Full Symposium Program

Intersections of Policy and Practice to Strengthen Agricultural Education and Training Systems

VENUE: Kellogg Conference Center, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

DATES: June 7 – 9, 2017

Pre-Symposium Workshop, Wednesday, June 7, 1:00-5:30

HICD Storytelling: From Design to Evaluation and Back Again—It’s not always easy to tell the whole story of an AET project. At this pre-symposium workshop InnovATE will combine discussions with working groups to think about and analyze human and institutional capacity development project design and indicators. We will analyze problems that AET projects address either at the institutional or systemic level (e.g., curriculum revisions, pedagogy, student learning, administration, partnerships) in order to plan for indicators that tell the whole story. We will discuss process, context and performance indicators for the project and system levels. Participants will leave the workshop with ways to better tell their projects’ stories through indicators.

Track Key: YD = Youth Development, CS = Cross-Sector Collaboration, G = Gender, PS = Private Sector Engagement

Day 1—Thursday, June 8

7:30-8:30 Breakfast

8:30 Welcome – Larry Vaughan, Director of InnovATE

Larry Vaughan is the Director of the InnovATE project at Virginia Tech. Prior to leading the InnovATE project, he was Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project in Senegal. He served as an IPM trainer for Virginia Tech’s USAID-funded project in Ukraine and as project coordinator for Virginia Tech’s USAID-funded effort to promote biological control methods against grasshoppers and locusts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Vaughan is an entomologist specializing in biological pest control and integrated pest management (IPM). His research experience has focused on the behavioral and physiological aspects of insect ecology. He earned a B.S. in Biology from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of California-Berkeley.

Van Crowder, Executive Director OIRED, Virginia Tech

Van Crowder is the Executive Director of the Office of International Research, Education and Development (OIRED) at Virginia Tech. Dr. Crowder has more than 30 years of experience with international development projects, and has worked for the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. At the Millennium Challenge Corporation, he served as a senior director managing the education, health, and community development portfolio. At the FAO, he served as senior officer of communication for development, and as the country representative for Nicaragua. Dr. Crowder has worked in 20 countries around the world. He earned a B.S. and M.S. in Communication Arts from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Adult and Continuing Education also from Cornell.

8:45 USAID Welcome – Clara Cohen, Division Chief, Human and Institutional Capacity, Executive Director, BIFAD, Bureau for Food Security

Clara Cohen serves as Chief of the Division on Human and Institutional Capacity Development, and Designated Federal Officer of the Board on International Food and Agricultural Development in USAID’s Bureau for Food Security, Office of Agricultural Research and Policy. Dr. Cohen leads Office activities focusing on human and institutional capacity development and has contributed to the design and launch of several new programs emphasizing research and education system strengthening. Previously, she worked as a Research Scholar for the Health and Global Change Unit at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria and at the US National Academy of Sciences, where she designed and implemented the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded African Science Academy Development Initiative. She earned a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, Plant Molecular Biology, Soil Science from Cornell University.

9:00 Opening Remarks

9:15-10:30 Plenary Session 1

Agricultural Innovation Systems: Not Business as Usual
Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) should be dynamic, flexible and responsive to challenges. Policies, whether national, local or institutional, affect how well an AIS functions. Agricultural Education and Training (AET) systems provide the human resources for AIS’s, which makes AET systems critical agents in the AIS. This is a panel discussion with audience Q and A.
• How does an AET institution or system operate as a forceful agent in an AIS?
• What policies are necessary for the development and growth of agricultural innovation systems?
• Who needs to be at the table?
• What role for AET institutions in policy-making?
• What role for development projects in influencing AIS’s?
• Examples of AIS successes?

Moderator: Charles Maguire, AET consultant

Charles Maguire has ten years of in-country field experience in education and training for agriculture and rural development and 25 years of World Bank experience. At the World Bank he was a Senior Institutional Development Specialist in the Rural Development Department. His broad exposure to a large number of countries and their agriculture and education systems enables him to bring to development problems a rich resource of comparative experience from around the world. He earned a Ph.D. and Masters degree from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Agriculture from University College Dublin, Ireland. He has taught at higher, technical –vocational and secondary education levels in the U.S., Africa and Ireland. Retired from the World Bank, Dr. Maguire undertakes occasional consulting assignments for development agencies and is active in a number of NGOs. He also sits on the InnovATE Program Advisory Committee.

Panelists: Irene Annor-Frempong, FARA

Irene Annor-Frempong is the Director for Research and Innovation at The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). She is an Animal Scientist with strong focus on Research Methodology, and has over 20 years of rich and wide experience as a research scientist, research manager and educationist. She is currently leading the development and operationalization of the continental framework on the “Science Agenda for Agriculture in Africa” (S3A) program. Dr. Annor-Frempong serves on a number of Boards and Steering Committees of continent-wide and global initiatives including the World Bank “Africa Centres of Excellence” (ACE) program and the Consultative Advisory Group on “Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology” (PASET). She is a Technical Committee member of the “Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture” (RUFORUM). With FARA, Dr. Annor-Frempong has led the development and coordination of continent-wide programs including “Strengthening the Capacity of Agricultural Research and Development for Africa” (SCARDA), “Universities, Business Research in Agricultural Innovation” (UniBRAIN), and the “Africa Human Capital for Science, Technology and Agri-preneurship for Food Security” (AHC-STAFF) program.She earned a B.S. in Agriculture from Cape Coast University, Ghana, an M.S. in Animal Production Science from Wageningen University, Netherlands and a Ph.D. from the University of Bristol, UK.

Maria Mullei, public/private partnership specialist, Virginia Tech

Maria Mullei is an international economic development professional experienced in building the capacity of local partners; strengthening organizational systems; and, mainstreaming capacity building into development strategies. In her role as an Agriculture and Development Adviser with USAID, she spent much of her career improving economic conditions through Public-Private Partnerships. She was a Senior Regional Food Security Advisor and Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening expert with Chemonics International, a USAID-funded contractor responsible for implementation of the “East Africa Trade Hub” project. She is also a faculty member in the Office of International Research, Education and Development, at Virginia Tech. In her latest assignment, Dr. Mullei was the USAID-funded iAGRI’s Innovation Portfolio Manager in Tanzania. She earned a B.S. in Education from College Misericordia (Pennsylvania), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Education from the University of Rochester.

