I have always enjoyed travel shows, and food shows, and especially travel shows about food. Watching Anthony Bourdain eating his way around the likes of Vietnam in No Reservations, I’d often think how I too would love to host a travel food show. But I am a Vietnamese–Filipino woman. Naturally, I look nothing like Anthony Bourdain. How could the food establishment ever let a face like mine speak about my own people’s cuisine to the American masses? my younger self would wonder. It’s in response to questions like these that I have felt the most conviction about entering spaces that were never made for me and claiming them for myself. I have perhaps found fertile ground to plant a flag for people of color in an unlikely place: an American government program.

Since 1985, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Farmer-to-Farmer Program has mobilized over 20,000 volunteers to help farmers and agribusiness professionals in developing countries improve their livelihoods and food security. American volunteers offer technical assistance along the entire agricultural value chain, from crop production to marketing and business development skills. Many of their beneficiaries are people of color, receiving training intended to help improve their livelihoods and food security. However, despite the program’s intentions to promote cultural exchange and represent the broad range of expertise that the U.S.’ diverse population can provide, less than 20% of volunteers have been people of color themselves.

Noting this gap in representation, USAID has partnered with Winrock International, a Farmer-to-Farmer implementer, to increase diversity and inclusion among its volunteers. More than a numbers game, the Farmer-to-Farmer DEI Initiative is focused on lessons learned, investigating what changes need to be made to attract and ensure the success of volunteers of color.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, in early attempts to bring on more people of color, Winrock recruiters have encountered a recurring question from would-be volunteers and institutional partners: “You haven’t sought our expertise up to this point, so why should we help you now?” And what a reasonable question, I thought, as a woman of color myself, starkly aware of how people of color have been excluded from government-funded programs, with farmers of color in particular having been denied support in times of need.

As a Winrock staff member searching for these answers, I have had the privilege of speaking with Winrock’s Volunteer Champions, a cohort of veteran volunteers committed to mentoring new volunteers of color. With their wisdom fresh in my mind, I encourage potential volunteers to think about the benefits our participation might bring to us, rather than the proverbial diversity checkbox.

For some, like Felicia Bell, a farmer from Brandon, Mississippi and Maurice Dawson, a professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, volunteering with Farmer-to-Farmer is a way to connect with their ancestral lands and give back to their forebears. Dawson explains that many people of color in the United States have never had a chance to visit the places where their families come from. He encourages his students to take advantage of Farmer-to-Farmer as an expenses-paid opportunity to not only visit, but also give back to a place where the people look just like them. During his own volunteer assignments across West Africa, Dawson describes, “It was like being welcomed home.”

For others, Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignments are at once an opportunity for people of color to feel appreciated for what we bring to the table, and to claim a space for ourselves––to say, here too, we belong. Winrock’s former Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Anjali Patel, explained the difference between diversity and inclusion as “being invited to the party” and “being asked to dance.” The opportunity to volunteer with Farmer-to-Farmer may at last represent professionals of color being asked to dance, and being deservedly thanked for the expertise, skill, passion, and grace with which they do so. In the words of Neelam Canto-Lugo, a professor at Yuba College, Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer assignments are a space “to feel included in the American fabric.”

It should go without saying that people of color have much to offer, but I know from experience that so often it can feel for people of color as though our skills are not wanted, that we are not valued. With Farmer-to-Farmer, the hosts who receive volunteers prove otherwise time and time again. Many of the Volunteer Champions note the gratitude with which their knowledge is greeted by those who participate in their training sessions. Having had a real impact on their lives, these participants show in their outright expressions of thanks and in how they implement what they have learned, how much they appreciate what volunteers have done. People of color here in the U.S. have so much to give, and it’s high time that USAID and its implementing partners make their recognition of this fact deeply felt, because Farmer-to-Farmer hosts––people of color around the world––already have.

After returning from seven years of working in Dubai (a common trend among youth in Nepal), Keshar Jung Adhikari Chhetri started the Lekali Goat Farm in Syangja, Nepal. With just 18 goats and very little experience, Keshar was in need of training to ensure his goats were healthy and his budding business was profitable.

