On August 21, 2017, the team from the Thunderbird School of Global Management Emerging Markets Laboratory (TEM-Lab), Craig Pearson, Fungai Mandaza and Rachel A, arrived in Nigeria to work with the Center for Entrepreneurship Development and Vocational Studies (CEDVS), Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti. The trio went to support CEDVS’ quest to establish and manage a business incubator center.

Team Ubuntu’s first day tour of the CEDVS

Incubation centers offer business creation and income generating opportunities to young and aspiring people and provide them with facilities and services that most business start-ups have difficulty in procuring – spaces, electricity, communication, start-up (inception kits), advisory support, training, information and access to external resources (finance and markets).

Soon, the team realized that nearly all the CEDVS faculty misunderstood what a business incubator is.  Many faculty members when asked, gave answers describing business accelerators, workshops to practice classwork and practical skills, libraries, or lounges.  Faculty could name some characteristics of an incubator but only a few truly had grasped the entire concept. Both the trio and the hosts remained flexible as the original scope of the project changed to address this issue.  Everyone realized a business incubator would not be successful if the people running didn’t understand what it was.

After recognizing this crucial knowledge gap, the team came up with some creative activities to inform, as well as change mindsets. Demonstrating great professionalism, team spirit and cultural sensitivity the team formatted a group discussion style training session. The students were asked questions about entrepreneurial challenges they have faced, then taught how an incubator may ease these challenges.  The initial discussion was very abstract and theoretical, so the team performed a role-playing exercise to better demonstrate what it would be like to be an incubatee in an incubator at the CEDVS.

The incubator role-playing exercise did a very effective job of conveying to the students what an incubator would be to them and how they may use it as a resource.  In an exit survey of the 62 participants, 100% of the students said that they had a better understanding of what a business incubator is now that they did at the start. 100% of the students that responded also said that they would be interested in becoming an incubatee in an incubator at the CEDVS.

Volunteers survey students who attended the training session on business incubators.

The team also took the faculty on a study visit to an existing incubator. The faculty was able to speak with the leadership of these facilities at length and tour the incubation space.  They developed a much deeper understanding of what business incubation is. This experience spawned many new ideas on how to apply such a concept at CEDVS.

Team Ubuntu learning about the Design and Textile class at CEDVS

The assignment left a lasting personal impression on the team.

“It was a fulfilling experience to see the understanding blossom across the faces of the CEDVS staff members we worked with. Once the initial barrier of unfamiliarity with the concept was breached, confusion gave way to enthusiasm for the new idea that holds much promise for the institution. It was both fun and educational to learn about the Nigerian culture spanning weddings, dancing, and gender, in addition to what we gained out of the work.”

Follow the links to read more about the teams’ experiences with Nigerian culture!

The Farmer to Farmer team in Nigeria nominated this team of volunteers because of their professionalism, excellent team spirit and cultural sensitivity to the many diverse facets of the Nigerian people. Also commendable was their ability to combine the project tasks provided by the F2F Program with their group reporting as well as individual assignments submitted to their home institution faculty – they coordinated these so well that the F2F assignment did not suffer in any way and all deadlines were met to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

Winrock F2F Nigeria Director Mike Bassey, CEDVS coordinator of Textiles Oyebode, and Team Ubuntu’s Craig Pearson

Our Nepal Farmer-to-Farmer staff have nominated, Dr. William (Bill) Foxworth, as the November Volunteer of the Month, because he is a “highly skillful, flexible volunteer and adjusted his hands-on training sessions for the assignment to best utilize locally available equipment and resources in Nepal.” Dr. Foxworth is the reproductive physiologist at the International Goat Research Center at Texas A&M University and is responsible for Artificial Insemination (AI) training at the center. He has also worked extensively in reproductive technology transfer in Africa and Latin America for both cattle and goats for more than 25 years. During his assignment, he conducted training for Okadi Goat Raising Group members, local service providers, and extension workers on AI technologies and practices to improve a youth-targeted goat breeding program. Sushil, one of training participants and Government of Nepal Extension Officer explained, “F2F volunteer William’s contribution is crucial for the country’s context in goat breeding and increased production.” After the training, Sushil facilitated AI in more than 150 goats, doubling the conception rate from their AI operations. Bill shares his thoughts below about his Farmer-to-Farmer experience. 

Why did you want to volunteer?

As a research scientist, my goal has been to develop technologies that assist with livestock reproduction. Improvement in breeding technology leads to more efficient animal production and greater number of offspring. This is a foundation for feeding more people worldwide and that is my true aim. Volunteering in Nepal afforded me the opportunity to enhance the knowledge base in goat reproduction in a country that relies so heavily on the goat.

Photo from Dr. Foxorth’s training on Artificial Insemination

What was the highlight of your most recent volunteer assignment abroad?

