Today, April 22, we celebrate Earth Day. The 2019 Earth Day campaign centers on the protection of animal species. The Earth Day network notes that “All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species.”

Among those species are bees.

Bees provide economic opportunity for farmers. Beekeepers can sell the honey and use the beeswax to make value-added products like candles or lotions. Bees are not only important for their honey production, but they are also critical for the environment in their role as pollinators. Farmers benefit from bees’ pollinator role in the ecosystem, as bees pollinate 70% of crop species that feed 90% of the world’s population.[1] Many plants—including food crops—would not survive without bees’ pollination role in the ecosystem[2].  Bees are vital for healthy agricultural systems.

Verifying final honey product

Winrock, via the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program, has fielded over 120 volunteer assignments to support beekeepers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As Winrock dives into the implementation of the West Africa Farmer-to-Farmer program, below are some recent impacts of beekeeping assignments in the region:

• In Guinea, F2F trained the Beekeepers Federation’s trainers, who replicated the training to 32 groups (827 producers). Techniques widely shared include natural methods to keep ants away, making beeswax products and better hive management. With these technical improvements, in addition to organizational development support, the Federation was able to negotiate a new contract with pre-payment. Sales doubled in just two years.
• In Senegal, the International Center for Practical Training in Mboro-Beekeeping Division replicated training in improved beekeeping among 8,427 beekeeping community members. The training included specific modules on parasite and disease management and harvesting and processing of by-products. The Center’s successful application of improved beekeeping has led to a partnership with Grande Cote Operation-Zircon, whereby the Center will train GCOZ’s staff.
• F2F trained the Honey Producers Microenterprise of Ley Miro, Guinea, in topics related to governance and technical subjects related to the quality of honey and production of byproducts from beeswax. The organization was able to roll out five new or improved products, including soaps and clean honey, to the market. The members were also able to replicate the training to two additional organizations.

Girls testing lotion made during training

All these activities support bee populations and amplify the importance of a bee’s role in our ecosystem.

As a volunteer, what can you do to support bee populations and Mother Earth? Whether you are providing technical assistance to farmers in the field or designing an agricultural curriculum with a university, discourage the use of pesticides. The widespread use of pesticides destroys bee habitats and kills bees. Instead, encourage natural integrated pest management practice and multi-cropping practices that diversify and increase bee habitats.

Making Soap with Honey

[1] http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140502-what-if-bees-went-extinct

[2] National Resources Defense Council. “Bee Facts.” 2011.

Ibro Diallo gives an interview during the F2F for AET Learning workshop

Ibro Diallo started working at Winrock International in October 2013. He has a master’s degree in communication and journalism and is currently finishing up a master’s in Environmental Science. Before coming to work with F2F, Ibro worked 10 years for several NGOs including CLUSA, Aide et Action, IFES, and RTI. On the weekends, Ibro teaches communication for development at the Institute of Information and Communication Science. 

This magnificent program, Farmer-to-Farmer continuously offers me opportunities to learn, improve my skills and meet new people.

My Colleagues at Winrock have strengthened me in the teamwork and team management. Their examples of leadership and management as supervisors, allowed me to grow into managing my team in order to achieve Farmer-to-Farmer program objectives. They never behaved as superiors but rather as colleagues and with an attitude of winning together. Pictured above is my great Director DeAnn and my fellow Country Directors from F2F for AET and Asia.

Edie showing the orange tree she planted in Ibro’s village

Mrs. Edie Shannon, as an experienced and talented volunteer, agreed to come twice to Guinea, in 2014 and 2015, during the period of the Ebola outbreak while our neighbors were closing their borders. Edie did a great job with the Farmers Union of Soumbalako Farmers Associations of Mamou, on organizational development. She also helped to set up the Guinean Agriculture Institutes Network (GAIN), the unique space of exchange of actors of the agricultural training in Guinea to strengthen their management capacity. She even visited my village, where she planted some fruit trees.

