(Washington, DC) Partners of the Americas has been selected by the U.S. Agency for International Development to implement an agricultural technical assistance program in the Caribbean to help alleviate the region’s food shortage crisis. The John Ogonowski Farmer to Farmer Program will run from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2013 in the four primary countries of Haiti, Guyana, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, as well as other countries such as Jamaica, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Congressman Kendrick Meek commented, “[T]he world is experiencing a food crisis. Food prices have skyrocketed, causing severe hardship and suffering across the developing world, especially among the more than 800 million people who are already affected by chronic hunger. These soaring prices, the impact on vulnerable groups, and the resulting increased risks of social unrest have made agricultural development a top global priority.”

Partners of the Americas is a private, non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization with 120 chapters linked in 60 partnerships developing leadership, understanding and opportunity in the Western Hemisphere. The Farmer to Farmer Program provides technical assistance through U.S. agricultural volunteers who work with local agricultural producers, producer organizations, and agribusinesses in the Caribbean to increase farm production and farmer incomes while preserving the natural resource base.

“In 1985, Congress and USAID laid out a vision that U.S. expert volunteers would help increase the productivity and incomes of rural communities throughout the world, while protecting and improving natural resources and reducing hunger,” said, Steve Vetter, President of Partners of the Americas. “We are very pleased to be involved in this project to develop the Caribbean markets and to expand opportunities for the poor, women, and other disadvantaged groups in the region. In addition, we believe that this type of soft diplomacy is crucial in advancing U.S. interests abroad.”

Many Caribbean region countries have been hit particularly hard by recent hurricanes and face unique challenges. The USAID-funded John Ogonowski Farmer to Farmer Program helps address the global food crisis by working with small and medium producers, farm organizations, cooperatives, and related enterprises to increase productivity and profitability and to link these producers to world markets. This Caribbean program will place 580 U.S. technical experts in the field as volunteers on specific assignments ranging from horticulture production to dairy processing to marketing and export linkages. 

The Farmer to Farmer program targets approximately 22,000 direct beneficiaries and countless indirect beneficiaries, and will provide assistance to nearly 800 agriculture groups, cooperatives and organizations. Partners is joined by a powerful consortia of collaborating organizations providing key expertise, including Southern University and A&M College, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Florida A&M University, FAVACA, JE Austin, and the University of Wisconsin.

More information can be found in the Farmer to Farmer section of the Partners website.