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Inside Grower Magazine: Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteers Helping the World Grow
| David Kuack
Horticulture industry members who participate in the Farmer-to-Farmer program transform families and communities in developing countries.
This article was originally posted in Inside Grower Magazine, written by David Kuack.
EXCERPT:
VEGA manages the Farmer-to-Farmer Special Program Support Project (SPSP), a component of the worldwide Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program, which promotes sustainable economic growth, food security and agricultural development worldwide. F2F was initially authorized by Congress in the 1985 Farm Bill. It was designated as the John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program in honor of one of the program’s pilots killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and former Congressman Bereuter, who initially sponsored the program. “Typically, every five years, Congress reauthorizes this program through the U.S. Farm Bill,” said Angela. “Reauthorization is coming up again in 2018. Over the course of 30 years, the program has mobilized more than 16,700 volunteers and supported nearly 12,000 organizations in 112 developing countries, assisting more than 1.2 million people with peer-to-peer technical assistance. ”American F2F volunteer experts work with people in developing countries who seek to improve productivity, access new markets, build local capacity, prevent climate change and conserve natural resources.