David Nielson, World Bank

David Nielson is a Lead Agriculture Economist at the World Bank working on Agriculture and Rural Development. He led the development of the World Bank’s support for the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP). At the outset of CAADP, he worked very closely with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) on the development of the Framework for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP). He led development of strong partnerships in support of building the capacity of Africa’s sub-regional agricultural research organizations (SROs) and for FARA. Dr. Nielson has also worked extensively with agricultural extension and advisory service programs. He was one of the main developers of two of the most prominent and influential agricultural extension programs in recent years – Venezuela’s Agricultural Extension Program and Uganda’s National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAADS). Working together with many partners in the context of CAADP, he led the creation of a new continental institution for agricultural advisory services (the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services – AFAAS) and the establishment of a multi-donor trust fund to support AFAAS. He was also instrumental in the establishment of a global institution for agricultural advisory services (Global Forum for Rural and Agricultural Advisory Services – GFRAS). He led the mobilization of funding for GFRAS and served as its founding Chairman of the Board. More recently, Dr. Nielson has turned his attention to the development of human capital for Africa’s agricultural sector. He led a process to coordinate efforts to strengthen tertiary agricultural education in Africa – a process which led to the mainstreaming of the human capital topic within CAADP as well as to the establishment of a global partnership to support this effort. Dr. Nielson has worked on rural development at the World Bank for nearly twenty-five years – mostly in Latin America in the 1990s and mostly in Africa since then, and recently in Russia and Central Asia. Prior to joining the World Bank, he held appointments at the Giannini Foundation at the University of California at Berkeley and in the Department of Economics at California State University at Hayward. He also served as an agribusiness advisor to senior management at Kraft, Inc., and managed a family farm in South Dakota. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago and a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Minnesota.

10:30-10:40 Transition Break

10:40-11:55 Concurrent Sessions A

1A: “Overcoming Barriers to Modernize Tanzanian Technical Training Programs for Agricultural Extension” Most Tanzanian agricultural extension workers are graduates of two year and certificate training programs offered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MALF). The Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute (MATI) programs are governed by the MALF Division of Agricultural Training and by the National Council for Technical Education. A pilot project, that engages Sokoine University in modernizing MATI teaching programs, faces numerous systemic institutional and incentive barriers for continuation, including extension of best practices and lessons learned to the national MATI network. Session participants will be challenged to identify ways to resolve them in a Think Tank-style format. Track: YD

Presenters: Mark Erbaugh, The Ohio State University

Mark Erbaugh is director of the Office of International Programs in Agriculture at the Ohio State University. He has several decades of experience working in Tanzania. He is Principal Investigator for iAGRI, a major USAID-sponsored AET project that involves the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). He has led the pilot project involving SUA and the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute-Ilonga for the past year.

Dave Hansen, The Ohio State University

Dave Hansen retains an appointment with Ohio State University with the Office of international agriculture programs. He serves as the program manager for the USAID-funded Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), a major collaborative partnership between the Ohio State University and the Sokoine University of Agriculture and the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. His career has focused on international development. At Ohio State University he served as Associate Dean & Director of International Programs in Agriculture for over two decades. In this capacity he helped design and manage major institution building projects in Uganda, India, Swaziland, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Early in his career he undertook long-term overseas assignments in Brazil where he served as Deputy Chief-of-Party and Chief-of-Party for higher agricultural education institution building projects. More recently he served as a Senior Fellow to the Association for Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Washington, D.C. for four years. His responsibilities in this assignment revolved around APLU Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative, including the creation and implementation of a partnerships program for U.S and African Higher Education Institutions designed to build capacity in Africa. Partnerships focused on agriculture, climate change and related topics, such as water and range management and ecosystems services. He has served as a consultant to USAID, the World Bank and related entities, undertaking numerous field based assignments related to development project planning, administration and evaluation. He has frequently collaborated with USDA, land-grant universities and NGO partners in higher education capacity building activities, primarily related to USAID Title XII programming, including the Feed the Future Initiative.

Mary Rodriguez, The Ohio State University

Mary Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Learning at the Ohio State University. She has been involved in the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute (MATI) pilot project, of the USAID-sponsored iAGRI project, from its onset, including collection of field data from stakeholders and MATI-Ilonga staff, and the presentation of workshops for representatives from MATI-Ilonga, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Division of Training, and Sokoine University of Agriculture.

Amon Mattee, Sokoine University of Agriculture

Amon Mattee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development at Sokoine University of Agriculture with close to forty years tenure. He has been a key member of the iAGRI team over the life of the project. His main area of teaching and research is Agricultural Extension and Rural Development. He has participated in all phases of the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute-Ilonga pilot project including interactions with the Division of Agriculture Training of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Catherine Msuya, Sokoine University of Agriculture

Catherine Msuya is an associate professor and the Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development at Sokoine University of Agriculture. She is involved in management and administration of the department as well as teaching and research supervision to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She also conducts research in Innovation adoption studies, including adoption behavior, gender, food security and other agricultural and social-related research, and offers consultancy, and performs outreach activities. Dr. Msuya has a Ph.D. in Agrarian Extension from the University of Pretoria, South Africa and B.Sc. in Home Economics and Human Nutrition and M. Sc. in Agricultural Education and Extension from Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania.

2A: “Supporting Agricultural Education Institutional Capacity Development through Higher Education” Economic and social development depends largely on well-trained human capital with globally-competitive knowledge and skills, citizens trained in the values of democratic societies, and institutional cultures that enhance rather than impede economic efficiency, human well-being, justice and equality. There is a story worth telling about agricultural education and its impact on development. However, we struggle to tell that story in a way that captures the hearts and minds of many audiences. How do you tell the story of your program to policymakers? How do you show impact (beyond numbers) of your programming? Learn how to better tell the story of why agricultural education matters for social and economic development, and communicate the impact of particular agricultural education capacity building investments. The focus of this session will be on improving how we make the case for investing in agricultural education and strengthening critical human and institutional capacity work in developing countries.

Presenters: Samantha Alvis, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities

Samantha Alvis is the Director of International Development and Programs for the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). She oversees a number of projects and initiatives related to the comprehensive internationalization of APLU member campuses. She also manages APLU’s International Agriculture Section. She came to APLU as a congressionally-funded Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow in 2014. Before joining APLU, Samantha spent the first year of her fellowship with the Innovative Agriculture Research Initiative (iAGRI) project, a consortium project ran by the Ohio State University, based at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania where she worked on a number of projects related to institutional transformation. In addition to her time at iAGRI, Alvis’ international experience includes serving in the ACDI/VOCA Service Learning Corps in Kenya and Ethiopia to set up cooperative information and learning centers, planning and coordinating the first study abroad from Texas A&M to Namibia (with the University of Namibia), and teaching English in France. She serves as Communications Chair for the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development (AIARD) and was selected as an AIARD Future Leaders Forum participant in 2012.

Hanan Saab, Association of Public Land-grant Universities

Hanan Saab is the Assistant Director for International Issues within the Office of Congressional & Governmental Affairs of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). In this role she leads the association’s advocacy on higher education issues related to immigration and visa policy, study abroad, international education, international agriculture and international development. Hanan previously worked at NAFSA: Association of International Educators where she most recently served as Manager for Public Policy and the legislative lead for the organization’s Cuba portfolio. Prior to NAFSA, Hanan managed student services for study abroad programs in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa for a D.C.-based education abroad provider. A Minnesota native, Hanan recently served as an education policy fellow in the Office of U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN). Her extensive international experiences include a year of foreign policy study at the American University in Cairo.

