Q&A

DEAR NEW FARM:

Thank for your hard work and help you are giving to farmers in Senegal. My question is how can I be trained in farming? My goal is to start an agribusiness enterprise in Senegal. Comments, thoughts on this enterprise are appreciated. Thank you again.

Chek Diop
Senegal

DEAR CHEK:

Unfortunately, our program in Senegal has been terminated. The Institute is finalizing its strategic initiatives, and training farmers is one area of focus. Our international program depends heavily on grants we receive from donors. Proposals have been submitted in partnership with other institutions in countries where we are invited.

Here is some general information about organics that may help you: Right here on The New Farm website you’ll find international applicable resources on our International page, in our Resource Directory, our archives and in the New Farm Forums. You can also find international certifying agencies in our Organic Certifiers Database. We have an online course for farmers transitioning from conventional to organic agriculture that is currently available as a beta version (www.tritrainingcenter.org/course), and much of the information will be useful to beginning farmers as well (while it’s geared toward U.S. farmers and USDA guidelines, the course contains valuable information for anyone interested in organic farming). Another excellent source for specific topics related to organic and sustainable farming is ATTRA - the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (www.attra.org). Your best resource is always other farmers in your region, so seek them out wherever and whenever possible. Finally, we invite you to sign up and receive our free e-newsletter for monthly updates on the latest news and features in organic and sustainable agriculture.

Best regards,
Amadou Makhtar Diop, PhD
International Program Director
The Rodale Institute

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