Volunteer

USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Program

NCBA CLUSA’s USAID-sponsored Farmer-to-Farmer global volunteer program sends American farmers and agribusiness professionals on 2-week agricultural development assignments, promoting sustainable economic growth and agricultural development worldwide. Volunteer technical assistance from U.S. farmers, agribusinesses, cooperatives, and universities aims to increase the resiliency of smallholder farmers’ businesses by focusing on diversification in production, value addition, and other income-generating activities; climate-smart production, and strengthening farmers’ cooperatives and producer organizations (POs), with a cross-cutting emphasis on women, youth and social inclusion.

NCBA CLUSA’s Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers collaborate with farmers, producer groups, rural businesses, and service providers to strengthen local capacity necessary to enhance food security, increase incomes and economic growth, and address environmental and natural resource management challenges. Farmer-to-farmer volunteers share their skills and expertise while learning about other cultures and growing professionally. Our current Farmer-to-Farmer Program, Diversified and Resilient Farmer Businesses operates in Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, and Peru through September 2028.

What do Volunteers Do?

Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers implement a wide variety of assignments. Some volunteers work with smallholder farmers to adopt climate-smart production techniques or help market their crops more effectively. Others might help cooperative businesses diversify their production or work with an agricultural processor to solve an operational bottleneck. Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers also support cooperative development, promote greater participation of women and youth, strengthen business planning and financial management skills, and provide training in many other areas. As the nation’s leading organization for cooperative businesses, NCBA CLUSA concentrates its technical assistance efforts on cooperatives. Since 2010, NCBA CLUSA has deployed hundreds of volunteers, offering more than fourteen years’ worth of volunteer days and impacting thousands of smallholder farmers. Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers have helped catalyze over 72 million dollars in crop sales for the host organizations they have served.

A few ways we help make an impact are by:

• Enhancing production techniques in East Africa, resulting in higher yields and improved quality.
• Introducing sustainability practices in Latin America, creating better soil health and increased water conservation.
• Strengthening cooperative governance and financial management in Asia to enable farmer cooperatives to thrive and expand their market reach.

Browse Our Latest Opportunities

Why Volunteer With Us?

We have a number of different assignments for those interested in being a cooperative volunteer. Gain the opportunity to:

• Make a difference: Work with us to improve livelihoods and food security for farming communities worldwide.
• Experience a cultural exchange: In addition to benefiting the lives of many through volunteering, the experience is an opportunity for learning and cultural exchange.
• Grow professionally: Volunteering provides professional development opportunities, gaining insights and expanding your range of experiences.

There are also opportunities to network with others with a similar mindset. We all have the same vision, which will allow you to build relationships and collaborate with others on similar journeys as yours.

Wondering How to Get Involved?

We are always looking for experts in climate-smart agriculture production practices, crop diversification, post-harvest handling, cooperative development, business planning, marketing and financial management, food processing and value-addition activities, and other agricultural disciplines. NCBA CLUSA covers assignment-related expenses.

If you are interested in volunteering in the Farmer-to-Farmer program, we encourage you to contact us and send your CV to volunteer@ncba.coop.

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