What is a Recessional Agriculture?

Peace Corps? What it is like working in agriculture in French-speaking Africa?

• I am in the peace corps application process, and the lady who is working with me nominated me to be in agriculture, so I might be a farmer in French speaking Africa! (French speaking africa was the region that I chose).. So, has anyone done it? Does anyone have a guess of which country I will be sent to? If anyone has done agriculture in French speaking Africa or Agriculture anywhere in the peacecorps, I would like to hear some of your story! My only concern is.. I wouln't be working as much with people as I would in a teaching/health/community development job. oh, and I have no experience in agriculture. I have a double BA in French and Political Science.

• Answer:

  Regarding where you are going to be posted, go to the country profiles of the active PC countries in Africa and determine which ones have both French as a language and a PC agriculture program. You will be working with people just as much as a PC teacher or health volunteer would be. Don't think of yourself as a "farmer," but rather an educator of farmers. Don't worry about not having experience in agriculture, during your first 3 months as a “PC Trainee” you will be trained in agriculture and prepped for the project you will be working on in the country. Before you go read "Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World" by Alan Weisman. This book was a favorite amongst Agro PCV's in the country I served (Cameroon).