News

Farmer-to-Farmer Supports Sustainable Livestock Systems in Jamaica and Guyana

| Partners of the Americas

Livestock is a critical part of sustainable agriculture that international development projects must address to advance livelihoods globally while simultaneously protecting Earth’s precious natural resources. Since 1991, Partners of the Americas (POA) has worked on the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F), which aims to improve the sustainable use of natural resources through …

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If you Guild it, they will come: F2F Guatemala’s unique approach to virtual extension support with small ruminant associations during the pandemic

| Partners of the Americas

Written by Otto Rivera, F2F Field Officer in Guatemala. This article was originally posted here.

Guatemalan smallholder farmers were hit especially hard by COVID-19’s impact on agricultural value chains. While many do not have access to technical assistance and training during normal conditions, the pandemic worsened this isolation as …

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Resilience During a Pandemic

| Partners of the Americas

USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Guatemala Host Adapts Business Model and Perseveres

Like others throughout the world, many farmers and agribusinesses are beginning to suffer substantial economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them, however, are leveraging knowledge and skills gained through the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F) and are now better-positioned to …

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Host Spotlight: Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala

| Partners of the Americas

The Federacion Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG) is an association of small organic coffee producers established in 2006. FECCEG currently works with 10 cooperatives in Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Sololá, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango, and over 1,000 farmers, of which more than 350 are women. Their mission is to promote and …

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Partners of the Americas Farmer-to-Farmer 2017: Year at a Glance

| Partners of the Americas

For the past 23 years, Partners of the Americas' Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program has transformed lives in 30 countries across Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. F2F connects specialized volunteers from the United States with farmers, cooperatives, agribusinesses, extension services, government agencies and other institutions. F2F is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

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Farmer-to-Farmer Makes History in Goat Reproduction to Combat Malnutrition and Food Insecurity in the Western Highlands, Guatemala

| Partners of the Americas

Guatemala has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the Americas. However, the situation is most severe in the northern region of the Western Highlands. The Departments of Quiché and Huehuetenango have the highest prevalence of malnutrition in the country, where almost two of every three children suffer from chronic malnutrition. In response to the prevailing problem of child malnutrition in this region, goat milk has represented an important tool to combat malnutrition. In Quiché, Save the Children and the Agros Foundation founded the Center for Goat Production in the Altiplano of Guatemala (CEPROCAL-Altiplano), a goat reproduction center that trains technicians and farmers in the management and production of dairy goats, goat milk, and other goat products.

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A Visit by F2F Volunteer and Apiculture Expert, Dr. Ethel Villalobos

| Partners of the Americas

Dr. Villalobos is the Director of the Honeybee Project at the University of Hawaii – Manoa. During her decades-long career of working with honeybees, she has led groundbreaking research on varroa treatments, mite-bee interactions, colony health assessment, as well as hygienic behavior. Moreover, she has also been developing a series of outreach programs for underserved Costa Rican farmers in need of pollination services. In fact, it was her passion for empowering impoverished farmers with practical beekeeping skills, which inspire her to sign up as a volunteer with Partners of the Americas’ F2F program.

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Plastic Recycling in the Dominican Republic: Working with Banana Associations on Waste Management

| Partners of the Americas

This article was originally written by Partners of the Americas. 

Situation

Based on the priorities of the USAID Mission in the Dominican Republic (DR), Partners of the Americas’ 2013-2018 DR Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program is focused on “increasing the resilience of vulnerable populations and organizations to the impacts of Global Climate …

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From the Schoolyard to the Riverfront: Students Learn Local Methods to Measure Water Quality in the Dominican Republic

| Partners of the Americas

In the Dominican Republic (DR), the Escuela Nacional del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de Jarabacoa (Jarabacoa National Environmental and Natural Resources School) is dedicated to building the next generation of environmental leaders. The Jarabacoa School enrolls 50 students per year into a 2 . year technical program that teaches environmental management, forestry, park management, eco-tourism, and other related fields. As a result of global climate change, which has led to more frequent and severe droughts, floods, and storms in the region, the Jarabacoa School wanted to incorporate issues of climate change into their curriculum. However, their curriculum was out of date and the school has limited resources and capacity to find techniques to teach about climate change that could be integrated into their curriculum.

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