F2F Volunteer Dr. Daniel Miller arrived in early April 2015 to provide training to AP Agro Livestock Research Company Pvt. Ltd. members and neighboring community farmers on goat production. Keshar and 24 other Nepali goat farmers in Syangja (70% youth) received information and hands-on applications of techniques such as fodder production, nutrition, neonatal care, genetic selection, housing, record keeping, disease management, sanitation, and body condition scoring. The trainees learned how they could easily improve the health and quality of their goats with simple behavior changes, such as providing a nutrient-rich diet, regular water, and treatment for parasites.

Just a few days following the training provided by Dr. Miller, a devastating earthquake struck Nepal. Keshar and his family were thankfully uninjured, but lost their home in the earthquake. Over the course of the next year they began to rebuild, but started with constructing goat sheds using the advice from Dr. Miller on proper ventilation and slatted floors for waste runoff. Keshar knew that in order to recover from the earthquake he needed a profitable business, which started with quality goats and careful record keeping. While his family was living in a section of the goat shed, Keshar grew his herd to 51 healthy and hearty goats and kids using improved nutrition and health techniques learned from the volunteer. From April 2015-May 2016, he sold 18 goats for $1,900, increasing his net income by over $300 from the year before. Six other youth goat farmers associated with AP Agro Livestock Research Company Pvt. Ltd. increased their incomes by over $200 within the last year. In addition, through the Model Goat Campaign trainings, started by AP Agro, more than 120 youth farmers initiated new goat production businesses.

The Lekali Goat Farm is now a model for other farmers in the district and across the country, and has significant demand from customers who come to purchase goats directly. While the road to recovery is a long one, F2F volunteer training helped this family get back on their feet and turn an emerging entrepreneur into a model businessman.

Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) provides a unique opportunity to engage volunteers to share their technical expertise while supporting a local organization. Every year, F2F recognizes one volunteer for dedication to the project. This year, Winrock recognized first-time volunteer, Dr. Isaac Zama. Dr. Zama traveled to Ghana and worked with a group called the Participatory Guarantee System Ghana (PGS Ghana), an organic market that raises awareness of organic food systems and gives smallholder farmers the tools and market to increase their incomes through organic farming. Dr. Zama taught PGS Ghana members how to convert aquaculture pond residue into organic fertilizer for vegetable production, create floating fish feed pellets for organic tilapia and catfish production, and the value of maggots as an ingredient in feed. 

On his assignment, Dr. Zama worked alongside Mr. Issifu, a member of PGS and Director of the Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Livelihood, to conduct the training. Dr. Zama provided presentations, demonstrations, recorded videos, printed materials, and hands-on learning to participants that focused on techniques for transforming residues left behind after draining aquaculture ponds into an inoculate for compost piles. The nutrient-rich residue nourishes the compost pile, increasing soil fertility, greater vegetable yields, and revenue growth for farmers, replacing costly, problem-causing chemical fertilizers.

Dr. Zama showed participants how to make fish pellet feed manually by hand and via an extruder machine. Participants jumped in and followed the demonstration and made their fish pellets. Dr. Zama talked about the undervalued and misunderstood maggots. Maggots are the larval form of a fly and play an essential role in the breakdown of organic matter into usable compost. Maggots are rich in protein and have been recognized for their use in poultry, fish, and crustacean farming. Dr. Zama also provided participants with training on maggot production for increased protein in the production of fish feed pellets. At the end of the assignment, Dr. Zama left tangible recommendations for PGS Ghana so they could continue applying the technologies he introduced.

The host immediately mobilized resources to ensure all the recommendations provided by Dr. Zama were implemented, including a maggot production unit and the production of foliar fertilizer (fertilizer sprayed directly on the leaves) units at the farm. These recommendations enabled participants to experiment with what they had learned from the lectures and the videos. Mr. Ahedor Mawule, a PGS Ghana member, shared, “Fish feed is expensive and difficult to buy. Now that I’ve learned to formulate fish feed, I can do it myself and expand my catfish farm. I’ll also share the knowledge with my workers and other fish farmers in Walewale.”