Anais in a conference at the Vet school

Mrs. Anaïs Troadec, or as she is known in Guinea: Grandmother Anais, has a limitless passion for her job as a volunteer. She helped Institutes of Agronomic Education of Guinea (ENAEs, ISAV-F and ISSMV-Dalaba) to take head-on, the issue of gender in the country educational system. On two occasions she facilitated conferences and debates with students of the Institute of Veterinary & Medical Science of Dalaba on the issue of gender and sexual harassment. These conferences helped to liberate speech at the girl’s level on issues of sexual harassment. The Institute’s management has set up a Gender Committee to raise awareness and combat sexual harassment within the campus, support the girls by allowing make-up courses and organizing cultural and sports activities. Anais’s assignments are practical and adapted to the context and African realities. Anaïs has developed friendships with my field office staff and the team of F2F in Mali. We even celebrated her 72^nd anniversary in Bamako in December 2017.

Dr. Kovach, interns from ENAE-Bordo and FUMA field agents pause with pride after constructing and installing one of teh first bucket drip irrigation systems in Salamani, Kankan

Mr. Steven Kovach, Prior his retirement, Steven served as Agricultural Water Advisor with USAID. With his more than 30 years of experience in irrigation and water use for agriculture in the US and abroad, Steven, completed 2 assignments on drip irrigation and water management with, Farmers Federation of Upper Guinea (FUMA) and UGAS. Steven was able to connect with the trainees and easily transfer drip irrigation technology to farmers that have never witnessed this type of water management technology before. To many it was miracle-like to see drips of water coming from the hoses. Most students and professors have learned about the theory of drip irrigation system in a classroom but it was the first time that anyone has actually had hands-on training and participated in the assembly and set up of a drip irrigation system. After, his assignments, Steven has continued to follow-up with his trainees.

Mary and Bob during their first assignment in Guinea

The couple, Mary and Bob Albrecht, these dedicated volunteers were remarkable. Mary and Bob demonstrated strong knowledge in poultry enterprise creation and management. They have a good approach in the training of trainers. They were very creative and adapt quickly. They developed a manual that would assist trainers to assist farmers in their localities, they provided information on business planning and poultry nutrition. Though sadly Bob passed away in 2017, Mrs. Mary Albrecht has continued her dedication to volunteering in Guinea, returning for other assignments.

I always said that I have been so lucky with the American people, I have studied with their money because my father worked for US Embassy. Since 1997, I have worked for USAID funded projects and I will continue to work for this nice Farmer-to-Farmer program to mobilize huge resource and to deepen my learning experience and put it at the service of my nice country, Guinea. With the motivation and commitment of my team, we will achieve the new Farmer-to-Farmer west Africa Program goals.

F2F Team in 2017: (L-R) Bailo, Ousmane, Mory, Fatima, Ibro, Soule, Adama, Sylla

In May of 2018, I was very fortunate to be selected by Winrock International to lead a GIS and GPS workshop in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa.  Below are excerpts from my journal I kept during the two weeks I was in-country:

Flying into Conakry

I flew into hot and steamy Conakry, the capital of Guinea, located on the Atlantic coast, and about 1000km (660miles) north of the equator.  Almost 2 million people live in Conakry, which is located on a peninsula, and there are apparently only a couple main highways so the traffic is unbelievable.  I only saw a few traffic lights – cars, motorcycles, and scooters navigate by constantly changing lanes, zipping in and out, cutting off other drivers, nearly continuously honking their horns.  There seems to be no limit as to how many people a moving vehicle can carry.  Cars and vans are packed full, usually with people standing on the back bumper or riding on top, casually holding on while they speed along, even at high speeds.  I saw as many as 5 adults on a single motorcycle, and many times I saw two women and their children taking a single motorcycle taxi.

The first day I have orientation at the Winrock Headquarters.  Everyone is very cordial and smiles kindly at my awkward, slow French (the national language).  Winrock staff spend time with me so that I am comfortable with what to expect for accommodations and cultural norms.  We had something like yogurt mixed with ground corn for lunch.  Add sugar to taste – it was quite good – then we had out of this world fresh pineapple.