3A: “Using Gender Education to Stimulate Policy Change through Grassroots Efforts” Presenters will showcase a series of trainings designed to highlight gender limitations in the communities of secondary and tertiary students. Round table participants will participate in exercises based on the these modules to collectively illuminate strategies for multi-level change that will not only allow young women to enter agricultural fields but embolden them to insist on the changes needed for them to access all forms of agricultural education and allow them to thrive and excel. Track: G

Presenters: Patty Neiner, Pennsylvania State University

Patty Neiner runs the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network that focuses on providing agricultural education and networking opportunities specifically directed at how women farmers prefer to learn. She also works with the InnovATE Project at Pennsylvania State University. She has developed Gender Training Modules for USAID personnel to assist them in teaching international youth in secondary and tertiary education how to better identify gender-biased thought that inhibits career choices, especially in agriculture related fields. She has a BA and BS from Pennsylvania State University.

Ruth Mendum, Pennsylvania State University

Ruth Mendum is the Associate Director for Gender Initiatives in the International Programs Office of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. Her current responsibilities include coordinating a gender research training workshop for post docs in the CGIAR system as well as conducting research related to gender, agriculture and the environment and sharing of the Women in Agriculture model to several international venues. Trained in Rural Sociology and Women’s Studies, Dr. Mendum teaches gender and development in the Community, Environment and Development major at Pennsylvania State University. She is also a contributor to the InnovATE project.

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:05 – 2:20 Concurrent Sessions B

4B: “Operationalizing a New Law: Universities and Outreach in Senegal” The Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project, funded by USAID/Senegal and led by Virginia Tech, has promoted university outreach in Senegal since 2010. In 2015, a new law took effect in Senegal, making community service a core value of universities. This session will look at how the project influenced such a policy change and what it is doing to make community service part of the culture of agriculture universities in Senegal.

Presenter: Demba Farba Mbaye, Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project, Senegal

Demba Farba Mbaye serves as the Research and Outreach Coordinator for the USAID-funded Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project in Senegal. Prior to joining the ERA project, Dr. Mbaye served as a principal Plant Pathologist on cereals and horticulture crops at the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA) for more than thirty years. His specialty is in pesticides and has experience with pesticides regulatory systems at national, regional and international levels. He has worked with farmers, NGOs, extension agents and local administration. Furthermore, Dr Mbaye served as Coordinator of several projects and research programs at national, regional and international levels and participated in boards of national, regional and international institutions (CNGPC, CILSS/INSAH, CORAF, and CTA). He has published more than one hundred articles in scientific journals, proceedings of seminars and scientific books. He earned a Diploma Ingénieur Agronome, from the l’Institut Agricole de Koubagne de Krasnodar (ex URRS), an D.E.A. / M. S., in Agriculture, Plant Pathology, from the Institut Polytechnique de Toulouse / Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique, Toulouse (France), and a Ph.D in Plant Pathology, from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique/ORSTOM (current IRD), Montpellier France.

5B: “Gender Theory from Classroom to Field: Experience of CGIAR Fellows” The Gender, Agriculture, Energy and Environment Initiative has been tasked by the CGIAR system to provide gender training to post-docs and other scientists working on a variety of applied agricultural research projects around the world. Fifteen participants traveled to Penn State for three weeks of training in June of 2016 and will return in June 2017 for another three weeks of work. Three participants from this Gender Research and Integrated Training share their experiences with the training they received and share how they have integrated gender considerations into their ongoing research and agricultural training. Lessons learned about interdisciplinary, problem-based use of gender theory shed light on translating abstract principles to an applied, agricultural context. Track: G

Presenters: Tatiana Gumucio, CIAT

Tatiana Gumucio holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Florida and joined the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in 2014. She is the CIAT focal point in the Gender Integration Team of the Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA) CGIAR Research Program. Her interests include contributing to rigorous gender research on non-timber forest products and trees-on-farms in order to help inform the formulation of effective and equitable climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and interventions.

Mary Njenga, World Agroforestry Centre

Mary Njenga is a postdoctoral fellow in Bioenergy at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), based in Nairobi, Kenya. As an ICRAF staff she supports the bioenergy theme in relation to environment, food and nutrition security and health, in agroforestry R&D projects. She is a visiting lecturer with the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi TAtianwhere she contributes to programs and courses in sustainable biomass energy‐livelihoods‐environment‐gender nexus. Njenga is a member of the Board of Directors of Women Organizing for Change and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN).

Katie Tavenner, ILRI

Dr. Katie Tavenner is a postdoctoral research fellow in gender at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work at ILRI focuses on analyzing the gender dynamics of intrahousehold decision making in Kenyan dairy production. Prior to joining ILRI, Katie was a U.S. Borlaug Fellow in Global Food Security, and has experience conducting gender research in South Africa, India, and Australia. Katie is a proud Penn Stater, and is finalizing her dual‐title degree in Rural Sociology and Women’s Studies under the supervision of Dr. Carolyn Sachs.

6B: “Engaging the Private Sector to Strengthen an AET System: Lessons Learned in Haiti” This session will outline the participatory approach used in the USAID Haiti-AREA project to engage the private sector in transforming the AET system through curricula and pedagogy reform. Presenters will share lessons learned from interactions with seven higher education AET institutions and outline future plans with technical and secondary schools. The current policy climate in Haiti for curriculum and pedagogy reform and efforts to engage women in all aspects of the project will be highlighted. Track: PS

Presenters: Grady Roberts, University of Florida

Grady Roberts is a professor of agricultural education at the University of Florida and a Co-PI on the Haiti-AREA project. Dr. Roberts leads the HICD efforts in the Haiti-AREA project and has conducted research on AET systems around the world. Roberts is a Fellow in the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education and a Fellow in the American Association for Agricultural Education. Dr. Roberts is also a contributor to the InnovATE project.

J.C. Bunch, University of Florida

J.C. Bunch is an assistant professor of agricultural education at the University of Florida and a Co-PI on the Haiti-AREA project. He is a member of the HICD team on the Haiti-AREA project. Dr. Bunch has conducted research on AET systems around the world.

7B: “Planning for a Regional Continuing Professional Education Certificate for Agricultural Technical Vocational Education and Training Teachers in Central America” The InnovATE project recently brought together representatives from government agencies, agricultural technical-vocational schools and universities from five Central American countries to discuss the possibility of a regional continuing professional education program for ATVET teachers. Hear from organizers about mapping ATVET schools in Central America, results from the meeting, and current and future regional efforts of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination/Central American Integration System (CECC/SICA).

Presenters: Henry Quesada, Virginia Tech

Henry Quesada is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech. He works in the area of Industrial Engineering with specific interests in continuous improvement, supply chain management, international marketing, and organizational innovation. He is also an extension specialist supporting renewable-based industries in Virginia and beyond. Before coming to Virginia Tech in 2008, Dr. Quesada served on the faculty at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (Costa Rica Tech) for 10 years. Dr. Quesada is an InnovATE project contributor. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Production Engineering from the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, an M.S. in Wood Products Technology and a Ph.D. in Manufacturing Systems, both from Purdue University.

