International farmers visit MCC
Farmers Dienaba Diallo of Burkina Faso, and Susan Godwin of Nigeria, were among the many visitors at Marshalltown Community College last week when the OxFam International Group visited MCC’s Entrepreneurial & Diversified Ag farm. Dienaba and Susan are both small-scale farmers and pastoralists leading the way to improve livelihoods, nutrition, and resilience for their communities. In Iowa for the World Food Prize events in Des Moines, the international guests learned about sustainable agriculture practices and MCC’s educational programs.
Pictured here are Sally Wilson, MCC Entrepreneurial Agriculture professor (center) speaking with Dienaba Diallo (left) and her translator (right). Wilson said each year she looks forward to this day of gathering for a delicious local meal and sharing ideas about food and how it’s grown. Mary O’Dell, MCC Farm Manager, shared her farming expertise with the guests and gave tours of the MCC Ag building and surrounding community gardens. “We always enjoy visits with other farmers,” said O’Dell. “We learn much from them and hope they take something useful from us as well.” This is the third year in a row OxFam has visited MCC.