US Land Grant Universities Plant Seeds of Prosperity in Other Countries

Dr. Edwin Price, director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture of the Texas A&M University System supported statements from the recent report of the World Bank regarding global agriculture. "The World Development Report place agriculture and the productivity of the small farmer at the center of the worldwide fight against poverty,” said Dr. Price. In particular, the report validated the need for further involvement and leadership by land-grant universities in agricultural development worldwide, in addressing associated issues such as health, economic growth and social stability in developing countries, and in investing in research and agricultural infrastructure to help poor countries develop a sustainable agriculture.

Support from land grant universities started in the 1960s and is being continued by students, faculty, private individuals and institutions to respond to the needs and opportunities of international agriculture. As an example, the Borlaug Institute has current involvement in international agriculture programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Armenia. Partnerships with governments, donor institutions and the private sector are vital in the success of these endeavors.

For details, see news release at: http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=151 . The World Bank Report can be accessed at: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21513382
~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html