WASHINGTON, DC - On December 7, 2010, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosted a luncheon to honor 18 Presidential Volunteer Service Award recipients for their volunteer work under the John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer program.

One honoree, Mrs. Lue Jolly, is a Family Resource Management Program Leader with over 30 years of experience managing and administering food and nutritional programs at universities, state agencies and military bases. Mrs. Jolly completed her first Farmer-to-Farmer assignment in March 2010 in Food Safety Management in South Africa. The assignment focused on sharing best practices in food safety and hygiene, nutrition and new recipe development.

"Last year, 522 volunteer assignments provided an estimated $4.2 million dollars' worth of in-kind technical training and direct assistance to more than 34,000 people," said Greg Gottlieb, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Food Security. "Impact data from the 2003-2008 program indicate that there was a total increase of more than $100 million in net annual income for all hosts in the Farmer-to-Farmer program."

The program supports Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, by working to improve agricultural productivity, promote market development, facilitate trade expansion, invest in global innovation and research, promote equitable rural economic growth, and address child malnutrition.

Over 13,000 volunteers, 9,848 host organizations, and 103 countries have participated in the Farmer-to-Farmer program since 1986. Implementing partners include ACDIVOCA, University of Arizona (Aquaculture without Borders), CNFA, Cooperative Coffees, Florida A&M University, FAVACA (Florida Volunteer Corps), IESC, Mercy Corps, NCBA, Partners of the Americas, Purdue University, Winrock International, TechnoServe, Veterinarians Without Borders-USA, and Weidemann Associates.

The U.S. Congress first authorized the program in 1985 to provide for the transfer of knowledge and expertise of U.S. agricultural producers and businesses on a voluntary basis to developing and middle-income countries and emerging democracies. The 2008 Farm Bill designated the program as the "John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer program" in honor of one of the pilots killed September 11, 2001, and of former Congressman Bereuter, who was an initial sponsor.

The following is a list of the 18 Award Recipients:

• Dr. Thomas E. Anderson, NCBA, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Terrill Christensen, CNFA, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Tara Sabre Collier, Technoserve, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Kathleen Earl Colverson, Winrock International, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Peder Cuneo, DVM, ACDI/VOCA, Silver level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Roger Ellis, ACDIVOCA, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Thomas Evans, Partner of the Americas, Silver level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Juan Guerrero, Winrock International, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Harold Handley, IESC, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Bill Harris, Cooperative Coffees, Silver level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Julie Hunt, DVM, Veterinarians Without Borders, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Lue Eddie Baldwin Jolly, FAMU, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Myriam Kaplan-Pasternak, DVM, Partners of the Americas, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Jason Licamele, University of Arizona, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Joseph McFadden, CNFA, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• W. Kirk Miller, ACDI/VOCA, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Gary Mutz, ACDI/VOCA, Bronze level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Dr. Bruce Williams, CNFA, Gold level of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award

For further information about USAID and the Farmer-to-Farmer Program, please visit http://www.usaid.gov/. For more information about Feed the Future, visit http://www.feedthefuture.gov/