• About
  • Our Work
  • Join
  • Partner
  • Media
EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER

Sign-up for monthly updates on Winrock's work around the world.

VOLUNTEER BLOG

Mountains of Memories: Meet the Farmer-to-Farmer staff in Nepal

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Dwayne Deppe

Winrock International has a long history of contributing to Nepal’s development and has been working to increase economic opportunity and sustain resources while protecting the environment of Nepal for over 30 years. Across three decades, Winrock in Nepal has periodically shifted program focus to address the current needs of the country, designing specific thematic programs and developing a coherent institutional strategy, vision and mission. Keeping to Winrock International’s global mission is essential: “Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources.” (more…)

Posted in Asia, Nepal | Tagged agriculture, agriculture education & training, Farmer-to-Farmer, Nepal, youth

Winrock at a Glance

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Dwayne Deppe

This article is a contribution to a week-long blog carnival on USAID’s John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. From July 14-18, F2F program partners and American volunteers are sharing their knowledge and experience of providing technical assistance to farmers, farm groups, agribusinesses, service providers, and other agriculture sector institutions in developing and transitional countries. This blog carnival aims to capture and share this program experience. You can find all contributions on Agrilinks. (more…)

Tagged agriculture, Bangladesh, Farmer-to-Farmer, Guinea, international volunteer, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, senegal, Winrock

A Great Opportunity to Help a Developing Country

Posted on June 6, 2014

Dr. Andrew Sanchez recently completed his Farmer-to-Farmer assignment with the Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) in Nepal. Below, he reflects on his trip: (more…)

Posted in Asia, Nepal, Volunteer Feedback | Tagged agriculture education & training, international volunteer, knowledge transfer, Nepal

Training Key to Empowering People

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Jen Snow

Dr. Thomas DeGomez, from the University of Arizona, recently returned from his volunteer assignment with Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer program in Nepal. He shares his thoughts after spending two weeks training faculty at Nepal’s Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU):

“This assignment renewed my commitment to do whatever I can to help developing countries solve agricultural problems on the ground in the county where solutions are needed. This is the third assignment I have had in a developing country, and I find that many of the same problems exist no matter which part of the world. Training is key to empowering local people to solving their specific problems in agricultural production. The countries of the developed world can not solve problems in the developing world by giving material goods to them. We need to promote the sharing of technology so that people overcome the hurdles placed in their way.”

DeGomez’ work will help AFU strengthen its curriculum and extension services for agriculture students and smallholder farmers. (more…)

Posted in Asia, Nepal, Volunteer Feedback | Tagged agriculture, Farmer-to-Farmer, international volunteer, knowledge transfer, Nepal

Farmer-to-Farmer: First Impressions from a Recent Visit to Nepal

Posted on July 30, 2012

Mark Sieffert from Winrock’s agriculture unit recently traveled to Nepal to visit Winrock agriculture programs. During his trip, he also met staff and hosts that have worked with Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers. Below, he shares his first impressions of the Farmer-to-Farmer program and how it has worked in Nepal:

–

When American experts decide to volunteer with Farmer-to-Farmer, they need to know that they will be taken care of in an unfamiliar nation. Knowing that everyday details have been taken care of, a volunteer can quickly acclimate and get to work.

In Nepal, Winrock has a small, but dedicated and highly experienced team committed to supporting a volunteer before, during, and after his or her placement so that the volunteer can focus on the most important aspects of the visit: imparting as much information as possible to project beneficiaries.

Winrock employees Amar Thing and Ajaya Bajracharya lead the effort to welcome volunteers and coordinate their efforts. They understand the challenges of traveling in Nepal’s many remote agricultural areas with visiting foreign guests. Just as important, both are seasoned agricultural professionals who possess the broad range of technological abilities needed to translate instruction in a way that local learners will understand. Both are fluent in English, Nepali, and a handful of other local languages.

Ajaya (Second from Right)

Ajaya (Second from Right)

When the volunteer touches down, the details, including lodging, food, itinerary, and contacts have been taken care of. The volunteer can immediately get down to work. (That’s not to say complications don’t emerge. But when they do, Amar and Ajaya have the experience to nimbly respond.) At the close of the volunteer’s engagement, Amar and Ajaya help him or her prepare an end of assignment report. Not only does this document justify the resources USAID has spent on the placement, it also recommends metrics to evaluate outcomes and suggests areas for future work. The Winrock-Nepal team always incorporates volunteer placements in larger projects underway throughout the country.

While the welcome extended to volunteers is a natural extension of Nepali hospitality, Amar and Ajaya pay special attention to make their guests feel at ease. In part, they do so because of the tremendous value they see in volunteer placements for the projects they work on. For Amar, the impacts on local people are almost always immediately apparent. Referring to agro-entrepreneurs trained by visiting Americans: “One thing I can assure you: all these people trained by Americans have been able to increase their prestige, their clients, and their incomes. Their confidence grows, now that they have been trained by an international expert.”

Amar in the field with a volunteer and trainees

Amar in the field with a volunteer and trainees

According to Ajaya, “When an American expert provides training, it adds prestige. The beneficiaries listen very carefully because they know that these new practices are [of] an international standard.”

Because of the unquestioned value added by volunteers, Amar and Ajaya do all they can to keep a stream of American volunteers coming to Nepal by supporting those volunteers from the moment they set foot in Kathmandu.

A suite at the Marriott and drive-thru hamburgers may not be in the cards for a Winrock Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer in Nepal, but a visiting American couldn’t ask to be in better hands.

Posted in Asia, Nepal | Tagged agriculture, international volunteer, Nepal, Winrock
ABOUT FARMER-TO-FARMER WINROCK VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE

SUBSCRIBE TO POSTS

Loading

ARCHIVE

  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011

CATEGORIES

  • AET
  • Africa
    • Ghana
    • Senegal
  • Asia
  • Bangladesh
  • Cuba
  • El Salvador
  • Ethiopia
  • Field Staff
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Latin America
  • Mali
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Nigeria
  • Postharvest
  • Rural Livelihoods
  • Senegal
  • Spotlights
  • Volunteer Feedback
  • Volunteer of the Month
  • Winrock Staff
WinrockIntl
Tweets by @WinrockIntl
Follow @WinrockIntl
« Previous Page 1 … 4 5 6

204 E 4th Street | North Little Rock, Arkansas 72114

ph +1 501 280 3000 | fx +1 501 280 3090

2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 700 | Arlington, Virginia 22202

ph +1 703 302 6500 | fx +1 703 302 6512

  • Contact
  • E-News Signup
  • Low Bandwidth
  • Code of Conduct
  • Privacy Statement & Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Anti-Trafficking
Copyright © 2015- Winrock International
DEV ENVIRONMENT