John Ignosh, Virginia Tech

John Ignosh is an Area Specialist in Agricultural Byproduct Utilization in the Biological Systems Engineering Department of Virginia Tech & Virginia Cooperative Extension. In his extension work, Mr. Ignosh promotes the efficient utilization of agricultural byproducts. He served as an agroforestry Extension Agent in the U.S. Peace Corps in Guatemala. He is also an InnovATE project contributor. Mr Ignosh holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Forestry and International Studies from The Ohio State University and an M.S. in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Forest management and Integrated Water Resource Science from the University of Minnesota.

Anny González, CECC/SICA

Anny González is the Director of Educational Projects in Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC) for the Central American Integration System (SICA). She directs and coordinates educational projects in the eight countries of SICA—Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic. Prior to her work with CECC/SICA, Ms. González was the Head of the Department of School Libraries and Learning Resource Centers (BEYCRA) for the Ministry of Education of Costa Rica (MEP). She worked for MEP for 30 years in various positions. She has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education from the University of Costa Rica, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from the Central University (Colombia), a Master’s degree in Educational Informatics from the University of Hartford (USA), and a Postgraduate Certificate in Cognitive Development in Computer Environments from the University of Rio Grande du Sud (Brazil).

2:20 – 2:30 Transition Break

2:30 – 3:45 Plenary Session 2

Are We Moving Forward? Gender Transformation and AET Gender has been a component or major focus of development projects for decades. A Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) aims to move beyond access and control over resources to address the fundamental issues leading to women’s disempowerment – the structures, norms and beliefs that reinforce women’s multi-dimensional poverty. This panel will explore gender transformation efforts in agricultural education and training.
• What does success for gender transformation look like?
• What can policy makers do to move gender transformation forward?
• What can educators, project implementers do to move policy forward?
This is a panel discussion with audience Q and A. Track: G

Moderator: Becky Williams, University of Florida

Rebecca J. (Becky) Williams is a postdoctoral research associate in the University of Florida’s (UF) International Center. She is currently working on two food security development projects as a specialist in human and institutional capacity building and gender. She graduated with a PhD in Interdisciplinary Ecology from UF’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. Her focus is in gender, participatory development, and natural resources management. Dr. Williams served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Honduras from 2009-2011 in the Water and Sanitation program as an Environmental Educator Extensionist. She holds an M.S. from Florida State University in Instructional Systems Design and a B.S. in Music Education from Stetson University. She is also a contributor to the InnovATE project.

Panelists: Deborah Rubin, Cultural Practice

Deborah Rubin is Co-Director of Cultural Practice (CP), an international development consulting firm that helps clients understand the behaviors, interests, incentives, and decision-making patterns of men, women, and institutions, in different cultural contexts. She has over 25 years of experience on strategic planning and evaluation, and agricultural policy research, economic growth, business development, and poverty reduction. Dr. Rubin is primary author of “Promoting Gender Equitable Opportunities in Agricultural Value Chains: A Handbook.” She leads CP’s cutting edge work on gender and agriculture, based on the handbook, which guides much of USAID’s current work on gender and food security. Dr. Rubin has worked extensively with both the land grant and private university communities, evaluating USAID-funded agricultural research grants and leading a team of agricultural scientists to identify new priorities for the agency’s investments in agriculture and NRM, which resulted in a reframing of USAID’s agricultural and NRM research programs. She has a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Brown University. She held an Agriculture and Rural Development Fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation, an AAAS fellowship, a MacArthur Foundation research and writing award and a Fulbright fellowship.

Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD)

Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg is Director of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD). Through its investments in Africa’s leading women agricultural scientists, AWARD serves as a catalyst for innovations contributing to the prosperity and well-being of African smallholder farmers. Prior to joining AWARD, Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg founded and served as Executive Director of Akili Dada, an award-winning leadership incubator that invests in high-achieving young women from under-resourced families, who are passionate about driving change in their communities. Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg also served as an assistant professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco and a lecturer in International Relations at the Jesuit Hekima College, a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Her academic research and teaching interests centered on African politics, gender, international relations, ethnicity, and democratization, and the role of technology in social activism. Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg was honored as a White House Champion of Change, named one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African Magazine, recognized as a Ford Foundation Champion of Democracy, and named one of Kenya’s Top 40 Women Under Age 40. She has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in Politics from Whitman College in Washington state.

Gretchen Neisler, Center for Global Connections in Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University

Gretchen Neisler is the Director of the Center for Global Connections in Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CGC) in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. She oversees a highly skilled team that is focused on reducing transaction costs for faculty and students to engage in global research and outreach opportunities. She has extensive experience in working with institutes of higher education. Prior to her appointment at CGC, Dr. Neisler served as the Associate Provost for Strategic Planning at Albion College, where she facilitated and coordinated the development and implementation of a new college strategic plan. She has over 45 years of international development experience, including work across the Middle East, East Africa, West Africa, and Southeast Asia building sustainable partnerships within and for academic institutions. She has led workshops with faculties from institutes of higher education and other public sector professionals on curriculum development, capacity building, leadership development, gender inclusiveness in the workplace and learning from our development failures. She currently serves as the chair of the International Agriculture Section of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU). Dr. Neisler holds a B.S. in Animal Science, an M.S. in Agriculture Extension Education and a Ph.D. from MSU in Higher Education Administration.

4:15-5:30 Concurrent Sessions C

8C: “Improving Nutrition through Strengthening Agricultural Education: Comparative Policy Lessons from India & Malawi” One of the key ways to address food security and nutrition challenges is to develop multifaceted solutions at the household level and in the context of local communities. Agricultural extension and advisory services professionals can be trained to identify food security and nutrition challenges, analyze the status of food security and nutrition indicators along with their causal factors, develop interventions, and implement them by working with households and communities through innovative nutrition education programs. In this TEDx Style session, the speaker will highlight the practical issues, constraints, and challenges in changing agricultural educational and extension policies at the national level that can help modify agricultural education to become more nutrition sensitive in India and Malawi. Track: CS

Presenter: Suresh Babu, IFPRI

Suresh Babu leads the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) program on Learning and Capacity Strengthening. At IFPRI, he has been involved in institutional and human capacity strengthening for higher education and research in many countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa for the past 23 years. Dr. Babu has published more than 60 peer reviewed journal articles and authored or edited 14 books and research monographs. He is currently on the editorial boards of 4 peer reviewed journals. He serves on several international advisory committees including, the Advisory Board of the World Agricultural Forum (http://worldagforum.com). His current research includes human and organizational strengthening of food policy systems, policy processes, and agricultural extension in developing countries. He was educated at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa (M.S. Economics and PhD Economics).

