{"id":156078,"date":"2017-05-12T01:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-05-12T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/?p=156078"},"modified":"2018-05-02T16:15:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T20:15:00","slug":"i-am-cals-harry-palmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/news\/i-am-cals-harry-palmer\/","title":{"rendered":"I AM CALS \u2014 Harry Palmer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Video by Chris Liotta<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Using only machetes, hoes and their bare hands, Harry Palmer and his squad of volunteers created a working farm \u2013 in under two\u00a0months \u2014 for a Ghana school serving low-income students.<\/h3>\n<p>Soon after Harry Palmer arrived for a semester at the University of Ghana, his adviser connected him with the co-founder of a nearby primary school called <span style=\"\">Mawuvio&#8217;s Outreach Programme<\/span><span style=\"\">. They needed help cultivating a small farm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">An agricultural and environmental technology major at CALS, Harry didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cThe school serves kids from very low-income families, and most of their costs go to providing food for the students,\u201d he said. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"\">The co-founder and headmaster had a vision that if we could start a farm to produce a portion of their own food, we could reduce the cost of attending the school and they could provide even more students an education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">So Harry designed a plan and recruited one of the school\u2019s volunteers to help clear the land. It was so thick with grasses, shrubs and trees that the grueling work took a month to finish. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">They built a fence out of chicken wire and tree branches to keep out roaming livestock. They burned old grasses to use as fertilizer and trees as charcoal for cooking. They planted mango, papaya and pineapple trees. And before long, crops began to grow: tomatoes, corn, cassava.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cWe used every part of the land,&#8221; Harry said. &#8220;Nothing was wasted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-156244 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-950x633.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-460x307.jpg 460w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Alumni Connections, An Ocean Away<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"\">Harry engaged the community, from the school\u2019s students who delighted in working alongside \u201cSir Harry,\u201d to the local nursery-owner who supplied seedlings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">And through a circuitous chain of events back home, Harry connected with Jason Brantley, an NC&#160;State grad working for John Deere in Africa. They spoke on the phone, but were located too far apart for a meeting in person. So Brantley linked Harry with Cobus Du Toit, based at John Deere\u2019s operation in West Africa, just minutes from the university. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cWe sat and talked for two hours about how small farming is going to change the world and the role that John Deere plays in African agriculture,\u201d Harry said. \u201cIt was an incredible experience.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">Harry split his time between university and the farm. He woke with the sun and worked hard. He also bonded with the schoolchildren and taught them basic farming skills. In fact, while he was away on a short travel break, they surprised him by starting a little plot of their own. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cThey were so excited to show me what they\u2019d learned, and it was awesome,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is going to impact their lives. Whether they get a job or not, go to college or not, they\u2019re going to know farming and they\u2019re going to know that this will help them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-156247 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-950x633.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-460x307.jpg 460w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Finding His Path<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"\">By the time Harry had to return to the U.S., he had transformed a neglected piece of land into a fully functional farm that continues to support the school. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cI\u2019m still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing,\u201d he said. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"\">It\u2019s very difficult to articulate the impact that starting this farm had on who I am as a person, because living in this environment and working to grow food for these children in order for them to learn is a more meaningful purpose than I have ever had in my entire life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The experience also cemented his dream of a career working with small farmers.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cI think small farms are really the future of feeding the world,\u201d Harry said. \u201cWhether its farming on a rooftop, or two acres in your backyard, it\u2019s better for our bodies, for the environment, for our economy. I want to help small farmers around the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">Harry didn\u2019t grow up in agriculture, but his experience as a high-schooler working summers as a farmhand lit the spark. His studies in agricultural and environmental technology continue to fan the flame. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">And, Harry said, his adventure in Africa completed the circle. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"\">\u201cI feel compelled to a new responsibility now \u2013 a world responsibility \u2013 and I want to see what else is out there,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned firsthand that agriculture is a world-spoken language.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"\">I often reflect on my time spent with those kids and it excites me to think about the futures they have. They opened my eyes to how every action we have affects someone else. So why not make every action for the better?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-156249 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-950x633.jpg 950w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-460x307.jpg 460w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-230x153.jpg 230w, https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"<em>Video by Chris Liotta<\/em>\r\n<h3>Using only machetes, hoes and their bare hands, Harry Palmer and his squad of volunteers created a working farm \u2013 in under two\u00a0months \u2014 for a Ghana school serving low-income students.