and seed collection as well as how to teach them. I plan to start composting in my village with many of the farmers who are interested in going organic. With the help of my counterparts, I think that we can gain more interest in organic farming and help our community become healthier and greener. I can not wait to get started!

“Si vous prenez soin du sol, le sol pendra soin du vous!” – “If you take care of the soil the soil will take care of you.”

As part of the ongoing and growing relationship between Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) in Guinea and the Peace Corps, Winrock’s Guinea County Director, Ibrahima Diallo, and Program Assistant, Ousmane Diallo attended and presented at the Peace Corps Partners’ Fair in May 2019. They shared information about F2F in Guinea, as well as the benefits of a partnership with Peace Corps, including having Peace Corps volunteers bring information back to the villages they are volunteering in, and through replication, expanding the best practices from F2F training more broadly throughout Guinea.

As a testament to the deepening relationship between both organizations, Peace Corps Guinea Country Director requested two F2F volunteers to support their Food Security Training, focusing on beekeeping and nutrition. Scopes of work are currently being developed with the dual purpose of training both Peace Corps volunteers and their beneficiaries, as well as other hosts in Guinea.

Volunteer Andrew Tonks works with Peace Corp and GAIN members.

By deepening the relationship with Peace Corps, Winrock is achieving the F2F goals in Guinea of improving rural livelihood development and agriculture education and training, as well as promoting agricultural growth and cross-cultural understanding through technical assistance from skilled F2F volunteers.

Volunteer Janet Buresh looks on as Peace Corp and COJDAGUI member work together during training.

July 15th is World Youth Skills Day. There are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 percent of the global population. The active engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts is central to achieving sustainable, inclusive and stable societies by the target date, and to averting the worst threats and challenges to sustainable development, including the impacts of climate change, unemployment, poverty, gender inequality, conflict, and migration. However, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labor market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. This World Youth Skills Day, we emphasize the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in providing youth with the opportunities to develop their competencies and accelerate their transition to work. SMARTE is an associate award under F2F and fields US volunteers to help conduct training.

Mr. Cherif with a representative of a women’s shallot producer group

Apprenticeship in Extension Entrepreneurship and Rural Innovation (AVENIR) initiative under the Strengthening Market-Led Agriculture Research, Technology, and Education (SMARTE) project provides an opportunity for Guinean youth to apprentice in Guinea’s agricultural sector while developing their own business plans.

Savana, a French-based regional ag-input supplier, was quick to contract AVENIR after starting operations in Guinea in March 2018.  Under a partnership agreement, Winrock recruited two AVENIR specifically for Savana and trained them in a one-month business skills curriculum. In turn, Savana provided training on agro-inputs to 45 AVENIR and has covered all costs for the two AVENIR to conduct market studies on agricultural inputs in the Kindia and Kankan prefectures of Guinea.

AVENIR agents Alhassane Cisse and Haidara Cherif are currently collecting important crop data including planting, harvesting, major crop diseases, and disease control methods. They have already identified and cost over 15 agrochemicals on the Guinea market through contact with 17 agro-input suppliers and four federation representatives working with over 1,937 farmers groups.

Mr. Cherif has already proposed solutions to expand outreach through credible federations and distributors via an inventory monitoring system. Furthermore, Mr. Cherif finalized his own business ideas related to ag-input supply and private sector extension services through Kankan based producers’ organizations.

Savana’s vision is to be the leading ag-input supplier in Guinea by 2023. Amaury Fichant of Savana states, “Savana chose to work with trainees from the AVENIR program to expand into new regions of Guinea. The relationship allows us to be present on the ground day by day alongside the various actors of the agricultural sectors while offering AVENIR the opportunity to work with an international group while developing a truly market-based business plan. Through our actions, with the help of AVENIR agents, we wish to be involved in the development of Guinean agriculture.”  The relationship between Savana and AVENIR demonstrates how the USAID-funded SMARTE program, Guinean youth, and the private sector can sustainably support Guinean producers to improve productivity and profitability.

As many of us in the U.S. will be BBQing and watching fireworks with friends and family on this 4^th of July holiday, I’d first like to give a big THANK YOU to four of our volunteers who will spend the holiday volunteering in Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal. We appreciate you!

The USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program enables thousands of skilled Americans to volunteer abroad each year – a prime opportunity to share expertise, learn about other cultures, engage in rich professional and personal experiences, forge connections, and generally serve as an example of American values. It can be a life-changing experience for both the volunteers and their training participants.

This year, Winrock (and other Farmer-to-Farmer implementing organizations) launched a new five-year cycle of Farmer-to-Farmer. Winrock’s program operates in West Africa – with a focus on strengthening agriculture education and training; enabling the sale of safe, quality food products; and increasing incomes of rural farmers. Over the next five years, we will have volunteer opportunities on a wide variety of topics – including agriculture and livestock production, food safety, product diversification, marketing, financial management, business planning, entrepreneurship, organizational development, grant writing, and pedagogy/teaching skills. Check out our website for more information on the volunteer experience and current opportunities: www.winrock.org/volunteer!

I can’t think of a better way to mirror the American appreciation of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness than to “pay it forward” and contribute to improving the lives of others.

Happy 4^th of July!