Bailo, F2F Guinea’s driver

My assignment location is actually in the city of Mamou, about 250km inland from Conakry.  Winrock has provided a driver, Baillo, and a second escort, Souleymane.  Both are warm, wonderful people, who help me with my French and patiently answer my constant questions with smiles, and sometimes amusement.  I am very lucky to be accompanied by two fun, fabulous people.  (In retrospect, I cannot say enough about these two great guys.  Back in the States, I do miss them and their warm smiles and easy laughter).

Alpha Souleymane Balde, F2F Guinea’s Logistician

The only road to Mamou is a bit crowded with very slow moving, large trucks, and no real traffic rules or speed limits.  So we had an exciting ride and I took pictures of the landscape.  Parts of the drive showed me quite beautiful vistas, large trees (including huge mango trees), as we climbed in elevation.  Other areas were clear-cut of all trees and showed nothing but tree stumps and very little vegetation.  We also passed through villages and many dozens of people selling goods along the busy road.  Sheep, goats, cattle, and chickens roam freely along the roadside and in the towns.  Apparently, there are virtually no natural predators, and I think probably very little wildlife at all, in this part of Guinea.

The next day Baillo, Souley, and I head out to the forestry school, Ecole Nationale des Agents Techniques des Eaux et Forets (ENATEF).  I met my highly skilled and experienced interpreter, Damba -who helped me in so many ways besides simply translating my English into French.  Besides explaining Guinean culture and customs, Damba provided many useful suggestions throughout the workshop, as well as encouragement and always maintaining his sense of humor even after a long day in a hot classroom.  He was wonderful.

Teaching the class how to increase accuracy in GIS and GPS

ENATEF has a small campus surrounded by large trees, many of which were flowering or heavy with guava or mangos.  There are also many more birds than I had seen or heard anywhere else. One I think is a sunbird – a beautiful bright blue-green active individual drinking nectar from flowers, and another I later identified as a pied crow.  There are several buildings with classrooms and offices, a nursery with native plants, and houses (where I assume some staff lives with their families).

There were almost 20 workshop participants – students, instructors, and technicians.  The school wanted to train staff so that they, in turn, could train others and incorporate GIS and GPS into their classrooms.  (I have now learned that this Training of Trainers, or TOT, is a common, very efficient and successful strategy used by Winrock).

This first day of training passed in a blur.  Lots of time taken for introductions, speeches by the school and regional directors.  I could immediately tell that the participants are very, very serious about learning.  The participants set some ground rules, such as turning off cell phones – and people were teased good-naturedly the few times that a cell phone did go off.  Eventually, we launched into the actual workshop.  It was a bit chaotic because of the different languages, but we managed and had a few good laughs at the literal vs. figurative translations between English and French.

On the second day, the participants were given a GPS (lent by another organization) to use and they were like little kids with brand new toys – impatient and excited to get outside and start collecting GPS data.  Finally, they were allowed to go outside and collect data, then came back to download and process.

The other days passed quickly.  By the last day of the workshop, most of the students were no longer shy around me and there were lots of smiles and easy conversation.  The regional director of schools and the director of ENATEF both gave speeches and then we all handed out certificates of completion.  “Merci” was probably said 1000 times in just a few hours.  Each student wanted a picture with both directors and me (I was really quite honored).  The school wanted to give me a gift and requested that I choose something from a local vendor who would often sell his wares in the school parking lot.  I returned to my hotel with two beautiful clothes made in Guinea, completely overwhelmed and touched by the kindness and generosity of my gift from the school.

Then the next day it is back to Conakry, to complete a final report.  Also trying hard to find something uniquely “Guinean” for gifts, but at the markets, local products are almost entirely fruit (bananas, pineapple, mango, avocado), meat, or fresh-baked, delicious bread (my breakfast each day).  Most of the manufactured items in the markets are made in China.  Eventually, Souley triumphed and helped me locate a couple of gifts.  (My young nephews went crazy when I gave them football outfits that say “Guinean football”).  On Sunday I have to say goodbye to my new friends, Souley and Baillo, and then I fly back to the States.

This trip was a wonderful experience for me – besides learning a lot, it was so satisfying and fulfilling, and just a whole lot of fun.  I always smile when I think of Souley and Baillo and the people at ENATEF.  I hope I will have more opportunities like this, in the future.