<\/h3>\r\nSoon after Harry Palmer arrived for a semester at the University of Ghana, his adviser connected him with the co-founder of a nearby primary school called <span style=\"\">Mawuvio's Outreach Programme<\/span><span style=\"\">. They needed help cultivating a small farm.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">An agricultural and environmental technology major at CALS, Harry didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cThe school serves kids from very low-income families, and most of their costs go to providing food for the students,\u201d he said. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"\">The co-founder and headmaster had a vision that if we could start a farm to produce a portion of their own food, we could reduce the cost of attending the school and they could provide even more students an education.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">So Harry designed a plan and recruited one of the school\u2019s volunteers to help clear the land. It was so thick with grasses, shrubs and trees that the grueling work took a month to finish. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">They built a fence out of chicken wire and tree branches to keep out roaming livestock. They burned old grasses to use as fertilizer and trees as charcoal for cooking. They planted mango, papaya and pineapple trees. And before long, crops began to grow: tomatoes, corn, cassava.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cWe used every part of the land,\" Harry said. \"Nothing was wasted.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-156244 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9016-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<h3>Alumni Connections, An Ocean Away<\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"\">Harry engaged the community, from the school\u2019s students who delighted in working alongside \u201cSir Harry,\u201d to the local nursery-owner who supplied seedlings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">And through a circuitous chain of events back home, Harry connected with Jason Brantley, an NC State grad working for John Deere in Africa. They spoke on the phone, but were located too far apart for a meeting in person. So Brantley linked Harry with Cobus Du Toit, based at John Deere\u2019s operation in West Africa, just minutes from the university. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cWe sat and talked for two hours about how small farming is going to change the world and the role that John Deere plays in African agriculture,\u201d Harry said. \u201cIt was an incredible experience.\u201d <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">Harry split his time between university and the farm. He woke with the sun and worked hard. He also bonded with the schoolchildren and taught them basic farming skills. In fact, while he was away on a short travel break, they surprised him by starting a little plot of their own. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cThey were so excited to show me what they\u2019d learned, and it was awesome,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is going to impact their lives. Whether they get a job or not, go to college or not, they\u2019re going to know farming and they\u2019re going to know that this will help them.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-156247 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-9003-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>\r\n<h3>Finding His Path<\/h3>\r\n<span style=\"\">By the time Harry had to return to the U.S., he had transformed a neglected piece of land into a fully functional farm that continues to support the school. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cI\u2019m still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing,\u201d he said. \u201c<\/span><span style=\"\">It\u2019s very difficult to articulate the impact that starting this farm had on who I am as a person, because living in this environment and working to grow food for these children in order for them to learn is a more meaningful purpose than I have ever had in my entire life.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe experience also cemented his dream of a career working with small farmers.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cI think small farms are really the future of feeding the world,\u201d Harry said. \u201cWhether its farming on a rooftop, or two acres in your backyard, it\u2019s better for our bodies, for the environment, for our economy. I want to help small farmers around the world.\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">Harry didn\u2019t grow up in agriculture, but his experience as a high-schooler working summers as a farmhand lit the spark. His studies in agricultural and environmental technology continue to fan the flame. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">And, Harry said, his adventure in Africa completed the circle. <\/span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"\">\u201cI feel compelled to a new responsibility now \u2013 a world responsibility \u2013 and I want to see what else is out there,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned firsthand that agriculture is a world-spoken language.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"\">I often reflect on my time spent with those kids and it excites me to think about the futures they have. They opened my eyes to how every action we have affects someone else. So why not make every action for the better?\u201d<\/span>\r\n\r\n<img class=\"size-large wp-image-156249 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2017\/05\/cals_ghana-8897-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"CALS student Harry Palmer I AM CALS\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using only machetes, hoes and their bare hands, Harry Palmer and his squad of volunteers created a working farm \u2014 in under two months \u2014<br \/>\n for a Ghana school serving low-income students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":155805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-156078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-international-programs"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156078"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163097,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156078\/revisions\/163097"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156078"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=156078"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=156078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}