9C: “HICD and the Innovation Labs” Innovation Labs are USAID’s principal mechanism for improving food security through collaborative research. In addition to their focus on solving problems through applied research, these projects have for decades produced leaders in the agriculture sector of developing countries through degree training. With 24 Innovation Labs in USAID’s portfolio, approaches to human and institutional capacity building range from the traditional to the unique. This session will survey human and institutional capacity development (HICD) approaches associated with these global research and technology transfer projects. Track: PS

Presenters: Tim Dalton, Kansas State University, Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab

Tim Dalton is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University and serves as the Director of the Sorghum and Millet Innovation Lab. He is well versed in interdisciplinary research and specialized in understanding the relationship between agricultural production, technological changes and the environment. He has extensive professional experience in more than 20 African nations. He is also the chair of the Feed the Future Innovation Labs Council. Dr. Dalton received an A.B. from Columbia University in 1988, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois in 1992 and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1996 from Purdue University.

Manny Reyes, Kansas State University, Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab

Manny Reyes is a research professor at Kansas State University and coordinates the Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab’s project to establish a Centre of Excellence on sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition at the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Cambodia. He has more than 30 years of experience working with water quality modeling, natural resources management and conservation agriculture. He is an agroecological engineer, designing food production systems that mimic nature. Dr. Reyes has extensive expertise across the globe in research, extension, teaching and project implementation. Reyes is working with RUA and the University of Battambang to enhance human and institutional capacity to conduct research and training of scholars and youth. He also facilitates partnerships with other Feed the Future Innovation Labs, international organizations and private industry in Cambodia.

Deborah Rubin, Cultural Practice

10C: “Industry Engagement in New Food Safety Systems Management Curriculum in Armenia” This session will cover the involvement of agribusiness and food processing industry in the needs identification, development and delivery of curriculum for trained and certified Food Safety System Managers in Armenia. InnovATE Consortium experts from Penn State and Virginia Tech visited many Armenian food production facilities and developed a curriculum for implementation at the Agribusiness Teaching Center of the Armenian National Agrarian University. Thirty students received official certification upon completing six modules developed specifically for the Armenian situation. Track: PS

Angela Neilan, Virginia Tech

Angela M. Neilan is the Associate Director for InnovATE, Program Manager for Innovate-Armenia, and Director of USAID Agribusiness at the Office of International Research, Education, and Development (OIRED) at Virginia Tech. The InnovATE-Armenia project benefits college students who are studying to become leaders in the food and agribusiness sector in the Armenian capital Yerevan. Ms. Neilan conducts institutional and financial development for ICARE Agribusiness Teaching Center of the Agrarian University of Armenia and oversees program activities including the following: designing a business plan for the center to increase revenue, building ties with local farmers and agribusiness producers throughout Armenia, organizing a summer camp for American college students, and helping to build a tourism-boosting wine academy. Beyond InnovATE-Armenia, Ms. Neilan has also served as a Community Involvement Specialist for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality since 2004. Her experience also includes work as a Participatory Watershed Development Specialist in Ethiopia for a USAID project conducted by Virginia Tech and Cornell, as a Program Development and Evaluation Specialist for Virginia Tech, and as a Virginia Cooperative Extension Specialist for Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Vardan Urutyan, Agribusiness Teaching Center, International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education

Vardan Urutyan is the Director of the ICARE center which includes the Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC) of the Armenian National Agrarian University, the Armenian partner in the USAID funded innovATE/Armenia project. He is adjunct Associate Professor at Texas A&M University in their Agricultural Economics Department and leads the implementation of the only western based curriculum in Agribusiness in the country. With 500 alumni at both the bachelors and masters levels, these students find jobs within 3 months of graduation at starting salaries of more than twice the amount received by other grads. Dr. Urutyan has worked diligently with the Armenian Agribusiness stakeholders in defining the need for Food Safety Managers within their production facilities. Industry engagement from the beginning stages of needs identification has led to the inclusion of industry as partners providing internship opportunities, student tours of production plants and ultimately to employment in the agribusiness sector for ATC graduates.

Cathy Cutter, Pennsylvania State University

Catherine Cutter currently leads the Extension Food Safety programs at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). Her background in Microbiology, Pathology and Bacteriology made her the perfect person from PSU, one of the 4 InnovATE Consortium universities, to lead the development of the modules in Food Microbiology, HACCP and Food Defense for the new Armenian Food Safety Systems Management curriculum. When the Rector of the Armenian National Agrarian University visited Penn State last fall, Dr. Cutter was instrumental in the signing of a 5 year MOU linking the Food Science Departments and enabling the formal certification of the Food Safety Systems Management Course through PSU. Dr. Cutter is also the Scientific Editor of Food Protection Trends, the general membership publication of the International Association for Food Protection, and serves on the USDA National Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry Inspection.

Joe Marcy, Virginia Tech

Joe Marcy is the current Department Head of the Food Science and Technology Department at Virginia Tech. He is recognized as a world expert in the area of Food Processing and is a Fellow of the prestigious Institute of Food Technologists. He has received many awards during his nearly 40 years in the field including Teaching Excellence and Outstanding Research from Virginia Tech and from professional associations. Dr. Marcy was the Virginia Tech InnovATE team member who led the Food Safety Systems Management modules in Food Science and Better Process Control School. He has always involved industry representatives as he developed curricula to meet their hiring needs. Dr. Marcy has led the construction and renovation of new buildings and laboratories on VT campus with donations from agribusiness and industry of over 5 million dollars.

Bob Reinhard, Tyson Foods

Bob Reinhard leads food safety, quality, and technical services for Tyson Foods, in the role of vice president FSQA for Prepared Foods. His responsibilities include directing and overseeing all product safety, quality, innovation commercialization and technical initiatives for the company’s high-quality brands. Prior to Tyson Foods, Mr. Reinhard was the vice president of Food Safety, Quality, and Technical Services for Hillshire Brands, Inc., formally Sara Lee Corporation, before it was purchased by Tyson Foods, Inc. He received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Food Science & Technology from Virginia Tech and received outstanding alumni recognition for his global achievements and improvements in food safety and governmental affairs related to food regulatory policy. His prior experiences include leading successful multi-billion dollar food companies driving one technical global strategy that exceeds consumer needs, achieves business results with effective brand stewardship and complete regulatory compliance. Mr. Reinhard serves on the USDA FSIS National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, American Meat Institute’s Scientific Advisory Committee, and serves as chairman of Virginia Tech’s Food Safety and Technology Advisory Board. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Food Allergy and Research and Resource Program.

Day 2—Friday, June 9
7:30-8:30 Breakfast

8:30 Welcome Recap/Reframe – Larry Vaughan/Clara Cohen

9:00-10:15 Plenary Session 3

Co-Creating Agricultural Education and Training Systems for Youth Development AET has a role in addressing issues relevant to youth such as encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset, reducing unemployment, attracting youth to the agriculture sector, and reducing violence. These are big issues that may require a system-wide approach. This panel brings together representatives from the AET system to talk about how different areas of the system might work collaboratively to build youth capacity and address some of the most pressing youth development challenges.
• Who needs to be involved in co-creating?
• What policies are needed to encourage collaboration for youth development?
• How do we work collaboratively on curricula?
• Examples of policies and/or partnerships to build youth capacity?
This is a panel discussion with audience Q and A. Track: YD

Moderator: Glen Shinn, Global Consulting Solutions and Texas A & M University

Glen Shinn is Professor Emeritus and Senior Scientist at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A & M University. He is an advisor in graduate international agricultural development and research with foci including higher education planning and needs assessment, diffusion of innovations, and agricultural technology. He is also a senior partner in Global Consulting Solutions, a firm that seeks to build institutional and human capacity focusing on integrative approaches to agricultural development including research, education, Extension, and outreach. Dr. Shinn has over 40 years of experience in agricultural education and capacity building with international experience in Afghanistan, Iraq, Armenia, South Korea, Peru, and Macedonia among others. He earned a B.S. in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University, a M.Ed. in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education, Agricultural Engineering, Higher & Adult Education, Research Methods also from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Shinn sits on InnovATE’s program advisory committee.

