University of Arizona, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
OFFICE
OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
|
University of Arizona, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences |
This report provides a summary of the Office of International Programs' (OIP) activities and accomplishments during the second quarter of fiscal year 2003-2004. It also highlights College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) participation in international research and development during this period.
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS GENERAL ACTIVITIES
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New Website
The Office of International Programs has a new look to its website. Karen Stanley of International Arid Lands Consortium designed and arranged the components.There is an updated Peace Corps page that links to the “Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Southern Arizona” site, as well as information on upcoming activities. The Faculty/Staff page has new photographs and includes OIP’s most recent additions. And the logo on the home page switches from a local to a more global one. Visit us at http://ag.arizona.edu/oip.
Update on RAISE PLUS
The Pragma Corporation has informed CALS and other organizations participating in the proposed consortium that USAID will probably make some decision on final awards within the next 120 days.
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
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Chinese Delegation Visits CEAD Project
The Nutritional Assessment of Elite American Combined Events Athletes Development Project (CEAD), currently run by Principal Investigator and Nutritional Sciences Department Head, Linda Houtkooper, and project coordinator Jackie Maurer, M.S., R.D. was visited in November by three members of the Chinese Sports Nutrition Center, National Research Institute of Sports Medicine and State Sport General Administration of China.
The purpose of their visit was to gather information on what is being done
in American Universities in the field of sports nutrition research and education.
The CEAD Project has been providing research based education for elite combined
events athletes to help promote optimal health and sport performance since 1990.
You can learn more about CEAD at: http://ag.arizona.edu/NSC/new/hept/index.htm.
ACTIVITIES
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Building Communities in International Setting
During a sabbatical study from 2001 until 2003, Beth Knisely-Tucker, Director of the Coconino Cooperative Extension conducted comparative study on Community and Youth Development processes with indigenous cultures both within and outside of the United States. The study included piloting of “Building Communities”, a toolkit to community action among diverse communities. From May to July 2001 Ms. Knisely-Tucker was in Kenya, late March to early June 2002 in Ethiopia, and mid-November 2002 to mid-February 2003 in India (tribal site). The combined objectives were to: 1) expand implementation of community development processes, 2) to further test and develop tools, and 3) to test, identify, and culturally modify the tools from “Building Communities” in order to increase the success of community practices to mobilize youth from international communities to participate more actively in development efforts.
In addition to testing and adapting tools for cultural sensitivity, community and youth development processes in different setting. Training of professionals and community members on how to facilitate asset directed community development processes was conducted at one extension site and three tribal communities in Ethiopia, and at non-government organizations in New Delhi and a tribal community in Northern Province in India. A variety of international development organizations have been exposed to tools that are culturally adaptable and replicate asset driven development. Participant communities and organizations for Kenyan recipients included Egerton University, DID’s development workers, Rongo micro enterprise volunteers; and Ethiopian recipients - Extension field professionals in the northern province; Indian recipients - numerous non-government agencies from New Delhi and tribal communities in the northern province.
Workshop in Nairobi
October 14-16, 2003, Professor Chuck Hutchinson and Stefanie Herrmann presented "Evolving Contexts of the Desertification Debate" at the UNEP/FAO/UNCCD Workshop on Changes in the Sahel, held in Nairobi. The workshop was convened almost three decades after the United Nations Conference on Desertification in order to synthesize results of scientific studies conducted in the Sahel in the past 20 years and produced a statement of the current state of knowledge of changes in the Sahel. Based on the presented research results and conclusions drawn, the participants of the workshop provided recommendations of future actions to the sponsoring organizations.
Sustainable Development of Drylands Projects: Afghanistan/Pakistan Component
The Afghanistan/Pakistan trip of October 8-25, 2003 provided Bob Freitas, Project
Director, and the United States-based management team an in-depth opportunity
to work together in explaining and promoting this component of the project.
The team was able to explain more fully the goals, objectives, and training
methodology of the project to both the Afghanistan and Pakistan USAID Missions.