For me, the highlight was generating the discussion of how to disseminate this reproduction technology in a manner that would best benefit the people of Nepal.

What made your Winrock volunteer trip distinctive?

Winrock’s infrastructure made the trip work seamlessly. Every step of the way was meticulously planned out with some flexibility and that allowed me to focus on giving my presentations and training sessions. It also allowed me to delve more deeply into the culture through the in country representatives, making my presentations better because I had intimate insight into my audience.

How does your experience affect your world view?

I have had the opportunity to work all over the world and each country I work in presents a new set of challenges from culture to infrastructure. Nepal presented me with a view of a country, that while being smaller in size and geographically highly varied, was a crossroads for several cultures and religions. Seeing their efforts to deal with their differences gives me insight into my own multicultural world and, hopefully, I impart it to my students, colleagues, friends, and family.

What advice would you give a new volunteer?

Enjoy your time. Utilize the in country experts to understand the people and cultures. Ask lots of questions. This will help you tailor your presentations and maximize the benefits to the audience.

How have your assignments made a difference in your own life?/Has your assignment caused you to do anything differently once you returned?

Working in Nepal, with the lack of some infrastructure and the availability of certain products, reminded me of the need to be flexible and resourceful. After returning, I was reinvigorated to work on and develop strategies for transferring agriculture technologies in global locations that may not have all of the energy or product availability that we have.

Why should people consider volunteering?

It is a truly rewarding experience. For me, having the opportunity to help people improve their ability to produce food and provide better foodstuffs to their fellow man, allows me to directly contribute to helping put food on someone’s plate.

How do you feel about the support from Winrock, whether before, during or after your assignments?

The staff, both here in the US and in Nepal, were of great help. I have a pretty hectic schedule every day and they took care of all the travel and logistics allowing me to focus my preparations on my presentations. Not speaking the language, I had some trepidation, but the staff in Nepal, and a well placed Peace Corp volunteer, made my communications flawless with the local communities. I must say, one of the unsung heroes in my time in Nepal was my driver. We were frequently on some white knuckle roads and his skill at maneuvering the mountainside allowed me to relax and enjoy the view.

Dr. Foxworth with Peace Corps volunteer, Garland Mason.

When your friends/family find out that your volunteer assignment aboard, what do they say or ask?

The first question almost everyone asks is, “How cold was it?” Everyone imagines that Nepal is all like the base camp on Mt. Everest. They don’t realize that geographically it goes from low tropical jungle to the highest point in the world. The temperatures in the areas where we were working, Pokhara and Waling, were very pleasant in March. I will admit, while looking over the edge of some of the roads on which we were driving, I felt like I was on the side of Mt. Everest.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

I am a research scientist at the International Goat Research Center, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas. I conduct research with goats in an effort to improve their reproductive efficiency, with an end goal of disseminating the information to limited resource farmers around the world.

Does anyone in your life play a role in supporting your involvement? In providing inspiration?

My family supports me by giving me the time to pursue my goals of helping others around the world. They cover my responsibilities at home while I am gone and I am eternally grateful for that.

Do you keep in touch with your host organization? [Host organizations are the organizations that receive volunteer support]

I am in touch by e-mail on occasion, but I am in regular communication by Facebook. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a post about people doing something related to the training we did.

How do you feel that your volunteer assignment has contributed to create a shared understanding across different cultures through person-to-person interactions?

My family is of blended cultures and I have had the opportunity to be educated in Japan and work in Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Each time I encounter a different culture, it reminds me that we are a diverse people. Working with individuals in Nepal offered me first hand insight to the unique cultures in Nepal and they added greatly to my understanding of the world, especially in a country that serves as a crossroad to many cultures. This experience also offered me insight into my own work and how best to present my knowledge in a manner that could serve this unique community.

You can read more about Dr. Foxworth’s volunteer assignment and Farmer-to-Farmer’s cooperation with Peace Corps in Nepal in this previous blog post. 

Closing ceremony after Dr. Foxworth’s trainings.

This blog comes from F2F volunteer, Dr. Steven Pao, a Food Science Professor at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Pao recently volunteered in Nepal where he trained dairy farmers (63% youth) from Sana Kisan Krishi Sahakari Sanstha Ltd. on clean and hygienic milk production, safe dairy product development, product diversification, and product marketing. Mr. Dhruba Koirala, Cooperative Chairperson, noted, “Volunteer Steven Pao is a qualified volunteer on his subject matter as well as his deliverable methods and practical training approach was simple and remarkable to trainees. He is a highly recommend volunteer for the similar training.” This assignment hopes to build the technical skills of youth dairy farmers to enhance their employment and income opportunities. 

