Volunteer Posts
The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Myanmar Farmers
February 16, 2017
I had met the country director of Winrock’s office in Myanmar, Dr. Ai Thanda Kyaw, about two years ago while on an assignment in Nepal. While in Nepal for a regional meeting, she expressed a desire to visit the birth place of Buddha. The site was near the town, where my wife, Mary, and I […]
In Memory of a Beloved Volunteer
February 9, 2017
Winrock volunteer Robert (Bob) Albrecht passed away unexpectedly in January. He was an inspiration and will be truly missed. Bob began his volunteer service with Winrock International in August 2001 with an assignment in Nigeria focused on fisheries design and management. After that first trip, he spent two months working with host, Ife Central Fish Farmers, […]
Greening Up Neighborhoods in Senegal
January 23, 2017
Farming is a constant responsibility, but luckily we get a little time off in the winter when the crops are dormant. It’s the time I look to broaden my awareness of the world, and traveling to countries with intact agricultural societies is my favorite way to do that. I just returned from my 4th Winrock […]
Improved Business Skills to Complement Technical Skills
October 27, 2016
In June, I had the honor and pleasure of traveling to St. Louis, Senegal to work with CONCEPT. I worked with CONCEPT’s dedicated training staff to develop a training program for artisans and agricultural processors. In Senegal, per capita income is only $1,000 (less than 2% of that of the United States) and life expectancy […]
Improved Understanding of Agriculture Production Through Crop Models
October 11, 2016
It was towards the end of the Monsoon season when I arrived in Nepal in mid-August. This is the time of the year when mountains are in peak green, saturated with season’s moisture, all lives are thriving. My volunteer assignment in Nepal for the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program with Winrock International was to provide a 10-day […]
The Ultimate Reward: Adoption of New Ideas and Practices
September 27, 2016
Starting out with the Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Bolivia in 1987, I have had a long history of many projects in many countries. Most of my work has been in Latin America since I am fluent in Spanish from my wonderful Peace Corps years in Guatemala 40 years ago. A few years ago I decided to […]
To #EndHunger, Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteers Support Feed the Future Initiatives in Bangladesh Through Technical Expertise
September 13, 2016
This week Feed the Future is celebrating its partners who are working to #EndHunger across the globe. Since 2009, the United States has led the way in strengthening global efforts to reduce poverty, hunger, and undernutrition through the Feed the Future initiative. Winrock International’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program is currently supporting this mission in three of […]
Secchi Disks, The Power of Low-Tech Tools in Aquaculture Production
September 9, 2016
I usually prefer to find a way to make assignments more active, but here at the Jal Devi Matsya Cooperative in southern Nepal we spent most of the training in a classroom, discussing the complexities of shallow earthen pond ecology, and carp production through organic fertilization and growth of natural foods. It’s a topic I […]
Soap Making for Women Entrepreneurs
August 17, 2016
Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers, Marie Laurent and Robert Spencer, spent their time in Burma (also known as Myanmar) providing training on soap making and spa candles using bees wax to nearly 60 members of the Shwe Inn Thu Women’s Self Help Groups. They are an organization based out of Nyaung Shwe and include surrounding villages in Southern […]
‘Connected by the Human Thread’: Celebrating International Youth Day
August 12, 2016
Since 1985, the United Nations (UN) has celebrated International Youth Day as a way to provide “international support to improve the situation of young people” and focus on the issues that affect youth around the globe. Winrock’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program in Bangladesh and Nepal engages skilled American volunteers to provide training and technical assistance […]