Panelists: Julieta Mazzola, EARTH University

Julieta Mazzola a Professor at EARTH University in Costa Rica. Julieta has been working at EARTH University (Costa Rica) from 2007, where she provides courses related to human development, equity and rural development. Some topics of interest are: inequality and poverty, interculturality, social participation, territorial development, community organization and sustainable communities. She previously (2000-2005) worked at the University of Salvador (Buenos Aires, Argentina), conducting research on socio-environmental aspects and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses. She has also taught courses in environmental training, building capacity and facilitated organizational processes with rural producers. She completed her Masters in Environmental and Territorial Studies at the University of Deusto in 1999 (San Sebastian, Spain) with a grant from the Ministry of Culture and Education of Argentina and completed her PhD in Social Sciences at the National University (Costa Rica) in 2015. She wrote several articles related to environmental education, community engagement, social organization and participated in conferences at the national and international levels.

Hazel Wilson Nash, FADCANIC

Hazel Wilson has 30 years of experience in the educational field, teaching elementary and secondary education and working in the multiethnic and multilingual context of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. Since 1998, Ms. Wilson became an active worker of the Foundation for Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (FADCANIC) as methodologist of the Teachers Training Program sponsored by SAIH-Norwegian Students and Academics international Fund. She has 10 years of experience in coordinating education programs for FADCANIC and 6 years of experience managing USAID’s Excellence Programs in the autonomous regions of Nicaragua.

Lisa Lauxman, 4-H USDA

Lisa Lauxman is the Director, Division Youth and 4-H which houses the 4-H National Headquarters, within the Institute of Youth, Family and Community, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lisa provides national leadership for positive youth development emphasizing non-formal educational learning experiences domestically and internationally and fostering strategic opportunities. Dr. Lauxman works with the land-grant universities’ Cooperative Extension to reach 6 million youth and over 500,000 adult volunteers through 4-H. Her areas of expertise and research are positive youth development, non-formal learning, youth voice, civic engagement, and youth and adult leadership. Before assuming the Division Director position in February 2010, Dr. Lauxman was on an Inter-Personnel Assignment (IPA) to 4-H National Headquarters from the University of Arizona. Dr. Lauxman’s career spans over thirty years in the cooperative extension land-grant system serving in two counties in Kansas and Arizona, at the state level as the Curriculum Coordinator and Acting Assistant Director, 4-H Youth Development, and was active in NAE4-HA serving as President. She has a Ph.D in Educational Psychology with a minor in Psychology in Program Evaluation Research Methodology and an M.A. in Educational Psychology, University of Arizona, an M.B.A from Emporia State University, and a B.S. in Home Economics Extension from Kansas State University.

Miles Sedgwick, Rana Labs and AgriJoven project

Miles Sedgwick is the Founder and Creative Director of Rana Labs. Rana Labs, LLC is a HUBZone certified digital media agency with a mission to generate social change with every product they create. From Washington D.C. to developing countries around the world, their goal is to build capacity and create jobs by uniting technology’s potential with artistic inspiration. Mr. Sedgwick has over 10 years of professional experience with video production, website development, social media campaigns, and training, and he is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. The USAID-funded Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation program in Guatemala launched the AgriJoven project in 2016 to organize savings and loan groups for youth in the agriculture sector. Mercy Corps works with horticulture exporter, Fair Fruit, to pilot the savings and loan model, and Rana Labs leads video production workshops with indigenous youth. The youth produce videos to promote the groups and to provide mobile extension services to other smallholder farmers. Mr. Sedgwick designed and leads the video training component of the AgriJoven project.

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-11:45 Concurrent Sessions D

11D: “Using a Gender Awareness Tool to Achieve Recognition for Women as Farmers” This session will describe an effective tool which helps women participants to establish themselves as farmers and ensure recognition by family members especially in-laws and husbands. All process and results discussed during the session are based on the results of a USAID-funded project called ‘USAID agricultural extension support activity’. This interactive session will cover the strengths, opportunites and limitations of this gender awareness tool. Track: G

Presenters: Tania Sharmin, CARE Bangladesh

Tania Sharmin has over 15 years of experience in the development arena with a focus on food security and livelihood programming where gender and nutrition was key. She is currently leading a team of CARE Bangladesh as National Technical Coordinator, USAID Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA) project for enhancing food security and nutrition of 110,000 households through interdisciplinary approach. Ms. Sharmin is an Agriculture Engineer with a Masters in development studies and food security – which helps to combine practical experience with theoretical understanding about development.

Bidyuth K. Mahalder, Agricultural Extension Support Activity (AESA) project

At present, as the Chief of Party (COP) Bidyuth K. Mahalder leads the USAID funded project entitled USAID Agricultural Support Activity (AESA) project. Before joining this position, He worked with DFID, Government of Bangladesh, DANIDA, UN-Habitat, UNDP, IRRI. He is experienced in managing a number of projects funded by EU, CIDA, AusAID, JICA, SDC, USAID and DFID in Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration and Masters in GIS degree.

Samsad Najnin, CARE Bangladesh

Samsad Najnin has an academic background and 18+ years of working experience in the field of Gender Development and Community Empowerment with CARE , Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Practical Action and DASCOH. Presently working as Gender Coordinator in CARE Bangladesh, she is responsible for developing a gender strategy for the project, mainstreaming gender in every stage of the project cycle, developing gender- and women empowerment-related training materials, conducting training for staff capacity building, and ensuring women’s participation in agriculture and nutrition interventions.

12D: “Policies & Programs to Engage the Private Sector, Women & Youth in Extension and Advisory Services” This session presents an overview of the importance of engaging youth, women, and the private sector in extension and advisory services for sustainability and scalability. Using examples and speakers from around the world, cases are presented on policies and programs that engage these groups. The audience is then engaged in a think tank session to develop a set of recommendations on how to engage youth and private sector individuals as agricultural advisors or agripreneurs. Track: G, YD, PD

Presenters: David J. Spielman, IFPRI

David J. Spielman, joined the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in 2004, and is currently a senior research fellow based in Washington, DC. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agricultural science, technology and innovation policy; seed systems and input markets; and community-driven rural development. Prior to this, Dr. Spielman was posted to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with IFPRI’s Knowledge, Innovation, and Capacity Division. Earlier in his career, he worked on agriculture and rural development issues for the World Bank (Washington, D.C.), the Aga Khan Development Network (Pakistan), and several other organizations. His work maintains a regional emphasis on East Africa and South Asia. He received a Ph.D. in Economics from American University in 2003, an M.Sc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics in 1993, and a B.A. in International Relations from Tufts University in 1992.

