Using mobile technology, Peace Corps volunteers help Ghana cashew farmers boost business
Peace Corps volunteer Michael Underwood of Pineville, Ky., is helping
cashew farmers in his Ghana community use mobile technology to boost
production and improve their business. Giving local farmers the tools to
map their farms and better track sales of cashews enables them to
identify operational efficiencies and ensure fair prices.
Underwood is one of a number of volunteers working on the effort,
known as the Peace Corps Ghana Cashew Initiative. He is also one of more
than 1,265 Peace Corps volunteers bringing important food security
messages and practices to the grassroots level through the Feed the
Future program. This week, Underwood is representing the Peace Corps at
the Feed the Future Global Forum in Crystal City, Va., and sharing his
experiences with some of the 300 global leaders attending who drive the
U.S. government's global hunger and food security initiative.
In his community in Ghana, Underwood walks with farmers along the
perimeter of their land with a GPS device to calculate its acreage and
develop a satellite image of the farm.
“Knowing the acreage is extremely important, as it is how farmers
calculate how much pesticide and other chemicals they use,” Underwood
said. “Most farmers I've worked with either don't know or guess how many
acres they own, which causes over-spraying of harmful chemicals.”
Underwood has also collaborated with a German software company to
develop and pilot mobile software that tracks the origin, quality and
prices of cashews from various communities - benefitting both the
farmers and cashew buyers. With greater transparency across the
industry, farmers can charge more for higher-quality cashews, and buyers
can have greater confidence in the value of their purchase. Underwood's
work has included programing cell phones and training buyers to use
them, as well as providing technical information about the cashew
industry and testing the application.
To reduce food waste across the cashew industry, Underwood's fellow
Peace Corps volunteers are encouraging local community members to
process the cashew apple from the cashew tree, which was previously
discarded. Volunteers have formed women's groups that are producing
juice and jam from the apples and generating extra income for their
families.
“By finding ways to use the cashew fruit, volunteers are cutting down
on food waste and introducing an easily accessible and nutritious
food,” Underwood said. “In addition, the increased income from the sale
of the fruit products, the premiums from selling higher-quality cashew
nuts, and money saved by working in farmer groups has aided in creating
greater food security and allowing more people access to foods with
higher nutrient values.”
The Peace Corps is one of 10 federal departments and agencies
contributing to the Feed the Future Initiative. At the Global Forum
later today, Peace Corps Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet will
deliver the closing keynote address highlighting Peace Corps'
contributions to Feed the Future and the agency's work to engage youth
in agriculture both domestically and abroad. Read the Feed the Future
2014 progress report released this week documenting the initiative's
achievements over the last year here.
About Peace Corps/Ghana: There are currently 143 volunteers in
Ghana working in the areas of education, agriculture and health. During
their service in Ghana, volunteers learn to speak the local languages,
including: Buli, Dagaare, Dagbani, Dangme, Ewe, Fanté, Ga, Ghanaian Sign
Language, Gonja, Guruni, Hausa, Kasem, Kusaal, Likipakpaalu,
Likpakpaln, Mampruli, Nzema, Sisaali, Taleni, Twi and Waale. More than
4,360 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Ghana since the program was
established in 1961.
About the Peace Corps: As the preeminent international service
organization of the United States, the Peace Corps sends Americans
abroad to tackle the most pressing needs of people around the world.
Peace Corps volunteers work at the grassroots level with local
governments, schools, communities, small businesses and entrepreneurs to
develop sustainable solutions that address challenges in education,
health, economic development, agriculture, environment and youth
development.
When they return home, volunteers bring their knowledge and
experiences - and a global outlook - back to the United States that
enriches the lives of those around them. President John F. Kennedy
established the Peace Corps in 1961 to foster a better understanding
among Americans and people of other countries. Since then, more than
215,000 Americans of all ages have served in 139 countries worldwide.
Visit www.peacecorps.gov to learn more.
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