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.

This week’s blog features, Dr. Cheng-Sheng Lee, Executive Director of the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, an organization jointly administered by the Oceanic Institute and the University of Hawaii. He recently returned from a volunteer assignment in Myanmar where he provided training to catfish farmers and breeders at the Myanmar Fisheries Federation office and a practical training at Yangon University in collaboration with the the USAID-funded Developing a Sustainable Seafood Industry Infrastructure project in Myanmar.

Dr. Lee noted, “The best reward as a volunteer is to work with a group of trainees who are eager to learn. At the conclusion of the workshop, I saw several sub-groups were formed and talking to each other. Later, I was informed that they were organizing a small working group to facilitate communication in the future, it was so great to hear that. I wanted them to network at my first day lecture, but did not expect it would happen right after the workshop. They are one of the best groups I have worked with in my nearly 50-year career in aquaculture. It was so enjoyable to work with them. The local catfish farming industry will expand as the result of this workshop.”

One participant from Maubin University expressed his thanks, saying, “This training helped us organize catfish farmers from different regions and know the existence of laboratory facilities that can help us with testing and research finding.”

Dr. Lee expects that the workshop will lead to an increased number of farmers who will start to spawn stinging catfish during the upcoming spawning season, an increase in production of stinging catfish fingerlings, improved interactions and relationships between farmers and university faculty, an increase in university faculty and students’ interests in aquaculture, and increased communication of the working group following the workshop. Dr. Lee concluded by saying, “I felt my time with them was worthwhile and am inspired to continue doing more volunteer works.”

Dr. Lee in Twante Township, conducting an initial field visit of the catfish farms prior to training.

Fish farming, beyond other agriculture activities, is practiced by youth as a main source of income in Nepal. Gaining skills on improved management practices like water quality management and learning to adjust inputs based on pond fertilization results, can lead to decreases in fish mortality rates, and thus diminish economic losses for youth-led businesses.

F2F volunteer, Dr. Hugh Thomforde earned his PhD in Fisheries Management from Auburn University and was an  Aquaculture Extension Specialist for 17 years at the University of Arkansas. He recently returned from a rewarding assignment in Nepal where he worked with youth from the Sahodar Agriculture Cooperative to improve their fish pond management skills.

“The Secchi disk is a low-tech tool to assist fish producers in making management decisions regarding feeding, fertilizing, and water quality. Members of Sahodar Agricultural Cooperative at Shiktahan Village in southern Nepal were introduced to this device on the first day of training. Ms. Pabita Dewi Chaudary went home and made one from found materials. She used a novel method. She molded cement in a bowl for the bulls-eye base, with an old flag pole set vertically in the middle for the handle. These photos were taken the next morning. We see Shailesh Gurung of Tribhuvan University coaching Ms. Chaudary (foreground) and Ms. Taru as they learn how to use this tool to measure phytoplankton density.”

“The livestock pen shown below was built by Ram Kumar Tharu, Chairperson of the Sahodar Agriculture Cooperative on March 8th, showing quick implementation of one of my recommendations. Animal waste will drop directly into the pond, providing fertilizer to plankton and supplemental feed to carps. It is the first of its kind in the area. The photo came via Shailesh Gurung, who says other cooperative members will monitor the results closely.”

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 know well, and which the participants were highly motivated to grasp. The level of involvement by female participants was inspiring. Women are involved in the cooperative at all levels, and they sometimes occupied half the seats in the room. A group of three were brave enough to stop our car one morning, close their umbrellas, and squeeze in with me in the back seat. In the classroom both men and women sit in relaxed positions, often cross-legged, in the plastic chairs. They self-segregate, with women on one side of the middle aisle and men on the other. The women were sometimes less vocal but at other times more willing to speak up to let me know when they understood a concept or when they remained uncertain about something. Women immediately gravitated to the microscope during class exercises, and generally became more skilled at mounting slides and getting plankton, or gut contents, gill tissues, or skin scrapings in view and in focus, and understanding what they see. On many afternoons we left the heat of the cramped classroom by 3 or 4 pm to spend an hour visiting participants’ farms. (This is southern Nepal, at 300 feet above sea level, and midday temperatures often exceeds 100 F.) All co-op members manage ponds and many own land, and I believe that puts them among the wealthiest tier of the Banghusari population. Several were able to speak English but Arun Thapa, Winrock International, Nepal Farmer-to-Farmer Project Management and Communications Specialist, knew that I would insist on translation to Nepali for continuity among the group.

