Volunteer Posts
Integrated Pest Management in Nepal
February 9, 2015
Today’s blog post comes from Dr. Thomas Shanower, reflecting on his recent Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignment in Nepal: “My assignment in Nepal was to work with two farmer groups on improved pest management. Specifically, it was to conduct training for trainers to utilize the Farmer Field School approach for Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The goal of […]
30 Years of Farmer-to-Farmer
February 2, 2015
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. Winrock has been a core implementer of the program since 1991; our volunteers have completed over 5,400 assignments in 56 countries, impacting more than 8.2 million people. I’m honored to have been personally involved with the program for the last 15 years, and […]
Meet the F2F Staff in Guinea
January 29, 2015
Every Thursday morning at 9:00 CST (that’s 3 PM in Guinea) a Skype call originates from Winrock’s headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas and connects staff in the US with colleagues in Guinea. The weekly discussion of volunteer assignments and logistical arrangements is often accompanied by the sounds of birds chirping and Conakry traffic in the […]
Volunteering opens a window of opportunities
January 22, 2015
Today’s blog post comes from F2F volunteer Gurbinder Gill: I have grown up in one of the nearest neighboring countries to Nepal but had never been before. My first volunteer work was with the Winrock (USAID-funded) Asia Farmer-to-Farmer Program. I visited many places and people during this assignment period and consulted with private seed companies. I […]
Rewarding Experiences in Burma
January 7, 2015
“It has been rewarding to work with producers that are enthusiastic about learning new practices that may assist them improve their socioeconomic wellbeing. I am hopeful some of what I offered will result in real improvements in the emerging Myanmar avocado industry. It is rewarding to see the collaboration of the leadership at MFFVPEA, Winrock-Myanmar, […]
Interesting Experiences in Burma
January 6, 2015
From Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Daniel Miller recently provided training on improved small ruminant farming practices for goat farmers in Burma (also known as Myanmar). In today’s blog post, Dan describes some of the things he saw and experienced in country: “Burma has some of the most interesting experiences that someone could wish for. The Delta area is well worth […]
Make Room for the Cows
December 29, 2014
Today’s blog post comes from Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Terry Wollen: When it comes to improving human nutrition and family income, few livestock production endeavors can beat dairy production. However, when it comes to dairy production in Bangladesh, there is competition between the land to grow food for the human population and that for feedstuffs that satisfy […]
A Token of Love from Nepal
December 17, 2014
At the end of her assignment with an agricultural university in Nepal, Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Susan Pavlin reflected on the connections she made and future impacts of her work. She shares her thoughts in the blog entry below: “At the end of my first class at Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, I was […]
The Man with Three Hats – Improving Goat Production and Adding Value in Rural Burma
November 26, 2014
Mr. Robert Spencer, a small ruminant specialist from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, recently returned from his second visit to Burma (also known as Myanmar) as volunteer for the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program. During Mr. Spencer’s first visit, he worked with the Myanmar Livestock Federation to help Burmese farmers enhance their knowledge in two areas: nucleus […]
F2F Bangladesh: A tremendous opportunity
November 19, 2014
Volunteer Reddy Bommineni completed a Farmer-to-Farmer assignment in Bangladesh, providing in-service training to staff from the Central Disease Investigation Laboratory under the Department of Livestock Services. Reddy shares his thoughts from his assignment in the blog post below: It was a tremendous opportunity to be immersed in the country of Bangladesh. As a poultry veterinarian […]