In addition, Winrock’s Farmer to Farmer Program has been making a significant difference in the Walewale community in Northern Ghana. In just under a year, the community group’s efforts have yielded impressive results, helping to improve the lives of the locals in several ways. Above all, Farmer to Farmer volunteer

Dr. Isaac Zama has made a difference by sharing knowledge and skills with the community. According to an email from the community, Winrock International has given them “too much life-changing knowledge and skills.” The locals have been spending time implementing and sharing what they learned with others, particularly other smallholder farmers in their community.

Despite the current circumstances on the ground in Walewale, the community has been thriving in implementing everything that was taught and recommended by Winrock International, with few modifications. The skills learned from Winrock International’s training have significantly increased the number of agriculturalists interested in acquiring the knowledge and skills Dr. Zama has left behind. One of the techniques he has impacted significantly is the extraction of neem oil (from the seeds of the neem tree Azadirachta indica). The Walewale community has since acquired a small neem oil extraction machine and is currently installing the machine on their farms. Over 500 women have been trained in collecting, storing, and processing neem oil, allowing for a business case in the Walewale communities to be made. There are currently three models in operation:

1. Collect, dry, and sell to the Center for Ecological Agricultural and Livelihoods (CEAL) to extract the oil and sell.
2. Collect, dry, bring to the mill, pay extraction fee, package, and trade.
3. Collect, dry, clean, and extract the oil manually for the communities’ use and sale.

The community is still in the early stages, but progress is being made, and updates will be provided. Another area Farmer to Farmer has impacted compost making and application. Communities in Walewale have been screening videos on compost making and applications, with 13 video screenings since Winrock International left. Through the video screenings, over 2,000 farmers have acquired the skills and knowledge in composting, with more still counting. A business case has also been made for preparing, bagging, and selling rich compost. The smallholder farmers have been trained to prepare enough compost for their use and sell the excess to other farmers in the local communities. This has resulted in significant improvements in soil fertility and farmers’ yields and incomes.

Farmer to Farmer has significantly impacted various communities and families in Walwale, Northern Ghana. The efforts of the Farmer-to-Farmer program have resulted in acquiring knowledge and skills that have improved the lives and incomes of the community, particularly smallholder farmers. Our partners are grateful for the training and expertise that Farmer to Farmer has imparted and are progressing in implementing what they have learned. The impacts of Winrock International’s efforts will undoubtedly continue to be felt in Walewale for many years to come.

In recognition of Dr. Zama’s outstanding support, he was honored with Winrock’s 2022-2023 Volunteer of the Year Award. Dr. Zama exemplified Winrock’s F2F mission by increasing the resilience of PGS Ghana’s agricultural productivity and competitiveness. In February 2023, Dr. Zama collaborated with Winrock’s F2F Country Directors to host a Winrock in-house webinar that explored the program’s many facets, including his inspiration to serve as a F2F volunteer and the impacts of the assignment on the host organization. Dr. Zama’s passion was fueled by his personal work as founder of Amba Farmers Voice, a nonprofit focused on reframing agricultural education by shifting to a process that integrates indigenous knowledge, cost-effectiveness, and practical solutions to inspire personalized learning in community-based farming.

When asked to write a piece for Women’s History Month, it caused me to quickly reflect over 28 years of working in women’s economic empowerment and perhaps some advances for women I have experienced while working in other countries and cultures. I have just returned from Senegal, where I have spent the last month completing two assignments for the Farmer-to-Farmer Program, working with three cooperatives, teaching them natural soap manufacturing, and assisting one cooperative, in particular, to add three additional body care products (lip balm, hair & scalp oil and body balm) to an existing soap range that I have helped them to develop over the years. With around 14 volunteer assignments done for Winrock and Farmer-to-Farmer since 2011 (six alone in the country of Senegal), my journey started many years ago as a business college graduate who joined the Peace Corps and served in Guatemala (1995-97), where I was blessed with the rich experience of living in the beautiful indigenous Mayan village of San Miguel Chicaj in the Department of Baja Verapaz. Working primarily with female textile artisans helping them to obtain income-generating loans and access to fair trade markets, providing them with technical assistance and oversight, as well as teaching local youth in the schools’ entrepreneurship, the experience was life-changing for me, and I have been passionately doing this kind of work ever since.