Women participants practicing how to view and understand aquaculture slides during the training

I expect the follow-up evaluations of this training will indicate greater impact than many other assignments I’ve conducted for Winrock. Participants demonstrated extraordinary motivation to implement improved practices. During my initial visit to Jal Devi Matsya, I observed 20 Secchi disks in their storehouse. They were dusty, and it soon became clear that their use was not well understood, and as a consequence I made a major effort to reinforce the use of Secchi disks. They are a key low-tech tool for plankton management. Reliable measurement of plankton density allows the pond manager to adjust nutrient loading with fair accuracy. Participants learned to limit manure and feed applications until plankton density, as measured with a Secchi disk, was 20 to 45 cm. This criteria is well-established throughout Asia for semi-intensive carp polyculture in fertilized earthen ponds. Managing ponds so that Secchi readings are within this range generally leads to high fish yields without creating harmful environmental conditions. After explaining and demonstrating pond management techniques the Secchi disks sold out.

On several afternoons I shopped for mangoes, guavas, stubby bananas and pomegranates under the threat of rain. Mounds of fresh ginger in the market piqued my interest. I took advantage of working wifi and learned Nepal is third in world exports of ginger, and also that the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service lists ginger as generally admissible from any source as long as the roots are free from dirt, so I bought some to bring back as gifts. Arun found me a scrub brush. He was most helpful at every juncture.

Hugh Thomforde managed commercial fish farms in the Philippines and Hawaii. He is retired from the graduate faculty of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries. He has completed 8 Farmer to Farmer assignments for Winrock in Africa and Asia.

Our September volunteer of the month is fisheries and aquaculture expert Dr. Joe Sullivan. Joe served in the Peace Corps as a Fisheries Extension Agent in Zambia after retiring from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Since then, he has volunteered several times with Winrock’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program, completing two volunteer assignments for Winrock this year alone. His volunteer service for Winrock since 2002 has taken him to Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal.

During his most recent assignment in Nigeria, Joe worked with the Nigeria Cooperative Women Alliance (NICOWA), an all-female organization set up to assist women from all works of life to engage in productive ventures and attain self-reliance. NICOWA requested support from a F2F volunteer to provide training-of-trainers in catfish fingerlings production to a select group of its members who will go on to train other members of this group. Joe trained more than 100 women. He found NICOWA to be a well-organized cooperative with enthusiastic members dedicated to solving their problem of access to catfish fingerlings for their growers.

“I have been on around 18 volunteer assignments over the years and I would have to say, this one was the most memorable. The host was so enthusiastic about the training and what they could do with the information they learned.”

Joe Sullivan demonstrating improved techniques for growing catfish larvae

Joe Sullivan and NICOWA chapter leaders

Joe is a very passionate fisheries and aquaculture expert. During his recent assignment in Nigeria, he was unable to return to the fish farm in the evening to inject the fish with hormones so that the catfish could spawn the next morning. Therefore, he took a couple of catfish in plastic tubs back to his hotel room so he could inject them in the evening. During the night, the catfish jumped out of the plastic tubs and were walking around the bathroom! Fortunately, Joe knows how to handle catfish.

Joe is also a big advocate of volunteerism and the Farmer-to-Farmer program. He recently wrote about his volunteer experiences with F2F for Oncorhynchus, the newsletter for the Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, and he often speaks at public events to share his volunteer experiences. Joe says that when he talks to groups about Farmer-to-Farmer, he explains, “All you need are your skills and a desire to help people; Winrock takes care of everything else!” To be successful, he says, “the volunteer has to connect to the people he or she is training.”

After so many volunteer experiences around the globe, what inspires Joe to keep volunteering?

“It is so much fun and being able to connect with people of other cultures and know you are giving a hand up and not a hand out. Volunteering allows me to give my love and knowledge of aquaculture to others and see them benefit from these assignments. I always learn something new.”

Thank you for your great work, commitment, and service, Joe!