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Peace Corps seeks farm experience in volunteers

By RICHARD SITLER
Indiana Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although there is a high demand for those with experience in agriculture, a Peace Corps specialist claims not many volunteers have actually worked on a farm.

Jesse Buff, a Peace Corps Program and Training Specialist, said a majority of all volunteers work in villages where people gain their livelihoods from agriculture.

“Volunteers comfortable working in fields, orchards or gardens, or with livestock, and trained in farming systems, horticulture or rearing animals are needed to work with rural producers to find ways to increase their productivity, improve the sustainability of their farm lands, conserve their natural resources and better prepare their produce for markets,” Buff explained. “As the Peace Corps gears up to address the worldwide food crisis, demand for volunteers with agriculture backgrounds will increase. The Peace Corps is expecting to expand all of its programs, and agriculture and food security will figure prominently.”

Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa are most likely locales for volunteers to serve. Buff added there are a few opportunities in the South Pacific.

“Applicants with strong agribusiness skills might be considered for postings in Eastern Europe, as well,” he said.

Volunteers almost always work directly with individual farmers and farmer groups, including cooperatives and producer associations, Buff reported. Where possible, volunteers also work alongside extension agents from host government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

Peace Corps projects vary from country to country and often, within countries. Volunteers use a participatory process to identify the needs of the communities in which they work and try to match the technical expertise of applicants with the needs of the community they will serve.

“Time has shown that comfort and motivation to work in rural settings with farmers are just as important as specific technical skills,” Buff stated. “Volunteers often act primarily as facilitators and organizers. In many positions, providing technical advice plays a limited part in volunteer service.”

There is a major difference between U.S. agriculture and what is practiced by farmers in developing nations.

“Resource-poor smallholder family farms form the agricultural backbone of the countries in which Peace Corps works,” Buff explained. “Men, women and their children spread risk by engaging in a mix of agricultural and non-agricultural activities. They live on the food they grow, with little surplus for the market.

“Only the fortunate have access to credit, technical advice, chemical inputs or improved seed. Draft animals are shared, if available at all. Volunteers are challenged to convince farmers living so close to the edge to innovate.”

He said that farm volunteers should be prepared to see success on a small scale.

Buff said the Peace Corps pays volunteers plenty in life experience.
“You give and you get. The chance to make a real difference in other people’s lives is the reason most volunteers serve in the Peace Corps,” Buff explained. “But that is not the only benefit of Peace Corps service. Volunteers also have the chance to learn a new language, live in another culture and develop career and leadership skills. The Peace Corps experience can enhance long-term career prospects whether you want to work for a corporation, a nonprofit organization or a government agency. The Peace Corps can even open doors to graduate school.”

The Peace Corps also offers practical benefits such as a student loan deferment and career benefits like fluency in a foreign language, he added.

The Peace Corps’ need for volunteers with farm experience is increasingly important, Buff said, given the worldwide food crisis and the importance the Obama administration has put on improving food security. The Peace Corps is expanding its programs, and agriculture and food security will figure prominently.
Christine Torres sums up why and how someone with an agricultural background should consider service in Peace Corps,
“I think the key point is that there are many different ways someone with an ag background/education can serve in Peace Corps,” said Peace Corps recruiter Torres. “The projects are varied; however, typically, the goals are very similar across the board - to help farmers sustain their land, enhance nutritional value and increase their incomes to improve the lives of their families and communities, while using techniques supportive of environmental conservation.

“Projects can range from planting community vegetable gardens and teaching nutrition, to introducing crop techniques like composting and testing new seed varieties, to working with farmers’ cooperatives and organizations on production and marketing. Things like fisheries and beekeeping also fall under our programs.”
To find out more about the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov

Those interested in talking with former Peace Corps volunteers should look into groups such as the Chicago Area Peace Corps Assoc. or the Central Indiana Peace Corps Assoc. Details on these groups can be found online through the National Peace Corps Assoc. website http://peacecorpsconnect.org

10/21/2009