This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.orgs From the Field section.
Heifer International's projects around the world differ in many ways, but training is an element they have in common. Training on topics such as livestock raising, marketing and gender and family focus is often the spark that drives project participants to create farms and businesses that are innovative, lucrative and inspiring.
In Cambodia, Pa Phoeuk applied swine-raising skills she learned and fattened a piglet to 304 pounds in just five months. She sold the pig and bought three more piglets to expand her swine production.
Project participants in Peru are using information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially online resources, such as social networking, to strengthen capacity and access new markets.
Milk cooperative members in Ukraine put their training to work and opened the country's first smallholder farmer-owned milk processing plant. Being directly involved with processing and marketing is sure to increase their incomes.
Families in Tanzania have used innovative training techniques to make life better, including turning to camels for milk when raising cattle is no longer an option and transforming a small plot of land into an organic farming system.