Farmer-To-Farmer | Volunteer Stories

Angola

Since 1991, the 81-year-old Lewes man tried to spread his business knowledge and ensure democracy thrives…

Armenia

Bangladesh

UW-Extension educator James Anderson recently completed a volunteer assignment in Bangladesh funded…

Bangladesh

Bauer Duke, Extension specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture,…

Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Dr. Usha Palaniswamy, an adjunct professor at Strayer University, has volunteered seven times with Winrock,…

Bangladesh

Cliff Wener is a food service, food processing and hospitality expert from Winnetka, Illinois. Over…

Benin

Cambodia

Critical to evaluating potential for developing community-based ecotourism is understanding people’s…

Colombia

Colombia

In March 2018, Kathleen (Kath) Lestina, a business owner and designer from the United States, traveled…

Colombia

In Colombia, the market conditions for the majority of food produced by small and medium farmers are…

Congo

Jon Thiele is an agribusiness and microfinance expert who has focused on international development consulting…

Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of the most challenging places served by the USAID-supported…

Dominican Republic

Bill Nichols is a Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) veteran. A graduate of West Point and Harvard Business School,…

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Chuya Yaku is a Kichwa community in Ecuador located in the heart of the Amazon. Their cacao growing…

Egypt

While in Egypt, Stephen offered guidance to several apiaries on the importance of optimum spacing of…

Egypt

I am a Human Resources business partner with the Purina Sales and Customer Operations teams based out…

Egypt

In December of 2014, Heidi, a veterinarian and former Director of the Dairy and Food Inspection Division…

Egypt

In December 2015, Nimer Al-Shadfan, a Land O’Lakes, Inc. employee, went on a volunteer assignment…

Egypt

It was incredibly fulfilling to help people improve their operation and jobs – especially in such…

El Salvador

Objective: To provide El Salvadorian cooperatives, particularly Board Members and management, governance…

El Salvador

Ethiopia

In 2013, Anais traveled to Ethiopia and completed her third trip to Guinea. In Ethiopia, she led workshops…

Ethiopia

During his volunteer assignment in Ethiopia, David trained members of two dairy cooperatives, Abdi Gudina…

Ethiopia

Julie Longland has served as a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer in Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Mozambique, Nepal…

Ethiopia

The Melka Abune Aregawi Nunnery runs various community and welfare services including managing 40 acres…

Ghana

In April, I arrived home from Ghana after completing an ACDI/VOCA volunteer assignment with the USAID-funded…

Ghana

In Twapease, Ghana, the Dekaworwor Rice Growers’ Association has seen a dramatic increase in rice…

Ghana

On March 15th, 2013 John Wallbrown returned from Ghana after three weeks as a volunteer for the U.S.…

Ghana

Jirapa District in the Upper West Region of Ghana is dominated by smallholder farmers who grow crops…

Ghana

It’s so hard to believe that I have only been working with the farmers of the Techiman Maize Traders…

Ghana

In northern Ghana, where nearly half the population lives in poverty amid the vast savanna, agriculture…

Ghana

Georgia

Entrepreneur Gocha Gagashvili started his milk collecting and cheese production business in 2008 in…

Georgia

Georgia

Guatemala

Guatemala

Kristen Gartland traveled to Guatemala as an F2F volunteer for 2 weeks in March 2018 to assist CEPROCAL…

Guatemala

The distance between Maine and Sibinal, Guatemala is over 3,600 miles. Sibinal is a mountainous municipality…

Guatemala

With his silver-streaked beard and fashion scarf, seated in Sukhasana (a yoga meditation pose), Marco…

Guatemala

At just over 6200ft elevation, winded, but yet proud of my accomplishment, I began setting up my camera…

Guinea

My assignment was a five-day training for extension agents on the safe use of pesticides and integrated…

Haiti

As a result of Trevor’s assignment, the students and farmers are better equipped to understand the…

Haiti

India

In India’s Gujarat State, farmers have suffered great losses in their harvest and income due to high…

Jamaica

Locals in Kingston, Jamaica are flocking to the Ujima Natural Farmer’s Market to purchase local, natural…

