Press Release
July 26, 2007

Composting expert advises on organic fertilizer in the Philippines

North Vancouver, BC – When a tropical plant company in the Philippines asked for advice on setting up a composting and organic fertilizer program, the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO) sent Roy Jonsson of North Vancouver.

“They had previously tried to do large scale composting but had abandoned the effort,” recalls Roy, a retired secondary school teacher, landscape gardener, horticultural consultant and an expert on composting.

He joined CESO as a Volunteer Adviser (VA) in 1997 and this was his fifth international assignment, having successfully completed previous assignments in China, Hungary, Honduras and the Philippines.

A non-profit, volunteer-based organization, CESO provides economic development and governance expertise to client/partners in Africa, Asia, the Americas and emerging market economies in Eastern Europe, and to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians.

Roy is one of CESO’s 3,000 VAs, a nation-wide talent bank of senior level individuals who have the ability, expertise and passion to provide business advisory services, mentorship and technical expertise to clients who could not otherwise afford a paid consultant.

For this assignment, Roy travelled to Davao City where CESO’s client has more than 150 employees. In addition to producing orchids, potted plants and various cut flowers, the client also provides landscaping and floral arrangement services.

“The assignment was both enjoyable and successful,” says Roy. “My principal contact had started to set up the composting program before I arrived but was unsure of what he was doing. We met each morning and as we talked, I would make notes and draw diagrams so that he understood the biology and chemistry behind the project and how he could make the flower farm more organic and productive.

“Later in the day we would go to the compost site and inspect what the workers had accomplished from the previous day’s direction. At the end of two weeks we had the compost operation up and running and the piles of organic material were heating as expected.”

Roy toured the three farm sites (at different elevations) and the marketing and shipping areas. “I spent time teaching the farm workers and lead hands about the biology and chemistry of fertilizers and organic amendments and I gave two talks on composting to a group of small orchid growers and a group of horticultural students.”

In addition to the tropical plant company, the client also owns a small resort where Roy worked with the maintenance crew to show them a variety of landscaping skills.

On his return to Vancouver, Roy continued to keep in contact with the client by email and monitored their results and offered advice.

As a leading Canadian international development agency, CESO’s work overseas is largely supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) while the national program receives primary funding from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). Additional funding comes from client/partners, multilateral agencies, Canadian corporations, foundations and scores of interested individuals.

To learn about becoming a volunteer, please visit Volunteering.

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For more information, members of the media may contact:

Josie Marchese
CESO Communications Manager
Tel: (416) 961-2376 Ext. 253
jmarchese@ceso-saco.com

Roy Jonsson
Tel: 604-988-1682
roy_jonsson@telus.net