Volunteer Posts
A Dream Come True
September 19, 2014
“For me to be a part of an organization supporting a sustainable system of agriculture is a dream come true and gives me hope.” –Inspiring words from Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Mamadou Thiam after his volunteer assignment in Guinea, which focused on providing “training of trainers” to NGO workers on farm management and methods for effective technology […]
Farmer-To-Farmer Featured in Roast Magazine
September 17, 2014
Hot off the presses — here’s a link to a wonderfully descriptive article in the latest edition of Roast Magazine about Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer Rick Peyser’s work with coffee farmers in Myanmar. Happy Reading! https://winrock.org/news/winrock-volunteer-featured-roast-magazine-his-work-smallholder-coffee-farmers-myanmar
Dhaka: Who was trained?
September 12, 2014
Today’s blog post comes from Andrea Burniske, reflecting on her Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignment in Bangladesh: It seems unreal that [almost a month ago] I arrived for the first time in Bangladesh. I had similar assignments with two hosts: provide training on proposal writing (for development projects) and project management, oriented towards agriculture and agribusiness, but […]
Reconnecting with Roots in Nepal
September 8, 2014
As part of Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer program focus on strengthening agriculture education and training, volunteer Anil Shrestha completed an assignment with the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science (IAAS) in Nepal, training faculty and researchers on modern statistical tools and their applications in agricultural sciences. Anil’s assignment inspired him, and his sentiments below inspire us.
Improved Cassava Farming Practices in Southwestern Burma
September 3, 2014
The Burma (or Myanmar) office extends its thanks to recent Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer Luis Manrique, an agronomist and soil technician visiting from Hawaii. Luis trained twenty participants in Kyonpyaw, a small town in the Ayeyarwaddy Region, on improved farming practices and increased yields and quality for cassava production.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to return”
August 22, 2014
This week’s blog post comes from Mike Frinsko, an aquaculture expert from North Carolina State University, who has volunteered three times with Winrock’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program. His most recent F2F assignment was focused on improving water quality management in fish ponds in Bangladesh. Below, he shares his impressions of the country and thoughts about […]
Memorable Cultural Experiences in Guinea
August 22, 2014
In June, Kris Fricke took his first trip to Guinea. His volunteer assignment was focused on training local beekeepers on the conversion of traditional beekeeping into beekeeping as a business. Kris spoke to the Beekeepers Federation of Guinea about bee biology and behavior, instructed the group on how to inspect and improve hives, and taught […]
Meet the Farmer-to-Farmer Staff in Nigeria
August 15, 2014
Winrock International started working in Nigeria with the Farmer to Famer Program in 2001 and over the past 13 years conducted over 311 volunteer assignments ranging in subject matter of swine management, apiculture, aquaculture, cooperative development and microcredit financing. Winrock made a commitment to improve the lives and livelihood of the people in West Africa […]
From Tree to Market, Adding Value and Diversity to Locally-Grown Mangoes (Mandalay)
August 8, 2014
The Myanmar office recently said good bye to another volunteer, Brian Flanagan, here by way of Cornell University. Brian spent two weeks in Yangon and Mandalay, where he sampled the local culture (and many a mango along the way). In partnership with the Myanmar Fruit, Flower, & Vegetable Producers and Exporters Association, he advised […]
Maybe Not So Far From Home…
July 30, 2014
Edie Shannon, who has just returned from Soumbalako, Guinea, shares the following insights: NOT Central Guinea is a long way from my home in miles, and centuries away in living conditions. I am here to work with a large farm union to help them in organizational development. They know they should be doing more than […]