Kenya

While in Kenya, Angela evaluated an established aquaculture field station and reported on the efficacy…

Kenya

Brownsburg resident LaRon Beemer, a competitive intelligence manager for the Agricultural Division of…

Kenya

Kosovo

Through summer 2017, EWB-USA’s Engineering Service Corps (ESC) will be working alongside Kosovo’s…

Kyrgyzstan

Fruit production employs more than 35,000 people in the Kyrgyz Republic’s Issyk-Kul Oblast, where…

Kyrgyzstan

In the past three years, I have completed 17 volunteer assignments in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.…

Kyrgyzstan

May 2017—In 2007, Emilbek Shamyrkanov started his own cattle-rearing business and dairy farm in northeast…

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

Objective: To help organizations understand prevailing endemic livestock diseases and improve livestock…

Lebanon

Green Hand is a Lebanese nonprofit fully run by unpaid, but highly motivated team members. For years,…

Lebanon

In 2014, Gary Geisler, a calf and heifer specialist with Purina Animal Nutrition, a wholly owned subsidiary…

Lebanon

Since 2014, Lebanon has been facing a food safety crisis with foodbourne illnesses on the rise. In order…

Lebanon

Lebanon doesn't have a robust food quality regulation, but there appears to be some movement in the…

Lebanon

Associate Professor of Dairy Science at South Dakota State University, Dr. Ashraf Hassan, recently completed…

Lebanon

Food safety is one of the biggest challenges faced by the agriculture and trade industries in Lebanon,…

Lebanon

The apple industry in Lebanon faces major challenges. Most apples were previously exported through Syria…

Lebanon

Dan Halsey, a Permaculture Research Institute designer and lecturer from Minnesota, never dreamed his…

Lebanon

In March of 2016 , the Farmer-to-Farmer Program in the Middle East and North Africa (F2F MENA) implemented…

Lebanon

Lebanon is one of the most forested countries in the Middle East and is known for its iconic cedar forests.…

Lebanon

Liberia

For 20 years, Julia Moore’s father, Bill Eyman, traveled the world as an ACDI/VOCA volunteer for USAID’s…

Madagascar

As a volunteer for VEGA’s Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Special Program Support Project in Madagascar, Matthew…

Malawi

There is a high demand for organic coffee in the world, and a small cooperative in Malawi called Ntchisi…

Malawi

Wayne Burleson is a passionate volunteer, having completed over fourteen assignments with the Farmer-to-Farmer…

Malawi

The cultivation of oyster mushrooms, which are not native to Malawi, was first introduced in the early…

Mali

In the village of Solla-Bougouda, as in many other villages in the West Sikasso region, most families…

Mali

The Sikasso region has higher rainfall than most other areas of Mali and some of the best agricultural…

Mongolia

The rolling landscape is brown and brittle for as far as I can see. A ridgetop observation point allows…

Mongolia

Mongolia's rangelands are an unfenced expanse of undulating hills covered in grasses, livestock, and…

Mongolia

My name is Mark Teets and I was born to a farming family in West Virginia. I was raised on a dairy farm…

Morocco

Volunteers have been a critical part of IESC’s mission since 1964. The Frank Pace Award, named for…

Morocco

The Rural Leadership Farmer-to-Farmer Program in Morocco included virtual and in-person trainings. The…

Morocco

Mozambique

The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Farmer-to-Farmer program is pairing highly-skilled…

Myanmar

Mike Sturdivant is a soil conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a department…

Nepal

Last fall, I traveled from my home in Portland, Oregon to the southern lowland area of Nepal known as…

Nepal

Bob Bond, a consultant from Weaverville, NC, traveled to Nepal for 2 1/2 weeks in April to share his…

Nepal

Nepal

Nepal

Nigeria

Jolene was nominated by the Nigeria Farmer to Farmer team because she demonstrated a commitment to the…

Nigeria

Winrock International’s Nigeria Farmer-to-Farmer staff have nominated Dr. Onesimus Otieno as the December…

Panama

Panama - Located in eastern Panama along the country’s border with Colombia, the Darien region is…

