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A Hand Up for Kenyan Coffee Farmers
David Wambugu knows how to grow coffee. He knows how to plant it, care for it and when to harvest it. What he doesn't know about his coffee is how it tastes.
Sustainable Rwanda: Coffee Growers Diversify
The mud-packed walls of the Mazimpaka's family room show the strong influence of young people: Hanging among the rosaries and pictures of St. Mary are posters of Miss Rwanda, the Rwandan singer Christopher, and the Rwandan boy band Dreamboyz. The room's only window shines a square of light on...More
Sustainable Rwanda: Coffee Growers Diversify Crops
Six weeks ago, Josée Kabanyana's mandala garden was a tidy, walkable oasis of bushy green amaranth plants. Now, tall green bean stalks have replaced the amaranth, and it's hard to see the paths that separate the beds in this keyhole-shaped garden....More
Rwanda Animal Fair: Goats and Hopes
When Therese Umuhire looks at her new goat, she envisions, well, something else.
"I dream of when I will get a cow from that goat," she says, nodding at her goat as it grazes on a hillside in Nyamirambo village in southern Rwanda....More
God’s Fields Are Never Fallow
Dear Friend,
There is no time like fall to appreciate the magnificent generosity of God. The fields that a few weeks ago were filled with plants reaching for the sky—full of grain and corn and beans and all sorts of other crops—have yielded their bounty.
In orchards’ tidy rows,...More
Harvesting the Best in Others
It's the time of year when plump pumpkins appear on doorsteps and the sweet smell of apple cider dances through the air. The fall harvest is nature's bounty; many yummy gifts will delight tongues and tummies over the next few weeks....More
Mauritania: Helping My Neighbor, Building Resilience
Mohamet Salem adjusts his black headscarf to keep the sandy wind out of his eyes. The father of nine is from Darel Beyda, a village in Brakna, Mauritania—an expansive desert nation in the Sahel region of West Africa.
People here are still feeling the effects of disastrous harvests back...More
Help Needed to Prevent Famine in South Sudan
A few weeks ago, you would not have seen even one head of cattle in Bor Town, South Sudan. The town was still nearly empty after the violent attacks of December 2013 that forced residents to seek refuge on islands in the Nile River, at a mission, or wherever else they thought they would be safe...More
Farmer to Farmer: Making a Difference
Editor's Note: This article is a contribution to a week-long blog carnival on USAID's John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. From July 14-18, F2F program...More
Catholic Relief Services: Faith. Action. Results.
Editor's Note: This article is a contribution to a week-long blog carnival on USAID's John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. From July 14-18, F2F program partners and American volunteers are...More