My work takes me primarily to the African continent, where I teach mostly farmers in all aspects of business management and cooperative development. However, having also owned and operated a fair trade natural bath and body care company for 10 years, soapmaking is the perfect income-generating activity where people can incorporate many agricultural inputs as well as support a circular economy. It is still an extremely viable business model in many parts of the world, particularly for women, with locally available, economical, and abundant raw materials. It provides a relatively quick access-to-market for entrepreneurs as they don’t necessarily need to invest in expensive equipment and machinery and nor do they need to have access to electricity in order to get started. Beautiful, natural ingredients such as shea butter, red palm, palm kernel, peanut, castor, beeswax, honey, and coconut oil are just a few that are perfect for soapmaking. Fortunately, increased awareness and appreciation for the natural product market across Africa provides groups with lots of business opportunities for the foreseeable future. Then when you add in plants such as peppermint leaf, turmeric, ground cinnamon, hibiscus flower, dried orange peel, tamarind, black pepper, moringa, neem, eucalyptus leaf, coffee (to name a brief few) that can serve as wonderful natural colorants and exfoliants, there exists a vast potential for supporting local farmers, who also most often end up being other women. It can also mean being the stimulus needed to give farmers the courage to diversify away from pesticide-laden crops (i.e., tobacco) that big corporations control the global prices of and keep people in poverty. Soapmaking is an ideal, low-impact business activity producing a staple product that fights germs and disease, aids with sanitation and hygiene, can be used for laundry, bathing, and household cleaning purposes, and is a great skill that can lift people and communities. Just on the African continent alone, my work has so far taken me to Liberia, Ghana, Uganda (check out www.mamamzungu.co), a social enterprise I have founded creating jobs for marginalized women affected by Albinism), Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi. I also did remote assignments in Benin, Ghana, and Senegal during the coronavirus pandemic and am currently working on an exciting circular economy project combining women’s economic empowerment and primate habitat (www.bonobo.org) in the DRC as well as being a consultant to onboard projects protecting forests and wildlife for a carbon credit start-up called One Tribe Global (www.ontribeglobal.com). 

Sometimes when I go on these assignments, I stare out the car window as I am driven through city streets or rural communities, and it is not always so evident to me that change is actually happening for the better. I will honestly admit to feeling and thinking that at times. But I have distinctly noticed in the classroom over the years a definite shift in women speaking up and not being as shy at using their voices. Their growth in confidence is abundantly apparent and happening in increasing numbers. More and more women are stepping out into society and grabbing entrepreneurial opportunities by the reins and taking charge, bartering, and purchasing and selling their goods as opposed to the men always doing it. And yes, more and more men in these societies are supporting these women’s education, business pursuits, dreams, and opportunities to generate an income for their households, which I see as progress. After all, there is no sense in any society holding back 50% of their population’s economic and development potential simply based on gender! I remember years ago walking into meetings with groups of women, and the silence was absolutely deafening. It was like pulling teeth to get women to speak up, not be so meek or scared, even to ask a question or share an opinion. In mixed groups especially, they would most often sit quietly while the men took charge. This has persisted for many years during my time working in women’s economic empowerment. But this isn’t necessarily the case anymore, especially with the younger generations of women I now find in some of my workshops. They speak up, defend their positions on topics, come forward excitedly when I ask for volunteers, and offer their knowledge, and there are many more women as leaders of these cooperatives than I have ever experienced before. They are utilizing mobile technologies and social media and often have their phones at the ready to research and probe further. So I see a definite shift.   