In most of the Farmer-to-Farmer projects I’ve volunteered for (over a dozen by now), my service starts by touring the host’s current operation sites before delivering a custom-made technical training and/or consultation. This Nepal assignment was no different. After entering Nepal and receiving a welcome briefing from Winrock’s Country Director in Kathmandu, an assignment Translator/Facilitator accompanied me as we flew to the host site, Chandrapur, a southern municipality near the border of India. The opportunity here was to share dairy processing and sanitation knowledge with local farmers from the Sana Kisan Krishi Sahakari Sanstha Ltd. through an assignment called “Quality Milk Products and Marketing Training for Youth Dairy Farmers.”

Sharing knowledge with local residents is always fun and rewarding and this is particularly true for volunteer Farmer-to-Farmer projects like this one. Before the workshop, the host cooperative invited me to visit their local dairy farms and milk collection stations. These observations were essential in helping me understand their current practices, and I used visitation notes and photos to generate a list of dos and don’ts specifically for protecting their milk quality.

Farmers bring raw milk to a milk collection station in Chandrapur, Nepal

Building a high-level of awareness and consistent practice for sanitary operation was one of the challenges, since the dairy cooperative depends on many very small-scale farmers to provide raw milk. We soon figured out that developing standard operation procedures (SOPs) for sanitary milk collection was a necessary, yet achievable, objective for this assignment. During the 5-day workshop, with about 30 local farmers actively participating, we studied milk quality control and sanitation principles. The participants also worked in small groups to draft workable operation procedures. The self-generated procedures were then posted in the conference room, discussed in joint sessions, translated into English, and adopted by the participants to be used as their SOPs.

Currently, the dairy cooperative’s milk collection center sells raw milk to both locals and out-of-town milk processors. There is an ongoing effort to develop a pasteurization capacity to help diversify their product line for better incomes. For this reason, the workshop introduced a variety of techniques on how to turn raw milk into value-added products (such as lemon cheese and Greek yogurt). The goal of this training was to help the farmers to understand both the benefits and challenges of product diversification. The participants recognized the importance of temperature, pH, and sanitation controls during the hands-on training activities.

Learning the process of milk protein coagulation for fresh cheese making

The workshop ended with a renewed commitment to quality milk and milk product production. I was honored to receive a Token of Appreciation plate along with a Dhaka topi (a type of Nepali hat) and a Khata (a traditional ceremonial scarf) in a heart-touching closing ceremony. Throughout the week, the host cooperation and participating farmers continually impressed me by their unwavering dedication and focus to effectively complete the training despite some of the hottest summer days. Also, it should be acknowledged that the workshop could not have been delivered so smoothly without Winrock International staff’s outstanding assistance in all communication needs; their assistance was invaluable.

Closing ceremony for the Farmer-to-Farmer workshop

Winrock volunteers, like Dr. Jonathan Deenik and Dr. Glen Fukumoto, are helping to #endhunger by building farmers’ resilience through improved soil fertility management and composting applications. On a recent technical assistance assignment in Myanmar, the volunteers had the opportunity to work closely with two farmer organizations. The organizations attracted approximately 130 farmers, local government agents, and NGO professionals to the workshops and demonstrations; covering topics on soil fertility management, livestock waste management, and composting.

Dr. Deenik is a soil fertility expert and defines soil fertility “as the ability of the soil to supply essential plant nutrients and soil water in adequate amounts and proportions for plant growth and it is the foundation of productive, vibrant cropping systems. Soils, however, vary dramatically in their ability to store and supply elements essential for good crop growth. A sandy soil has limited capacity to store and supply plant nutrients whereas a finer soil with proportionately more clay will typically store and supply more nutrients. Soil fertility assessment is typically conducted through soil testing, which involves a series of chemical analyses to determine soil nutrient availability.  

On this assignment in Hmawbi Township, I provided training in soil fertility assessment to two sets of farmer groups. Training participants at both sites brought soils from their respective farms and we tested the soils for pH (acidity) and available nitrate, phosphorus and potassium using my mobile soil testing equipment. The reflectoquant® technology uses different test strips for nitrate (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) coupled with a portable spectrophotometer to acquire concentration values for each nutrient. The participants went through the extraction and filtering steps, and then used the test strips and the spectrophotometer to the assess NPK status of their soils.

The farmers easily grasped the simple procedures and eagerly brought their soil samples forward for testing. With results for their soils in hand, I also provided them with the appropriate knowledge to interpret the test results and make fertilizer recommendations. After compiling the results, I highlighted the fact that many of the farmer’s soil samples were acidic to very acidic. Soils from paddy rice fields tended to show low nutrient status whereas soils from intensively managed vegetable fields were typically higher in nutrients – especially phosphorus. On the soils with low nutrient status, I presented some options for appropriate soil amendments including compost, manure, and synthetic fertilizers and presented some simple calculations to estimate the amount of amendment to add. In cases where soils had high nutrients, I emphasized to the farmers that fertilizer additions in these soils could be reduced to prevent nutrient loss to the environment with considerable savings to the farmer.