There was interaction with selected major clients such as the Ministry of Agriculture
and Animal Husbandry, NGOs, Kabul University, and the Rebuilding Agricultural
Markets in Afghanistan Program (RAMP project).
In the year that has passed, three courses of one-month duration each have been
completed, reaching a total of 43 Afghan participants from locations across
the country. They represented Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, Irrigation,
Water Resources and Environment and NGO’s. UIUC, as the lead institution
for this component, will make a prompt and focused response to the long-neglected
need for training of Afghanistan’s agricultural leaders.
Sustainable Development of Drylands Project: India Component
Bob Freitas, Project Director, Sustainable Development of Drylands in Asia & the Middle East project, was in India September 20 - October 1, 2003 to initiate activity with USAID and participating institutions in Rajasthan. Dr. Peter Ffolliott, Team Leader, Water and Watershed Manager, and Dr. Martin Fogel, Agricultural Engineer, Water Manager, Professor Emeritus, are tentatively scheduled to visit India in early March with four other team members. They will be initiating the on-farm water and energy use policy study with Indian collaborating scientists from institutions in the state of Rajasthan. They also will coordinate with U of I, USAID-New Delhi, and the Indian government.
Sustainable Development of Drylands Project: Jordan Component
Bob Freitas traveled to Jordan (January 20 - 26) for a planning effort with USAID-Amman & Jordanian Institutions on new Cooperative Agreement.
A 6-member delegation of Jordanian Scientists visited Tucson, November 29 through December 13. The purpose of the visit was to provide the scientific base for improving reclaimed water and bio-solids use in a safe and effective manner so as to stretch the critical fresh water supplies of Jordan.
Lecture tour in Asia
Professor Leslie Gunatilaka of Arid Lands Studies conducted a lecture tour of parts of Asia. His activities included:
International Trade Development Center (ITDC)
Ken Foster and Lay Gibson met with Ron Richman, Chief Operating Officer, from International Trade Development Center on December 10. They discussed potential partnership in international technology transfer and training programs. CALS expressed interest in the idea. The ITDC suggested they would look into various possibilities.
ITDC is a non-profit [501(c)3] organization located in Tucson, Arizona. It is a self-sustaining learning laboratory where international trade initiates hands-on education and economic development in Southern Arizona. ITDC works with local, regional, and federal economic development stakeholders and strategic partners. Its effort are focused in three areas:
For more information contact: ITDC, 4399 N. Via Bellas Catalinas, Tucson, AZ
85718-7437, Telephone (520) 299-4551, Fax (520) 299-9798, Website http://www.tradedevelopment.org.
Research in South Africa
Laura Baker is participating in research at the University of Cape Town, South Africa through the U.S. Fulbright Grant. She is working with Professor Timm Hoffman of the Leslie Hill Plant Institute for Plant Conservation (LHIPC). They are studying the grazing impacts and spatial patterns of communal pastoralists in a small village called Paulshoek, which is located in the Leliefontein Communal Reserve of central Namaqualand in the northwest corner of South Africa. The area receives only 200mm (8 inches) of rain annually, making it a challenging place for livestock farmers. Professor Hoffman has been collecting livestock data in the region for the past six years. They are currently working to GPS the location of the livestock over the past six years and to collect data about the reasons why livestock farmers move from one area of the communal rangeland to another. The data will be used to create a map of grazing impact over the last year and to understand the motivations for the spatial patterns of the pastoralist's movements.
PROJECT REFERRALS
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Upcoming Conference in Jordan
“Under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development, will hold the first International Water Demand Management Conference from May 30 to June 3, 2004, in Amman, Jordan. The conference will be organized under the Academy for Educational Development Water Efficiency and Public Information for Action Project (WEPIA) and co-sponsored by the American Water Works Association, International Water Association, California Urban Water Conservation Council, International Water Resources Association, Irrigation Association, and the National Drought Mitigation Center.”
