Farmer-to-Farmer Program: Southern Africa

12/05/2024

Congratulations to John Griffis for being awarded CNFA's 2024 Volunteer of the Year!
Thanks to his 2019 tissue culture support in Malawi, host, Hortinet Food, was able produced 750,000 banana plantlets by 2024. Five years later, in November, he returned to train the lab staff in tissue culture procedures for producing disease-free potato seeds as Hortinet expanded beyond bananas. This training paved the way for large-scale potato multiplication. Congrats, John!

https://buff.ly/49qrAi7?

07/16/2024

Dr. William J Zimmerman, a seasoned and experienced US Volunteer completed a Biopesticide and Biofertilizer Manufacturing training at Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre in Mount Hampden, Harare Zimbabwe. Twenty-three staff members and students (nine women and five youths) were capacitated on the production and application of organic pesticides and fertilizers through hands-on practical sessions and theoretical lessons. They learned techniques for selecting raw materials, formulating microbial mixes, and implementing quality control standards. Fambidzanai Centre is now equipped to boost soil health and provide eco-friendly pest management options to farmers while meeting international production standards. The training aimed to promote sustainable agricultural practices and reduce reliance on harmful chemicals in farming.

06/27/2024

Volunteer John Griffis returned to Malawi this last for his third assignment to assist Hortinet Foods Limited to become the first private sector tissue culture lab in Malawi. In 2019-2020, Mr. Griffis conducted two assignments with Hortinet on tissue culture bananas, first supporting the layout and process of the tissue culture lab to facilitate efficient operation, then training the staff in banana tissue culture techniques. Hortinet now aims to diversify into the production of disease-free potatoes through tissue culture that could greatly reduce Malawian dependence on potato imports from South Africa and Zambia. Outgrower farmers would also realize profits more quickly from potatoes, a short-cycle crop. On this visit, Mr Griffis trained Hortinet laboratory workers in tissue culture protocols for producing disease-free potato plantlets, including media preparation, explant methods, multiplication techniques, and weaning and hardening process, as well as guidelines for handling potato germplasm outsourced from the SADC region.

06/25/2024

Last month Claudia Dunkley from Georgia, USA, provided training to Chipata District Farmers’ Association on the formulation and processing of poultry feed. The Association plans to establish a stock feed production plant, starting with poultry feed. The training covered topics such as feed ingredients, their quality control, and ways to determine their quality as well as processing and preservation of feeds. Ms. Dunkley also mentored and coached the association in managing a sustainable and profitable feed formulation business.

06/24/2024

June Marks the US National Oceans Month:

We would like to highlight the world’s oceans during June as it is US National Oceans Month. As quoted in A Proclamation on National Ocean Month, 2021, from the White House, the world’s ocean basins are critical to the success of our Nation and, indeed, to life on Earth. The ocean powers our economy, provides food for billions of people, supplies 50 percent of the world’s oxygen, offers recreational opportunities for us to enjoy, and regulates weather patterns and our global climate system.

CNFA Farmer to Farmer has assisted with fishermen on Madagascar’s coast where industrial fishing puts the small local fishers, who have used the same traditional methods for decades, at a disadvantage. Farmer to Farmer has sent volunteers to Madagascar to assist these fishermen with trainings in safe fishing techniques, and in fish processing and post-harvest handling. Training local fishermen to fish responsibly not only provides income to families but they are less likely to escalate issues that lead to high risk of many fish species becoming extinct and a high risk of degradation of the marine ecosystems.

The world’s ocean basins are critical to the success of our Nation and, indeed, to life on Earth.  The ocean powers our economy, provides food for billions of people, supplies 50 percent of the world’s oxygen, offers recreational opportunities for us to enjoy, and regulates weather patterns ...