Steven Franzel, World Agroforestry Centre

Steven Franzel leads the World Agroforestry Centre’s (ICRAF) unit on rural advisory services. His research has focused on the effectiveness of extension approaches, the adoption of agroforestry practices, smallholder farming systems, marketing and participatory research approaches. Prior to joining ICRAF in 1991, Dr. Franzel worked for the Ethiopia Institute of Agricultural Research and the World Bank Agricultural Development Service in Ethiopia, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Kenya, and DAI in Washington, D.C. He also served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon. Dr. Franzel has a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Michigan State University and resides in Orlando, Florida. He has lived 22 years in Africa.

Jane Kugonza, World Agroforestry Centre

Jane Kugonza works for the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) as Feeds Advisor and Feeding Systems Team Leader-Uganda on the East Africa Dairy Development (EADD) Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Based in Kampala, Uganda, Ms. Kugonza has a B.Sc. in Forestry and an M.Sc. in Livestock Sciences from Makerere University, Uganda. She has 13 years of experience working in agroforestry and dairy advisory services. Ms. Kugonza has served on EADD since 2008. She will join the National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda, in May, 2017, as Senior Outreach Officer, based in Entebbe, Uganda.

Simrin Makhija, IFPRI

Simrin Makhija joined IFPRI in June 2014 as a Senior Research Assistant in the Environment and Production Technology Division (EPTD) based in Washington, DC. She predominantly works on the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) and her research has been focused on the evaluation of agricultural technology programs. Her areas of interest include behavioral economics and impact evaluation. Prior to joining IFPRI, she worked on issues of rural employment and urban livelihood in India. She also worked as a Research Assistant for the Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development, and Evaluation (gui2de) and interned with the Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) team at the World Bank in the summer of 2013. Simrin holds a Masters in International Development Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, and a B.A. (Honors) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

13D: “Opposites Attract: Engaging the Private Sector in Agricultural Education and Training” This engaging session will highlight successes, challenges, and lessons from work with public and private sector AET providers in West Africa. Session leaders will present a TED-style talk integrating experiences from three AET programs in Senegal, Guinea and Nigeria, followed by an interactive dialog to spur shared learning and ideas for how to better leverage public and private sector actors to contribute to broader AET improvements in targeted countries. Track: PS

Presenters: Peter Saling, Winrock International

Peter Saling is a Program Manager at Winrock International, overseeing Winrock’s AEMIP and SMARTE programs in Guinea. He has over seven years of experience in program management. He was previously the Director of Programs for the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), a consortium of NGOs working in the economic growth space. He was also a Program Office for Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC), a nonprofit that provides technical assistance to financial institutions in developing countries.

Michael Bassey, Winrock International’s Farmer-to-Farmer program, Nigeria

Michael Bassey has managed large programs, grants, and provision of business development services for more than 10 years in Nigeria for both USAID and the World Bank. Since 2010, he has served as the country director for Winrock’s USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program in Nigeria, where he has been instrumental in forging productive coalitions with a broad set of key stakeholders, country partners, and host organizations. With Winrock’s current F2F for AET Program, Mr. Bassey oversees activities to build the capacity of eight certificate/diplomat-level AET institutions (e.g., colleges of agriculture), establish and strengthen an AET network, and provide training-of-trainers for “informal” AET providers such as government agriculture development programs, local NGOs, and private sector entities that are training farmers.

14D: “Agricultural Education and Career Development for Youth in Emerging Economies: The Changing Paradigm” This panel discussion highlights innovative youth programming in Ghana, including some of the challenges and potential partnerships that have developed over the past few years since the inception of educational reforms. A model for developing a sustainable agricultural education programming in rural communities is proposed to effectively enhance positive youth development activities in communities, which may serve as centers for youth entrepreneurship. Track: YD

Presenters: Prosper Doamekpor, Tuskegee University

Prosper Doamekpor is an agricultural and extension specialist with over 15 years’ experience in rural development, extension programming, and designing and implementing intervention programs in agricultural and rural development projects. Over the years, he has assisted with human capacity strengthening programs aimed at maintaining sustainable livelihoods among target audiences. He has been involved with identifying and developing training needs for potentially at risk communities. Dr. Doamekpor has been involved in designing and evaluating educational programs for their effectiveness for the past seven years. He is a member of the Association of International Agricultural and Extension Education and the American Evaluation Association.

Appiah Kwaku Boateng, 4-H Ghana

As the Founder of the 4-H program in Ghana, Appiah Kwaku Boateng has been leading an innovation way for rural youth development in Ghana and Africa for decades now. He has worked as a youth development professional for the past 28 years. His collaborative approach has allowed him to build development partnerships with many organizations throughout Ghana and around the world. He was part of the selected Group that met at the National 4-H Council in Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA in February 2011 to develop the Global 4-H strategy which led to the Global 4-H Network of which he is currently serving as Board Member, representing the Africa Region.

Festus Annor-Frempong, University of Cape Coast

Festus Annor-Frempong is associate professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast. He has participated and provided support in reviews to assess the situation and needs for strengthening agricultural education, extension, training and development of rural youth programs in FAO member countries. Dr. Annor-Frempong has also engaged in the development and production of extension, education and training guidelines/manuals for use by both front-line extension officers and community based extension facilitators and farmers.

11:50-1:10 Lunch

1:15-2:30 Concurrent Sessions E

15E: “AET Responses to Seed Sector Needs: University of Nairobi and ERA Senegal” This session will highlight two successful approaches to seed sector capacity building that bring together universities and the private sector. Looking at improving the availability of high yielding and quality seed in sub-Saharan Africa, the Seed Enterprise Management Institute (SEMIs) program at the University of Nairobi has been providing skills through short course training to seed company personnel from small to medium seed companies since 2010. The USAID/Senegal Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project’s program, “Public-Private Partnership for the Development of Training Programs in the Seed Sector,” has resulted in public-private curriculum collaboration on license and masters’ levels programs in seed science and technology. Track: PS

Presenters: Agnes Wakesho Mwang’ombe, University of Nairobi

Agnes Mwang’ombe is a professor of plant pathology, who served as principal of the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nairobi 2003-2005. Prof. Mwang’ombe has excellent experience in program/project implementation throughout her career. This track record has facilitated Prof. Mwang’ombe to routinely seek out new opportunities by writing new grants proposals from various and diverse donors. She started the Seed Enterprise Management Institute (SEMI) program targeting small and medium seed companies and also National Plant Protection Organizations, who regulate seed releases, as key players in the seed value chains. She holds a B.Sc. in Agriculture and an M.Sc. in Plant Pathology from the University of Nairobi and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology and DIC from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London.