Family Photo with the students of Ecole Nationale des Agents Techniques des Eaux et Forets (ENATEF)

My assignment was a five-day training for extension agents on the safe use of pesticides and integrated pest management strategies for mitigating pests of horticultural crops. Initially, my assignment was to take place in the Kindia region but was relocated to Conakry to accommodate beneficiaries experiencing budget changes. Because of the last-minute change, I was told to only expect 10 participants at most. Over 30 people came on the first day. The training was initially located in the Department of Agriculture but was moved to the Ministry of Agriculture on the day the training was to begin. After setting up in the conference room in our new location, we were told that the room had already been scheduled and we would have to move again; furthermore, the Minister of Agriculture wanted to meet with us before we began. So, first international volunteer experience, 3 location changes, over 30 participants instead of 10, I am now meeting with the Minister of Agriculture for the entire country, and I know zero French—welcome to Guinea, this is your itinerary for the next two weeks.

Though I felt my career as an extension agent had prepared me for a new level of flexibility, nothing could have put that to the test quite like my time in Guinea. Working with a translator for the first time was also a new experience and presented its own set of challenges, forcing me to slow down and to really think about what I was saying so that it could be translated and still have the same impact for the participants. There were a lot of times when I had absolutely no idea what was going on, though this was due in large part to the language barrier. That said, my translator, Ousmane, was amazing and extraordinarily patient with both myself and the participants and I am deeply grateful to have met and worked with him. I also have come to better appreciate the basic conditions we often take for granted in the U.S., like being able to rely on electricity, having access to affordable products that keep us safe from pesticides, or having safe, clean food and water.

Personally, I appreciated many things about Guinea, not least of which were the people. Observing day-to-day life in Guinea was at times difficult, at times frustrating, many times full of joy and hope, but it was always humbling. The thing that stands out most, the thing I cannot shake from my mind; it is the extraordinary resilience and determination of the people who live and work in Guinea, who have an enthusiastic approach to overcoming so many challenges that we cannot even begin to process here in the U.S.

My time in Guinea has given me so much more, I believe, than I was able to provide to the participants of the training. I have seen first-hand the differences between the United States and Guinea, but also the similarities of our people, including the shared desire to make each of our countries a better place for farmers and their families. Professionally, it has broadened my capacity to teach under ever-changing environments. It was challenging, but also very rewarding and I believe it has equipped me a new set of skills that I can use in my educational programs at home.

Personally, I am awestruck by the capacity of extension agents to perform their jobs with so little available resources. Communication, for example, cannot rely on internet and e-mail or cell phones. It must be more purposeful and as a result, more personal, with whomever they are speaking. This I will also take with me as I continue to build working relationships with my clientele in North Carolina.

I am deeply humbled to have been a firsthand witness to the passion that extension professionals in Guinea have for improving the lives of farmers and their families and I hope one day that I am fortunate enough to return. Maybe by then, my French will have improved.

Fruit and vegetable production is fundamental to food security and economic development in rural Guinea and efficient irrigation practices are vital for producers. Today’s blog comes from volunteer David Speidel, who trained members of the Microenterprise of Fruits and Vegetables Producers of Boulliwel in Guinea on water management and drip irrigation. David shares his reflections on the landscape and potential for agricultural success in Guinea.

“The Guinea Central Highlands of West Africa are a prominent feature of the region. These mountains block the early morning sun rays and during the rainy season catch the humid Atlantic air currents piling up the heavy air, into layers of clouds, making a glimpse of the sun shooting over the hills and under the clouds a rare and brief event at best. These rugged promenades of ridgelines, sheer cliffs, and peaks reaching 1,300 meters, for ancient range lack the smooth rounded hills expected of our mother continent. One rare afternoon, when the haze lifted, while I was looking west from the canyon west of Dalaba I counted nine, maybe eleven ridgelines formed in a north-south aspect, marching in echelon toward the Atlantic like some monster army of giants. In that regard the mountains are a force to be regarded with caution. Since it is this mountain barrier that must be breached by roads to reach the promise of prosperity offered by the iron and bauxite ore beneath the mountain and harvest the bounty of the land’s mangos and gardens of legumes that grow on its slopes.