04/26/2024

Yesterday marked the launch of the Farmer-to-Farmer Program in . The successful event was attended by notable stakeholders and partners and consisted of remarks by Osagie Aimiuwu, Director of USAID’s Economic Growth Office; the current Zimbabwe program’s first volunteer, Kathrine Cassidy; representatives of two hosts organizations, Deure Cooperative and Zimunda Irrigation Scheme; and F2F program’s partners LEAD and USAID FARM. Additionally, Paul Sippola, CNFA’s Senior Vice President of Programs, gave welcome remarks, and CNFA's Program Director, Marjatta Eilitta, and Zimbabwe country director, Sibongakonke Ndlovu, presented the new program.

Many program partners from development projects and the private sector participated. This is notable as this is also U.S. . We would like to take the time to appreciate all our volunteers past, present, and future. If you would like to volunteer with Farmer-to-Farmer: Southern Africa, email your CV to Farmer-to-Farmer Recruitment at [email protected].

USAID - US Agency for International Development USAID Southern Africa USAID Zimbabwe

03/29/2024

Rachael Nkhoma has been an interpreter for the CNFA-implemented F2F program in Zambia since 2019. She works well with all the volunteers, connects well with them and she is good at what she does. She has a passion for women empowerment and likes seeing women improve their livelihoods. Interpreting has presented her an opportunity to meet different people and learn from them. In her own words:

“I love interpreting for volunteers because of the passion I have for agriculture. F2F has provided me an opportunity to interact with farmers which was the reason I did a course in agriculture. It is also refreshing to learn from volunteers and with each volunteer, I have learned something new.”

- Rachael Nkhoma, F2F Interpreter Zambia

03/28/2024

“It was so rewarding to share my knowledge and experience with entrepreneurs in Mozambique. I am extraordinarily impressed with the women I had the privilege to work with in Mozambique: passionate, tireless, hardworking, future focused. And smart! Wanted to absorb and implement knowledge and training. Such a blessing to me personally.”

- Marilyn Phillips, F2F Volunteer, completed a Marketing Plan Development Assignment in Mozambique

03/28/2024

“One of the most satisfying aspects of my F2F volunteer experiences is working with committed, knowledgeable women who are committed to making their businesses, their organizations, and their countries more successful. In May 2023 I had the opportunity to work with Tatiana Nistorica, president of the Moldova Organic Value Chain Alliance https://buff.ly/3TSdMH5 on a plan to build membership growth and sustainability. I look forward to new opportunities to work with amazing women through CNFA and F2F.”

-Lani Jordan, F2F Volunteer, assisted the host in public relations and communication best practices.

03/27/2024

“My assignment to Zimbabwe was one of delight, filled with surprises and humility as I experienced cultural diplomacy in action. We exchanged ideas, information, and other aspects of culture, and the Zimbabwean hospitality and warm welcome humbled me. As with my other assignments, the gender dynamics were great due to females having a female trainer because they aligned well with me as a woman and the men experienced having a qualified female trainer.”

- Usha R. Palaniswamy, F2F Volunteer, provided training in Legume productions to improve agronomic practices of the host.

03/27/2024

As Women's History Month draws to a close, F2F Southern Africa would like to thank the many women experts that have assisted our hosts! We can only highlight a few – and will start with our volunteer Angela Caporelli, who completed an assignment in Madagascar in support of fishermen from Anadrivola in fishing practices at the bay of Antogil and fish farming:

“I would like to think I made a difference in the lives of those fishermen and farmers looking to add aquaculture to their farming activities in order to increase availability of high-quality protein in local markets, while shifting the pressure off the wild catch. They now have the tools and confidence to make it happen.”
- Angela Caporelli, F2F Volunteer

02/12/2024

Next month, the inaugural SOY 360° - Edible Oil Processing training course kicks off, with the goal of enhancing the capacity and efficiency of Sub-Saharan African oilseed processors. Developed by the National Agricultural Research Library, Makerere University, AOCS, American Oil Chemists' Society, CNFA and the Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab, the course draws from the successful Processor-to-Processor initiative developed with AOCS and the Soybean Innovation Lab under CNFA’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program: Southern Africa. Register to attend at the link here: https://bit.ly/4biyOVY

USAID - US Agency for International Development
Farmer-to-Farmer