Fatou Gueye, Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA) project, Senegal

Fatou Gueye is currently serving as the Academic Support Officer in the implementation of curriculum development and e-Learning programs for the USAID/Senegal project, Education and Research in Agriculture (ERA). In this capacity, she has engaged in tireless efforts to leverage technology in both the classroom and research lab, and has closely coordinated activities between team members in e-learning and outreach on both sides of the Atlantic. Additionally, Dr. Gueye was instrumental in facilitating ERA’s program, “Public-Private Partnership for the Development of Training Programs in the Seed Sector,” which has resulted in public-private collaboration on license and master levels programs in seed science and technology. A soil microbiologist by training specializing in the study of nitrogen fixation, Dr. Gueye has significant experience in the field of public health through her work on the RTI malarial prevention program.

16E “Community-Based University Demonstration Program to Promote Agriculture in Developing Countries” This session will discuss why there is apathy among youth in developing countries towards embracing agriculture as a way to transform themselves in the light of the current huge unemployment figures. It is interesting to note that even agricultural graduates are shying away from what they have learnt in the University. What is the problem? What necessitated their choice for agricultural sciences or technology in the University? This session looks at how to encourage undergraduate agricultural students to be interested in agriculture and hence make the subject attractive to primary and high schools and discourage the stereotyped notion in some developing countries that agriculture is for the poor and illiterates. Track: YD

Presenters: Courage Saba, University of Development Studies, Ghana

Courage Kosi Setsoafia Saba is a Senior Lecturer in Microbiology in the Faculty of Agriculture of the University for Development Studies (UDS). Dr. Saba has worked with UDS since 2006 and rose through the ranks, presently serving as the Deputy Director of Linkages and International Relationships of UDS. His research interest is mechanisms for antibiotic resistance in humans, animals and foods. He is a staunch advocate of antibiotic resistance education and hopes to organize a series of lectures on antibiotic action in Ghana and other African countries in the coming years.

Appiah Kwaku Boateng, 4-H Ghana

17E: “Working with Women Extension Agents in Afghanistan” The University of Maryland manages the Women’s Program (WP) for the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP-II), funded by USAID. The mission is to strengthen the capacity of the extension services in Afghanistan. The WP works specifically with women extension-workers. Using the Socratic teaching method, this participatory presentation poses real-life scenarios related to institutional and cultural challenges for women extension agents in Afghanistan, and asks questions to promote discussion, incorporating lessons learned from the WP. Track: G

Presenters: Sophia Claire Wilcox, University of Maryland, Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Program Women’s Program

Sophia Claire Wilcox is the Director for the University of Maryland’s Women’s Program in Afghanistan, as part of the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP-II). She has worked in Afghanistan for nine years on two agricultural capacity-building projects. Sophia has completed graduate work in Animal Science, International Farming Systems and International Development. In addition to Afghanistan, she has worked in agricultural development for 25 years in Central America and the Caribbean, Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Matilde Paino D’Urzo, University of Maryland, Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Program Women’s Program

Matilde Paino D’Urzo is the Horticulture Specialist for the USAID-funded Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Program (AAEP-II) Women’s Program. She is passionate about working with women. Matilde is from Italy, and has travelled and spent her professional life in different countries and keeps learning every day. A researcher by training, she is currently involved in agricultural development field work and considers herself a practitioner particularly interested in sustainable approaches to food production.

Taryn Devereux, University of Maryland, Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Program Women’s Program

Taryn Devereux is a Faculty Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Maryland, and the Coordinator for the Women in Agriculture (WIA) Program. She oversees the management of the Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project (AAEP-II), as well as a WIA Project in Ethiopia. She has her masters in Sustainable Development Practice and has worked in research and on extension projects that focus on gender and agriculture.

2:30-2:55 Break

3:00-3:30 Symposium Recap

3:30-4:45 Plenary Session 4–Keynote

Introduction: Donna Westfall-Rudd, Virginia Tech

Donna Westfall-Rudd is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech. Her teaching, research, and outreach efforts are closely integrated in an effort to reflect the mission of a Land Grant University. This work focuses on integrating her academic activities with new agricultural educators (secondary, postsecondary, and non-formal) and continuing education experiences within the agricultural education professional communities with research and scholarship through an evolving examination of the educational program planning, design, and implementation practices of pre-service and in-service teaching professionals. She serves as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Graduate Teaching Scholars Program Director & Senior Scholar. She also works with agricultural community educators and university faculty in Senegal through the USAID funded ERA Senegal: Education and Research in Agriculture project. Dr. Westfall-Rudd earned an A.A.S. degree in Agricultural Business from the State University of New York, Cobleskill (NY), a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Education from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Education also from Cornell University. In addition to being a contributor to the InnovATE project, Dr. Westfall-Rudd sits on the InnovATE program advisory committee.

Keynote Speaker: Michael Woolcock, World Bank and Harvard Kennedy School

Michael Woolcock is Lead Social Development Specialist in the World Bank’s Development Research Group, where he was worked since 1998. He is also a (part-time) Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. His current research focuses on strategies for enhancing state capability for implementation, on crafting more effective interaction between informal and formal justice systems, and on using mixed methods to assess ‘complex’ development interventions. In addition to more than 50 journal articles and book chapters, he is the co-author or co-editor of seven books, including Contesting Development: Participatory Projects and Local Conflict Dynamics in Indonesia (with Patrick Barron and Rachael Diprose; Yale University Press 2011), which was a co-recipient of the best book prize by the American Sociological Association’s section on international development. Most recently, he has co-written the book, Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action (with Matthew Andrews and Lant Pritchett; Oxford University Press, 2017). He has served for many years on the World Bank’s Social Development Board and co-founded the Justice for the Poor program. In 2007-2009 he was the founding research director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute at the University of Manchester (on external service leave from the Bank), and in 2002 was the Von Hugel Visiting Fellow at St Edmunds College, University of Cambridge. An Australian national, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Queensland, and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Brown University.

4:45-5:00 Discussant: Louise Fox, USAID

Louise Fox is USAID’s Chief Economist. In this role, she guides the Agency on economics-based decision making and is responsible for keeping USAID’s economists on the cutting edge of ideas in development economics. Before joining USAID, Dr. Fox served as a Visiting Professor of Development Economic Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a consultant in development economics, specializing in employment, labor markets, gender, social service delivery and poverty reduction. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Dr. Fox had a distinguished career at the World Bank where she advised governments in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe on how to develop, implement, and evaluate effective policies for employment, social security and poverty reduction. Her most recent published work has been on the topics of poverty reduction and inclusive growth, the political economy of poverty reduction, and on employment, labor markets, and labor regulation, all with respect to Sub-Saharan Africa. She has also published in the areas of pension reform, reform of child welfare systems, social protection, public expenditures in the social sectors and poverty reduction, female-headed households and child welfare, stabilization policies and poverty reduction, the social costs of adjustment, and the economic history of poverty and inequality in Brazil. Her most recent book is Youth Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa, published by the World Bank in 2014. Dr. Fox received a bachelor’s degree in international relations and affairs from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in economics from Vanderbilt University.

5:00-5:10 Closing Remarks: Larry Vaughan, InnovATE

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