A favorite phrase I often refer to is ‘Empowered Women Empower Women’; the perfect example is the women of AMIDEF in Senegal. I have worked with them since 2017 and have done a total of four assignments with them (three in person and one remote during covid). So I was thrilled at the prospect of being invited back to work with them now in 2023 and to help them expand their product range. What impressed me most about these women is that since 2017, they have expanded their soap manufacturing in seven regions outside of Dakar (where they are based). They have taken the knowledge I shared with them years ago and have shown their commitment to empowering other women by teaching hundreds of others this skill. With a burgeoning overall membership of 29,000 members countrywide (participating in various income-generating activities – cereals, grains and flour, food preservation, etc.), they assembled 45 regional leaders for our time together on this last trip. What an exuberant, motivated, excitable, and dedicated group of women they remain to be! After our week together developing new products for them, I traveled across the country to a place called Bakel, where I trained another 20 women in soapmaking, and then to Kaolack, where there was another group of approximately 25. What became evident to me is that there is a strong business case for these two groups of women also to join forces with AMIDEF, unify themselves in this industry, and position themselves commercially to not only establish a recognizable brand presence in Senegal and across West Africa but also to realize the real potential of exporting in time. They have specifically asked me to return to Senegal in perhaps a month or two to help them with this unifying process, and I very much look forward to that! This women’s cooperative’s history and development is just one brilliant case study and a shining example of the merits of the Farmer-to-Farmer program and Winrock’s targeted efforts over the past ten years, particularly when it comes to empowering and skilling women.   

Over the years, Winrock International’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program has worked with numerous women organizations who have shown incredible resilience and determination to succeed. Women like Fatou Titine Cissoko founded Enterprise Fatou et Kadija, a Guinean agribusiness specializing in the solar drying of fruits and producing exotic Guinean drinks. With the help of Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteers, Fatou received training in financial literacy, food processing, and food preservation, which enabled her to expand her product offerings and increase her profits by 40% to 50%. Fatou’s success is just one example of how women in agriculture drive innovation and growth in their communities. Through the Farmer-to-Farmer Program, women gain confidence and become leaders in their fields. We have also witnessed the positive impact women’s participation in agriculture can have on their families and the broader community. 

The Prefecture of Kindia, commonly called the capital of citrus fruits due to its abundance of a variety of tropical fruits, is full of young entrepreneurs who process fruits and produce local drinks. Under-equipped and lacking knowledge of good manufacturing techniques and hygiene standards, these entrepreneurs flood the market with lower quality products. Thanks to the support of F2F volunteers, one youth-led enterprise is rising above its peers. Enterprise Fatou et Kadija (EFK), a startup company led by a young woman named Fatou Titine Cissoko, is gaining success by providing juice and jam products that meet market demand and quality standards.  

EFK is a Guinean agribusiness processing company specializing in the solar drying of fruits (pineapple and mango) and the production of exotic Guinean drinks. The founder and owner, Ms. Cissoko, was trained in entrepreneurship topics by prior USAID-funded Associate Awards implemented by Winrock International and CNFA. As part of her participation in entrepreneurship training, Ms. Cissoko created a business plan and received a grant of US$ 900 (8,134,500 GNF) to start her fruit drying business, EFK.  Since starting the business in 2019, she has added the production of drinks and jams made from fruits such as ginger, pineapple, mango, etc. 

Recognizing that she needed further technical and organizational capacity building skills to grow her business, Ms. Cissoko reached out to the Guinea Farmer-to-Farmer program to receive trainings in financial literacy and food processing and preservation to better produce tropical fruit drinks.  

“During the financial literacy training, I learned how to approach financial institutions with my business plan. I admit that I was afraid because these institutions are very demanding, and as a young entrepreneur, I have no guarantees to offer. Nevertheless, following my meeting with them, two of the most important banks in the area came back to me and offered me credit opportunities…”, explains Ms. Cissoko.

She plans to utilize a finance option soon to invest in expanding her production and feels that the banks’ willingness to offer her credit options offers an opportunity to prove that young entrepreneurs are solid investments. The F2F technical training focused on processing techniques followed the financial literacy capacity building and has led to additional product offerings for EFK. Prior to receiving training, EFK was unable to produce quality ginger juice and jams. Since receiving training, EFK now produces and sells quality ginger juice, jams, and monkey bread juice, resulting in a 40 to 50% increase in profits. EFK has sold more than 300 bottles of monkey juice alone within the few months after learning of this new product from the Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer. Ms. Cissoko and EFK’s goals are to continue to expand product offerings that meet quality standards and hope as the business grows that they are able to employ more young staff in the future.