On March 15th I’ll be leaving Kentucky for several weeks, bound for the far side of the world to serve as a volunteer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a farmer to farmer program in Bangladesh. USAID programs offer agricultural assistance to developing countries by providing volunteer experts from universities and departments of agriculture to train farmers and local agricultural leaders. The project that I will be working with is coordinated by Winrock International, a non-profit foundation based in little Rock, Arkansas, which recruits volunteers and provides logistical coordination with local organizations in the host countries for farmer to farmer programs.
Not surprisingly, I’ll be assisting beekeepers in Bangladesh (with the help of an interpreter) in the same way in which I helped beekeepers here while I was the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s State Apiarist: by evaluating their beekeeping methods, helping them to improve their skills with “hands in the hive” training, conducting talks, and just answering lots of questions. I’ll also be teaching local agricultural staff to continue the training after I depart. After flying into the capital city of Dhaka for an orientation meeting, I’ll be staying and working with beekeepers in various locations around Narail in southwestern Bangladesh.
I hope to be able to take you along with me on this adventure via regular posts to philcrafthivecraft.com. If my access to the internet is consistent, I will not only report my observations, but will post photographs as well. I also hope to be able to answer Emails and to respond to your questions and comments.