July 15, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Farming: Michigan Farm News: Joe Foltz and his wife, Jennifer, are serving in Binaba, Ghana
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July 15, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ghana: Farming: Michigan Farm News: Joe Foltz and his wife, Jennifer, are serving in Binaba, Ghana
Joe Foltz and his wife, Jennifer, are serving in Binaba, Ghana
The Foltz's live in a traditional mud brick enclosed compound with a zinc roof and summer hut (gazebo). There are three rooms - a kitchen, a room for the Foltz's and one for guests. "We have a pit latrine and take bucket baths. We don't have electricity or running water, although we bought a solar powered lantern, which is far superior to kerosene.
Joe Foltz and his wife, Jennifer, are serving in Binaba, Ghana
Michigan ag volunteers needed for the Peace Corps
[Excerpt]
Another Michigan Peace Corps volunteer, Joe Foltz, age 24, from Petoskey, and his wife, Jennifer, are serving in Binaba, Ghana. Joe writes: "My primary assignment is consulting with the Binaba Women's Farmers Association (BWFA). The farmers have 100 acres that are irrigated year-round where they grow rice during the summer months and onions in the winter months. Because transportation is the largest cost to agriculture, versus land prices in Michigan, BWFA purchases the members' harvest and stores them while my counterpart at BWFA and I do market surveys to see where prices are relative to what we paid. BWFA makes money on the relatively predictable model of buying commodities when prices are low and selling when they are high.
"My secondary activity includes, but is not limited to, writing and implementing a grant to build a new onion storage facility with shelving, which we completed," he said.
The Foltz's live in a traditional mud brick enclosed compound with a zinc roof and summer hut (gazebo). There are three rooms - a kitchen, a room for the Foltz's and one for guests. "We have a pit latrine and take bucket baths. We don't have electricity or running water, although we bought a solar powered lantern, which is far superior to kerosene. Jennifer and I decided that we could not fetch our own water, so we invited our neighbor to help us, and in return, we pay her school fees and help her study, take her to towns she has never been to, and in general, are there to support her."
Joe said people with agricultural training will find many eager listeners in rural Africa, where almost everyone farms. He encourages others with ag experience to volunteer in the Peace Corps.
Joe grew up on a dairy farm in northern Michigan and earned a BS in Agri-Business Management from Michigan State University.
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Story Source: Michigan Farm News
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ghana; Farming
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