Access to simple, rapid, and reliable soil testing will have far-reaching impacts improving the livelihoods of rural Myanmar farmers empowering them to make sound fertilizer decisions that increase crop production while protecting soil and water resources.”

Dr. Deenik observing participants soil testing skills.

Dr. Fukumoto is an animal science specialist whose work focuses on on-farm projects in co-composting and nutrient management data collection. He describes composting as “one of the great wonders of the biological world. It is a natural process of aerobic microbial degradation of organic matter resulting in a stable and valuable soil amendment. 

During the second workshop series, we discussed the possibility of including a compost demonstration with Dr. Thet Khaing, Project Management and Communication Specialist for the Winrock International Asia F2F Myanmar field office. Dr. “TK”, as we affectionately call him, is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and provides volunteers with wealth of knowledge about all things Myanmar – from culture and history to arts and crafts, and recommendations to the best restaurants in town. The host farm was eager to support the last-minute addition of a compost demonstration to the workshop agenda. With the farm manager, I discussed the logistics of the demonstration: dimensions and design of the compost bin, requirements for carbon and nitrogen materials, water, and tools that were needed to build the compost pile. Everything was purchased, gathered and ready the next day.

“Built with locally sourced and natural materials, this was one of the most beautifully constructed compost bins I’ve worked with.” Glen Fukumoto

I worked with the farm crew, mostly through crude hand signals, and we completed the coolest compost bin I’ve worked on: woven bamboo side panels, custom-made bamboo aeration pipes, and a bamboo structural frame. Rice husks were used as the carbon resource and the nitrogen was provided by poultry manure. I had hoped for a beautiful day for the outdoor demonstration; well, at least no rain during the build. Thankfully, it didn’t rain during the demonstration, but working in the hot and humid weather with my shoes anchored in the sticky clay mud, and being surrounded by over 70 eager farmer participants, many seeing a compost pile being built for the first time, was just another great experience of delivering practical information and introducing innovative and age-old technologies for rural agricultural development.

The recycling of farm by-products and livestock waste through simple on-farm composting systems can help to replace a portion of the chemical fertilizers and improve the biological health of the soils to improve crop production, as well as to reduce the pollution potential of animal manure runoff into water resources in the region. In addition, the compost can be an integral part of the nutrient management plan of farms considering a transition to organic farming systems.” 

In honor of International Youth Day, we would like to highlight an interesting and impactful youth-focused assignment completed in Nepal. Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) volunteer, Dr. Tiffany Drape, arrived in Ramechhap district in March 2016 to provide a training of trainers on youth facilitation and agriculture-based entrepreneurship development to staff and members of 4-H Nepal and the Youth Partnership for Development and Peace Nepal (YSP-Nepal). It is important to note that 4-H Nepal is the first registered 4-H organization in South Asia, and Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer training laid the groundwork for Nepali youth development professionals to create the national program. Therefore, I was excited about the opportunity to meet with Lok Raj Awasthi, President of 4-H Nepal, to discuss the organization, as well as to learn more about the impact of Dr. Drape’s training.

Mr. Awasthi explained the most important topics covered by Dr. Drape were business planning, profit and loss statements, sustainability, and communication skills. Many of the 4-H Nepal members already had their own agriculture businesses. However, he stated, “Farmers had no plan and didn’t keep records. But after the training many farmers are keeping records and now have a business strategy.” 4-H Nepal has since reached about 120 other national members with similar training on agricultural entrepreneurship development.

Dr. Drape’s training with 4-H Nepal members. (Lok Raj Awasthi is also featured standing at the front of the room).

Later, in July 2016, 4-H Nepal hosted its first Youth Agriculture Entrepreneurship Conference (article here: 4H Nepal youth entrepreneurship conference). One of the goals of this conference is to empower more youth to engage in the agriculture sector. The conference was attended by more than 200 young farmers and the Vice President of Nepal. It featured sessions focused on progressive agro-based enterprise practices, where Dr. Drape’s training materials were utilized. This is the type of ripple effect you hope to see for any F2F assignment, but it is even more exciting to hear that the training has reached many more youth and has furthered the working relationship with 4-H Nepal. Mr. Awasthi noted, “This type of youth conference is just a stepping stone towards a progressive future for Nepal’s agriculture sector. We hope that we are able to provide a platform where young entrepreneurs could form a network and help each other.” We at F2F are looking forward to seeing even more great work on youth agricultural entrepreneurship development implemented through 4-H Nepal and hope Dr. Drape’s training will continue to benefit youth that are looking to start or build their own businesses.

Dr. Drape distributing completion certificates to 4-H members following her training.