Internet

So, my appologies for not blogging earlier. After weeks of training and travelling, I arrive in my village to learn there is no internet. Today I have traveled to a larger city where there is an internet cafe. The connection is slow though, and I'm having a hard time uploading pictures. For now there is lots to read. Big love, Meg

Language

One of the most challenging aspects of living in Bongo and working with FBOs is not being able to understand the native FraFra/Grunsi language. Most people who have gone to school know some English, but those (including farmers) who haven’t don’t know any English at all. Even with those who do know English, I find I must change my tone of voice and vocabulary to fit ‘Ghanaian English’ so they can understand. I've met a retired teacher though who has agreed to teach me more.

I have the basic greetings and responses down, which are gold! People greet each other everywhere all the time, and they’re impressed (and usually laugh) when I engage.
At the FBO meetings I attended this week, I sat in silence and oblivion until the AEA translated the gist of things for me at the end. One woman, Alice, came up to me as we were about to leave, she handed me her baby and a note (in English) which I read later explaining that I am so respectful and kind and she sees me as her best friend! I had said nothing besides greet them. Oh, the effects of White Privilege!

Work

My principle responsibility is to build a better understanding of and implement the Agriculture as a Business strategy in the Bongo district.

At the core of Agric as a Biz, there is the farmer and the mindset to undertake and interact with the different aspects of running their farm as a business. Surrounding the farmer, there is an enabling environment that provides the farmer with resources and opportunities. An intervention could take place at either level.

Previous experience from the pilot project found that farmer groups/farmer-based organizations (FBOs) were more likely to change and improve their group if the MoFA agriculture extension agent (AEA) facilitates well and encourages the group to make decisions for themselves, take ownership over their work, and find solutions to their own challenges together.

This means that the AEA needs to ask good questions and let the group members participate fully in discussions on what actions need to be taken. The tool I’m working with (which is Agric as a Biz) is aimed at doing exactly that – identify areas that FBOs need/would like to work on, the questions they should consider, and how AEAs can facilitate a plan for them so they can improve.

This program is a series of meetings with farmer groups with activities that are designed to help MoFA extension staff to encourage more groups to become well organized and improve MoFA’s overall performance. The activities include 1) Improving Group Meetings, 2) Improving the Group’s Work, and 3) Improving Management of Finances.
















During my first few days with MoFA I accompanied AEAs to FBO meetings to better understand how things work and check out the potential for use of Agric as a Biz. I also gave a presentation/workshop at the District Meeting to introduce myself, clarify my roles/goals, and introduce Agric as a Biz. I got the audience (MoFA staff and AEAs) to do an activity which involved them drawing what successful agriculture/farming means to them or what it involves. Although they were hesitant at first, they all produced great drawings and explained them well. All 4 drawings included only inputs (water, a borehole, rain, seeds) and outputs (healthy livestock, flourishing fields, bags of crops, children going to school, happy families). I was surprised to see that none of the drawings included the activities involved in going from inputs to outputs. When I mentioned this, they were silent. When I asked if well organized farmer groups would catalyze this, there was a flush of realization and agreement. It's interesting because in one way it could be reassuring to think that AEAs really need to work more on developing FBOs' organization and that Agric as a Biz has definite potential, in another way I'm questioning if this tool is as useful as we think. Time will tell...

My next moves involve going to the field, meeting more AEAs and FBOs, determining a criteria for selecting 2-4 AEAs and 1-3 FBOs each who would benefit most from Agric as a Biz, and figuring out the approach I will take with this. Overall, I think there is potential for Agric as a Biz - for FBOs to use it, as well as for us (EWB volunteers) to learn from it and change and improve it. I’m excited to see it develop.

Training

Both pre-departure training and in-country training were so awesome! Everyone involved in this experience is amazing, we get to know each other well, become great friends, and we grow together as we push our learning.

We cover everything from safety, security, and wellbeing (including potty-training), understanding culture and approaches, the big ideas of rural livelihoods and economics, intercultural communication (how to talk to people, why integrate), power & privilege, the development sector, field methods (i.e. participatory approaches), several presentations, interviews with “farmers”, analyzing case studies, and playing thoughtful as well as thoughtless games.

Some big questions I’ve contemplated:
-What is development? Is it reducing vulnerability? Is it simply happiness?
- What makes a good leader? Why is this important?
- How will being a ‘reflector’ influence me/my work? How can I do things differently?
- What’s involved in the ‘iceberg’ part beneath the water when considering the concept of time, culture, etc.?
- How do you reduce your perceived [white western] power, and why?
- What is it really like to be a farmer in Ghana? What assumptions are involved?

Travels

After flying to and stopping in Amsterdam, as I write this I have just arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana. The 13 other JFs and I are staying in the Kokomlemle guest house, which is a pretty decent transition. The staff are friendly and helpful, perhaps because the LTOV (long-term overseas volunteer) who picked us up had good connections after having spent a month there, or it might also be part of Ghanaian culture. My room is simple and the [very basic] shower/toilet work fine. I take out my deltametherin-treated mosquito net for the first time. The toxicity of it is unfortunate, but getting malaria would be even more so. It’s around 30°C and incredibly humid, I’m sipping water from a plastic sachet, occasionally a breeze comes through, and supposedly it’s pretty cool compared to up north where I’ll be heading to next.

Like the chimps that Jane Goodall was researching who were going crazy, swinging from branches, screeching, turning over rocks, and basically overjoyed with the amazement of a great waterfall, relative in ways – not that I’m flipping rocks or anything – I’m so excited to have discovered this new and unimaginably different part of the world.

We take the bus from Accra to Kumasi to Tamale. We had all made bets according to previous stories suggesting it takes an average of 17hrs or more depending on what might happen along the way, but it only takes us 12hrs. We make several stops along the way where we pay 10Gp (¢10 CND eqiv) to use the toilet and purchase bread, ginger cookies, and mangoes. At some moments, it is terrifying as the bus driver passes other trucks and oncoming traffic swerves to the shoulder. The raining season is just beginning. The scenery is beautiful, luscious, green, and sandy red; and I begin to contemplate the ways of life of some Ghanaians as we pass by huts and through bustling villages and markets.

Arriving at the STC bus station in Tamale, we are greeted by many Ghanaians eager to help us with our bags, make friends, get us to a taxi, etc. The 5 LTOVs greet us and we make our way to the Catholic Guesthouse where we’re staying for In-Country Training for the weekend before heading to our assigned villages to live and start our jobs.