Volunteer Stories


David Bernheisel

Angola

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

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Michael Brugger

Armenia

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James Anderson

Bangladesh

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

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Bauer Duke

Bangladesh

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

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Dr. Bruce Williams

Bangladesh

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Dr. Usha Palaniswamy

Bangladesh

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

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Cliff Wener

Bangladesh

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

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Toton Léopold

Benin

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Alan Robinson

Cambodia

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

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Bryan Dodson

Colombia

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Kath Lestina

Colombia

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

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Michael Morrow

Colombia

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

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Jon Thiele

Congo

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

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Wendy Sealey

Congo

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

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Bill Nichols

Dominican Republic

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

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Melanie Forstrom

Dominican Republic

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Rebecca Roebber

Ecuador

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

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Stephen Peterson

Egypt

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

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Erin Mies

Egypt

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

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Dr. Heidi Kassenborg

Egypt

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

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Nimer Al-Shadfan

Egypt

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

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Sherry - Land O'Lakes International Development

Egypt

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

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Eric Bowman

El Salvador

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

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Erika Brown

El Salvador

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Anais Troadec

Ethiopia

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

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David Pearce

Ethiopia

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

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Julie Longland

Ethiopia

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

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Carmen Byce

Ethiopia

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

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Phil Smith

Ghana

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

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Dr. David Addae

Ghana

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

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John Wallbrown

Ghana

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

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Dr. Bill Zimmerman

Ghana

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

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Makeba Clay

Ghana

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

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Dr. Dan McGrath

Ghana

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

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Felicia Bell

Ghana

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Steve Morgan

Georgia

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

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Carl Bannon

Georgia

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Marco Malatrasi

Georgia

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Kevin Mis Solval

Guatemala

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Kristen Gartland

Guatemala

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

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Dr. Steve Johnson

Guatemala

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

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Melissa Delzio

Guatemala

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

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Blake Scott

Guatemala

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

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Sam Marshall

Guinea

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

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Trevor Hylton

Haiti

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

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Howard Fenton

Haiti

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Dr. Mehboob Sheikh

India

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

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Jim Riddle

Jamaica

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

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Angela Caporelli

Kenya

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

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LaRon Beemer

Kenya

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

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Hellen Kuthea Kitonga and Adrienne Pierce

Kenya

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Russ Zick

Kosovo

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

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Ross Penhallegon

Kyrgyzstan

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

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David Ringuette

Kyrgyzstan

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

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David Roberts

Kyrgyzstan

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

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Rich Harrill

Kyrgyzstan

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Dr. Mushtaq Memon

Lebanon

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

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Karen Barnett

Lebanon

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

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Gary Geisler

Lebanon

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

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John Felsk

Lebanon

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

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Heidi Lammers, Jerry Heaps and Anthony Vojta

Lebanon

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

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Dr. Ashraf Hassan

Lebanon

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

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Dr. Patricia Pratt

Lebanon

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

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Dr. Renae Moran

Lebanon

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

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Dan Halsey

Lebanon

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

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Christopher Mallek

Lebanon

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

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Garielle Bohlman

Lebanon

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

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Amanda Newton

Lebanon

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Julia Moore

Liberia

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

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Matthew Amato

Madagascar

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

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John Casazza

Malawi

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

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Wayne Burleson

Malawi

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

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Matt Cleaver

Malawi

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

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Benedicto Marinas

Mali

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

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Sarah Master

Mali

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

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Dr. Bruce Bowman

Mongolia

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

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Shayan Ghajar

Mongolia

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

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Mark Teets

Mongolia

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

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Jan Buresh

Morocco

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

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Catherine Rasmussen

Morocco

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

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Mark Apel

Morocco

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Farmers Teach the Next Generation in Mozambique

Mozambique

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

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Mike Sturdivant

Myanmar

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

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Dorene Petersen

Nepal

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

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Robert Bond

Nepal

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

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Dipak Mainali

Nepal

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Archie Devore

Nepal

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Dr. Henry Van Cotter

Nepal

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Jolene Warnke Roszel

Nigeria

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

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Dr. Onesimus Otieno

Nigeria

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

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Ian Robinson

Panama

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

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George Victor Otoo

Philippines

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Eric Doesburg

Philippines

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Jillann Richardson

Philippines

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Sonja Marie Hansen

Philippines

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Annette Acosta

Philippines

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Amy Conard

Philippines

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Drew Hauffe

Philippines

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Matthew Buonopane

Philippines

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Maria Witz

Philippines

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Jay Ahuja

Philippines

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Tony Timmons

Philippines

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Azam Husain

Philippines

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Radhika Batra

Philippines

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Jay Ahuja

Philippines

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Chelsea Johnson

Philippines

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Kenneth Abbott

Philippines

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Brian Horsley

Philippines

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Susan Gurley

Philippines

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Christian Carroll

Philippines

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Grace Bhairo

Philippines

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Paul Christ

Russia

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

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Lance Staggenborg

Rwanda

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

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Leah Tewksbury

Rwanda

Leah Tewksbury shares recommendations from work with cooperative in Rwanda

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Elizabeth Norden

Rwanda

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Rachel Schattman

Senegal

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

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Erin Schneider

Senegal

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

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Sequoia Ireland

Senegal

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

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Ples Spradley

Senegal

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

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Bob Shumaker

Senegal

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

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Hans Kandel

Sierra Leone

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

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Bruce Gregory

Tajikistan

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

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Sen Seong

Tajikistan

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

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Frank Wertheim

Tanzania

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Chelsea Johnson

Timor-Leste

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Zaquiel Martins

Timor-Leste

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Ryan Ringuette

Uganda

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

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Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer of the Year Returns for Third Assignment in Zambia

Zambia

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

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Jock Brandis and Randy Shackelford

Zambia

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

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Charlene Nash: VEGA Volunteer of the Year

Zambia

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

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Andrew Clark

Zimbabwe

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Behind the Success of the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Approach

Other

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

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F2F Host in Colombia Launches Skincare Products at Whole Foods

Other

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

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Host Spotlight: Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala

Other

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

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Malawi Government Impressed with USAID Funded Farmer-to-Farmer Project

Other

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

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Supporting Mango Farming Among Women in Kitui County by Enhancing the Capacity of Local Mango Processor

Other

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

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Credit and Savings Training Leads Farmers Association and Surrounding Community to Financial Success

Other

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

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