About Us

Kaitlin Hammersley and Peter Fritsche are serving together in Peace Corps/Senegal from September 2013-December 2015, working in the agriculture and environment sector. In keeping with the third and final goal of the Peace Corps mission, “To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans,” we are chronicling our time in Senegal through this blog.  Our intent is for this blog to be a place to share our experiences, promote discussion, and help us stay in touch with family and friends. We want to welcome you into our experience, therefore, our hut is your hut! Questions, comments? Let us know. We want to know what you think, and what you want to know more about.

What are we doing in Peace Corps/Senegal, you ask? 

Kaitlin's Agroforestry Volunteer Assignment Description:
The purpose of the PC Senegal Agroforestry program is to promote agroforestry as a means to increase agricultural production and generate income. To this effect, volunteers focus on: multi-purpose tree species that enhance soil fertility, reduce soil erosion, protect fields against animals, provide forest products to the farm and fruit tree propagation and orchard management to produce quality fruit (mainly mango, citrus and cashews) to be sold in local markets or consumed by families improving their diet especially during the hungry season.

As an Agroforestry extension agent your main role will be to assist local farmers to acquire the technical skills they need to establish their own tree nurseries and outplant the seedlings produced. To this end, you and your counterpart will organize formal trainings, one-on-one instruction and demonstrations for other farmers.

There are other classical techniques such as composting and mud- stove building that all Agro-forestry Volunteers promote. The simplicity of these techniques often belies their high value in terms of soil fertility enhancement and fuel wood conservation. Moreover, these projects are simple ways for new Volunteers such as you to build confidence and begin to engage with their communities. You will monitor and evaluate the work conducted by your farmers through field visits and surveys, and report your findings to your program director (APCD) by means of quarterly reports.

Peter's Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Vounteer Assignment Description:

As extension agents, urban and peri-urban agriculture Volunteers provide a valuable service to urban community members who face unique food security challenges including a lack of information and materials for increasing or engaging in agricultural production. Urban Agriculture Volunteers promote the transfer of appropriate skills and technology through demonstration, while living in cities and speaking the local languages of those they live and work with. Those skills and technologies concern domains like gardening, field crops, fruit trees and ornamental plants propagation, small poultry raising and any secondary activity that is of interest to your communities. Emphasis is placed on qualitative rather than quantitative results, meaning you will be working with fewer farmers than past generations of Volunteers. This emphasis enhances your ability to get to know a few communities very well.

Peace Corps/ Senegal's program philosophy is based on an approach which emphasizes demonstration, extension, and the exchange of ideas. Depending on the conditions in the city, the ecology and farming system of your peri-urban area of assignment, you can expect to be working on many of the following activities:

-Increasing city and peri-urban levels of vegetable, flower, herb or field crop production by promoting the usage of appropriate, improved variety seed and their associated agricultural practices;

-Extending improved field crop seed along with improved farming practices;

-Protecting vegetable, flower, herb or field crop production areas from insect and pest damage, through the promotion of sustainable agricultural means, such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM);

-Increasing soil fertility through the promotion of sustainable organic means, such as composting, manure tea, etc.;

-Protecting the vegetable, flower, herb and crop production areas from animal and wind damage through the promotion of sustainable agricultural means, such as live fencing and windbreaks;

-Increasing the production of market-quality vegetables, flowers and herbs for sale and home consumption;

-Increasing animal protein availability through the extension of small poultry raising techniques;

-Developing individual and organizational capacities at the city level; and

-Promoting improved seed selection, storage, and handling techniques.

A big thanks goes out to our families and friends, who have been incredibly supportive of our dream to serve with the Peace Corps. Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you are one of them.