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October 2009

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THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
GUATEMALA |  Supporting peasant associations to increase their sales
CAMEROON |  Fostering food security through boosting rice productivity
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GUATEMALA |  Supporting peasant associations to increase their sales

As a UN Volunteer working for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Guatemala, Francesco Bailo’s role is to help peasant associations in the department of San Marcos and Huehuetenango increase their business and thus improve the living conditions of communities in remote rural areas such as the Altiplano Marquense, where 97.7 percent of the population is living in poverty, and 85.4 percent in extreme poverty. Francesco’s vision is that “the Internet can change their perspective, as it has no centre or periphery. Access to mobile phone and Internet services is already a reality for many poor communities of the Altiplano Marquense. Our experience with the UNV Online Volunteering service is an example of how to take advantage of the Internet. Through the service website, we have built a direct link between two rural associations of the Altiplano and online volunteers from 15 different countries on five continents. Their contributions were a big push for developing the associations’ business.”

One of the associations that benefited from the support of online volunteers is ADICTA in Tejutla, a little town of 4,000 inhabitants. The association has approximately 250 members and its main economic activity is the processing and selling of fruit and vegetables grown by its members. “The products are being sold through a little shop in the association office. The association board agreed that a first necessary step towards opening new markets was to redefine the image of their products. Through onlinevolunteering.org we were able to find a Norwegian graphic designer based in London eager to help the association in this task. In less than six weeks she sent us 12 brand new stickers with a new logo ready for printing. The volunteer did not just design some stickers, but she helped raise the association’s self-esteem,” says Francesco. "We are now proud to present our products at fairs”, says Victor Ramirez, the coordinator of the association. “We have nothing less than what the biggest producers have. We are no longer just another informal producer.”

“Another boost to the image of the association came from three online volunteers who supported ADICTA in developing an English and Spanish website that presents the association and promotes their products. Also, two volunteers developed a brochure that explains with simple text and pictures the importance of a correct diet and consumption of local products, promoting ADICTA's organic products to counter the massive consumption of imported junk food in the communities,” says Francesco. Angélica María Hernández Balderas from Mexico, who had prior experience marketing local products with rural communities in her home country, developed the brochure’s content, while Lilian Yip, a communications designer from Malaysia, designed its layout.

“As we were trying to convey messages about the benefits of organic products and a healthy diet, we worked at keeping the leaflet to-the-point. This was achieved through a combination of minimal copy and easy-to-understand graphics. I also created a chart to illustrate the recommended food intake that can be used as a tear-a-way sheet,” Lilian says.

The next project is already underway. “We’ve just set up a team of 13 online volunteers with expertise in the trade of agricultural products. We want to explore possibilities to market ADICTA’s jams and honey abroad, and to enter Fair Trade markets. The volunteers from six different countries will help identify which channels we can use, which regulations we have to follow and which labels could help us increase sales - information impossible to collect for ADICTA without their support,” says Francesco, who is also planning to provide training to the associations on the management of online volunteers so that they can continue the collaboration once he moves on.
 

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CAMEROON |  Fostering food security through boosting rice productivity

The effects of climate change pose threats to food security in Mbaw Plain in the North West Province of Cameroon, close to the Nigerian border: increasingly heavy rainfalls are the cause of poor corn harvests, and persistent rise in food prices and outdated farming methods are further affecting a region in which 90 percent of the population is living on less than one dollar per day.

With the support of online volunteers, the Cameroonian Centre for Reconstruction and Development (CREDEV) NGO developed a project aimed at fostering food security and eradicating extreme poverty through the promotion of rice production as a substitute to maize, the introduction of high yielding varieties of rice, up-to-date farming technologies, and a structured production chain. In addition to food security, the project also aims to reduce rural-urban migration, targeting youth unemployment in particular. The result of the collaboration is a 200-page project proposal, which was submitted to the European Commission for funding.

With their expertise in agronomy and agribusiness, online volunteers from different countries complemented the skills available in the organization. “I recruited experts with skills which I did not really possess to supplement my work”, says Mbuti Mboyam, Chief Executive of CREDEV, with long-term experience in rural development. First the team reviewed the concept note prepared by CREDEV, before it was submitted to the European Commission. “The major bulk of work started after the concept note had been pre-selected and we were invited to submit the full project proposal. I assigned specific tasks to the volunteers according to their expertise, and coordinated the collaboration.”

“We maintained a fluid contact, usually via e-mail, and sometimes we also used the chat to solve or discuss some matters of the project. Each of us sent their work to Mbuti, who would then include his comments and resend it to us. It was an interactive process,” says agribusiness specialist Veronica Savón to describe the online collaboration.

It was the first time that Mbuti Mboyam managed an online collaboration. “I was heading for the unknown since I had never coordinated an online process before, but the sense of coordination just came spontaneously.” From his experience, he thinks that it is important to “be honest, trustworthy, transparent and respectful, and to have good writing and communication skills. It is important to be diplomatic or tactful at what you are saying and the way you give instructions.”
 

Read about the volunteers who participated in this collaboration, their background, motivation and experience:

Veronica Savón; Argentina, Agronomy Engineer with a Master’s in Business Administration & Agribusiness: I have been working during the last 12 years in a public company devoted to agriculture production & farm development in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay & Bolivia. As a specialist in agribusiness analysis, I analyze the feasibility of new investments. I always thought that at a certain moment of your professional life it is important to transfer and teach all you have experienced and learnt, helping to enhance the standard of living of communities with a lower level of development.

Jocelyn S. Palacpac, Philippines, Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business: At present I am a “practicing farmer”, holding positions in various organizations. I am an accredited organic inspector for an NGO, the chairperson/president of the Agricultural and Fishery Stakeholders for Sustainable Development, Inc., a member of Task Force Brown Rice, to name just a few. Four of the positions I am holding are volunteer positions, yet I am still open for other opportunities to gain and share knowledge about farming practices. When I came across the volunteer opportunity CREDEV had posted on the Online Volunteering service website, no hesitations came to me in giving an effort for the said chance, and luckily, I was chosen. It is for the idea that the program will eliminate hunger and malnutrition in this country. It has been a wonderful experience working with Mbuti Mboyam of CREDEV. He has this genuine intention of upgrading the lives of his fellow Cameroonians.

Giorgio V. Brandolini, Italy, Master’s in Agricultural Sciences: I am an agronomist specialized in the assessment of natural resources and the elaboration and assessment of development projects, with a long record of foreign assignments as team leader and expert. My expertise focuses on the conservation and valorization of agricultural plants and forest biodiversity for the improvement of livelihoods, including mitigation of climate change. I have formulated strategies integrating biodiversity conservation and valorization in the development process. I manage an Italian NGO, Orizzonte terra, focusing its interventions on participatory territorial development.

The skilled management of the network of volunteers by the local NGO was key in ensuring a smooth and useful collaboration of people with different cultural and professional backgrounds. Through this exercise I have confirmed that partnership across the net is possible, provided the team leader assesses and assigns specific and fitting tasks to the key stakeholders of the initiative. It is possible to exercise leadership and share enthusiasm when dealing with unknown people if the frame of the collaboration is clear and trustworthy and the assignments suit the skills and time availability of each partner. Perception of the goal of the initiative has to flow across the network in order to capture the interest and commitment of the far and unknown partners. Experience in communication (updating on the project progress) allows to improve such mechanisms, steering its course along the needs of the project, and to ensure a continuous commitment along the initiative time span and after.