For more information contact:
Shera Bender, Project Associate
Center for Environmental Strategies
Academy for Educational Development
1825 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20009-5721
Tel: 202-884-8889
Fax: 202-884-8997
Email: sbender@aed.org
Local Infrastructure Support – Possible Nepal Opportunity
OGERTA is interested in collaborating on work with organizations interested in working in Nepal. OGERTA was recently established by a number of Nepalese management professionals as a full-service management consulting company in Nepal, whose objective is to provide the full range of management and support services to all organizational sectors of the community.
OGERTA believes its Private Limited’s partners, and access to local support consultants and organizations, would be helpful to organizations in their transition to “the realities of trying to set up operations and work in the ‘Nepal Reality’.” They look forward to providing access to “an exceptionally experienced ‘knowledge based’ team of highly skilled management professionals” who have worked for and/or with UN, bilateral, multilateral and INGO funding agencies as well as national organizations. OGERTA represents a gender-balanced partnership of Nepalese management professionals, who are “fully committed” to addressing Administration, Programmes, Information Technology and other management related issues.
OGERTA assures that they can help an organization quickly establish activities
in Nepal by becoming a local partner. For further information contact: Mr. Kabindra
Sharma, Business Development Partner, OGERTA Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal.
Tel: 977-1-4443821, Website: http://www.ogerta.org.np.
International Opportunity in Serbia
The Foreign Agricultural Service/ICD is sponsoring the activities of a national Committee on Agricultural Extension Services (AES) in Serbia. The eleven-person committee consists of representatives of groups involved in providing agricultural extension services in Serbia including Universities, Institutes, NGOs and agribusinesses. The role of the committee is to examine present AES activities, receive input from farmers and agribusinesses on needed services and to make recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture on future directions in AES. It is proposed that the committee begin its activities in December 2003 and finish its study by April of 2004.
FAS/ICD has agreed to support the committee by paying for a Coordinator/Administrator of the committee, to pay the costs of travel of the members of the committee as they visit the field and to provide technical experts who can help the committee evaluate the AES activities in Serbia. It is proposed that committee members:
To achieve these goals and to organize the committee it is proposed that the committee meet to organize themselves, develop a scope of work, agree on procedures for the review and identify the specific activities and assign responsibilities to members required to complete its work.
To help the committee a university specialist is needed who has experience in public committees and can help the members organize themselves and will, if relevant, provide ongoing leadership support to the committee. The first activity will be to plan, with a Serbian counterpart, the first meeting of the committee, to educate the members of the committee on processes to achieve its goals, and to provide leadership during the first meeting to the committee. It is estimated that this activity will require three days preparation time in the United States, four days of preparation time in Serbia and two days to lead the first meeting. Also three days for follow-up activities will be required. Additional activities to support the committee in future months may be required depending on the outcome of this first activity.
For those who are interested, please send a resume to Patty Fulton at pfulton@csrees.usda.gov
or contact her at USDA-CSREES, International Programs, Phone: 202-720-3801,
Fax: 202-690-2355.
Agriculture Development Specialist Position
USAID is currently seeking an experienced agricultural advisor to apply for a position in the Central Asia Republics Mission. The title of the position is “#48/2003 for Off-shore USPSC Agriculture Development Specialist position, GS-14 for USAID/Central Asia Republics/Energy & Water Office, Almaty, Kazakhstan”. The individual would be located in the office of Energy and Water and would be the Mission’s expert on agricultural development issues. For more information please contact D. Craig Anderson at email address: canderson@usaid.gov. According to Craig, “it’s a nice position, involves some travel though not excessive, and Almaty is a lovely city to live in.”
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For further information or to submit an item for a future Quarterly Report, please contact:
The University of Arizona
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Office of International Programs
P.O. Box 210436
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0436
Tel: (520) 620-9374
Fax: (520) 882-2980
Email: intagric@u.arizona.edu
Updated: 23 March 2004.
URL: http://cals.arizona.edu/oip/2ndquarter03.html
Copyright the Arizona Board of Regents 2004.