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Philippines

Russia

Paul Christ, retired Vice President, Economics and Risk Management for Land O’Lakes, applied his 26…

Rwanda

Rwanda has only been in feed operations for about two years and their production capacity is small.…

Rwanda

Leah Tewksbury shares recommendations from work with cooperative in Rwanda

Rwanda

Senegal

I have been working in agriculture, either as a farm worker, farm owner, or Extension specialist for…

Senegal

Erin Schneider has been volunteering with NCBA CLUSA’s Senegal Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program since…

Senegal

In May of 2016, Sequoia, an organic vegetable and animal health specialist, traveled to the Koalack…

Senegal

In September 2015, US pesticide safety educator Ples Spradley traveled to Senegal as an expert volunteer,…

Senegal

Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer Bob Shumaker recently completed his fourth F2F assignment, leading trainings…

Sierra Leone

North Dakota State University professor and Extension agronomist Hans Kandel traveled to Sierra Leone…

Tajikistan

Alisher Dehkan Farm in Tajikistan’s Khatlon Province has been producing apples, plums, bing cherry,…

Tajikistan

Sen Seong is an entomologist based in Gurnee, Illinois, and a recurring volunteer with ACDI/VOCA’s…

Tanzania

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste

Uganda

Volunteering has (accidentally) become my family’s tradition. Both my father and mother are Returned…

Zambia

Jock Brandis and Randy Shackleford test peanut aflatoxin levels in the tailgate of their truck in Chipata,…

Zambia

Jock Brandis is the founder and research and development director of Full Belly Project, a North Carolina-based…

Zambia

Charlene Nash has volunteered three times with National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International…

Zimbabwe

Other

The concept of Farmer to Farmer is simple. U.S. volunteers with decades of experience in farming and…

Other

This article was authored by Andrés Varona and Taylor Nelson of Partners of the Americas and originally…

Other

The Federacion Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG) is an association of small…

Other

Authorities have expressed satisfaction with the efforts by the Washington DC based non partisan organization,…

Other

Today, Kalumu has a reason to smile. In a given season, she earns between $500-800, and last season…

Other

Tadzera Kulima, a local name meaning “we are here for farming,” is a farmers’ association located…

Volunteer Stories

David Bernheisel

Michael Brugger

James Anderson

Bauer Duke

Dr. Bruce Williams

Dr. Usha Palaniswamy

Cliff Wener

Toton Léopold

Alan Robinson

Bryan Dodson

Kath Lestina

Michael Morrow

Jon Thiele

Wendy Sealey

Bill Nichols

Melanie Forstrom

Rebecca Roebber

Stephen Peterson

Erin Mies

Dr. Heidi Kassenborg

Nimer Al-Shadfan

Sherry - Land O'Lakes International Development

Eric Bowman

Erika Brown

Anais Troadec

David Pearce

Julie Longland

Carmen Byce

Phil Smith

Dr. David Addae

John Wallbrown

Dr. Bill Zimmerman

Makeba Clay

Dr. Dan McGrath

Felicia Bell

Steve Morgan

Carl Bannon

Marco Malatrasi

Kevin Mis Solval

Kristen Gartland

Dr. Steve Johnson

Melissa Delzio

Blake Scott

Sam Marshall

Trevor Hylton

Howard Fenton

Dr. Mehboob Sheikh

Jim Riddle

Angela Caporelli

LaRon Beemer

Hellen Kuthea Kitonga and Adrienne Pierce

Russ Zick

Ross Penhallegon

David Ringuette

David Roberts

Rich Harrill

Dr. Mushtaq Memon

Karen Barnett

Gary Geisler

John Felsk

Heidi Lammers, Jerry Heaps and Anthony Vojta

Dr. Ashraf Hassan

Dr. Patricia Pratt

Dr. Renae Moran

Dan Halsey

Christopher Mallek

Garielle Bohlman

Amanda Newton

Julia Moore

Matthew Amato

John Casazza

Wayne Burleson

Matt Cleaver

Benedicto Marinas

Sarah Master

Dr. Bruce Bowman

Shayan Ghajar

Mark Teets

Jan Buresh