 

The villages lay, nestled in the level folds of road every four to eight kilometers. The large towns, Kindia, Mamou and Dalaba occupy the important road junctures and the homes, street vendor shops and Mosques sprawl over the hills and up and down the valleys. In between are stretches of forested clad slopes, bare, nearly vertical walls of cliffs, and steep loam slopes in open sections of hillside gardens with short, six meter long, rows mounted up across the hillside to guide the coming runoff to outlets draining the runoff during the rainy season. Along the roadway are the promenades of granite, with balsa stone skins, standing alone, jutting into the sky or blocks of uplifted sandstone features crowned with the tropical vegetation makes the view unique. Found in protected places are the farms.

 

This is clearly a place where people are close to the land. Not once do I remember seeing a tractor. Everything is done by hand. The hand hoeing to mound up the garden rows in the deep loam along the second terrace landscapes which lay by streams or the making of new land on hillsides by mixing the barrowed soil with manure requires constant cultivation. The 3,000 milliliters of annual rainfall does provide the needed water. It also requires rebuilding the rows on the hillside and the drains in the valleys. During the dry season carrying of water in 20 liter buckets is another chore requiring hand labor to grow a crop. The small gardens that makeup the 26 hectare farm is worked by an association of individuals, lays near the village (Baadi) called Boulliwel. It is down in a valley below mountains raising 400 meters above which feed the springs that provide the water for the wells the women draw water from daily for their gardens. The farm association is at the end of a trail which runs two kilometers through a cattle pasture of scrub brush, burned each year to open the land to the sun and allow the grass to compete once the rains start. To reach the turn off of the unmarked trail one of the many dirt roads out of Boulliwel runs another two kilometers along the spine of a ridge high above the valley. This is the road that produce is carried to town for the weekend market.

 

The rangeland is a mystery. The scrub sends its roots deep into the cracks of granite that has only a thin entisol surface covered with scatted basaltic stones left eons ago. This early in the season between the dry and rainy period the land seems devoid of grass needed to feed the few horned cattle lying in the shade and chewing cud. Was this land once covered with the same red loam seen on the upper hill tops? Was it once fertile, only to have lost its topsoil to the demands of early agriculture? Today the scrub rangeland only supports sparse grass with the help of open fires to clear the brush that let the sunrays in and wait for the rains to come.

 

The rains come in the afternoons and late at night trailing into the early morning. The storms entertain with lightening shows and crack of thunder adequate to impress anyone familiar with our continental storms on the high plains. Then after the humid air has squeezed out its moisture, the clouds part and in one rare case the early morning rays peak over the high easterly ridge and splash a glow over the old crumbling French grandstand, sitting sad and forlorn in the abandon parade field now used for football. But before the image can be captured the sun slips higher back into the cloud shrouded haze. One last attempt was made when time allowed, plotting the capture of a sunset across the Dalaba canyon. The clouds were thick again blocking any view of the yellow sphere. Finally in a brief moment a deep red band, crossed a thin segment of the horizon. Rather than turning from yellow to orange and then darker shades of red it simply emerged and then slipped behind another ridgeline to close its day on this ancient continent and march westward across the Atlantic to the new world. Here in our higher latitudes sunrises over the Ozarks Mountains are long and colorful lasting 30 minutes for different shades of violet and purple in the pre dawns before reaching 30 minutes of the reds and orange colors ending up in yellow the late morning risers see. On the high plains the sunsets are longer yet and sparkle in the evening dust and can be enjoyed at leisure. In Africa the events are there, but shorter and difficult to capture. It takes both opportunity and planning. The beauty of this land is important to note and remember. But how to manage?

 

 

This is the question, how best to manage the land. To produce and harvest its bounty while ensuring its productivity is improved for future generations. How much of the steep hillsides can be reclaimed with additional soil and manure mixed into hillside mound gardens? This will depend on how much water can be moved, sustainably up from the lower valley streams and wells. And it will depend on how much produce can be marketed down the roads leading off of these mountains. Yes this is a land of giants, a giant called the Guinea Central Highlands.”