November 18-20, 2014

Feeding the World in 2050: How Human and Institutional Capacity Development Can Support Agricultural Innovation Systems

The Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) and USAID with support from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities(APLU) hosted a three-day facilitated online discussion that brought together key stakeholders to share experiences and input on how human and institutional capacity development (HICD) can contribute to a high-performing agricultural innovation system to feed the world by 2050. Continue reading >

October 20, 2014 – InnovATE has selected the recipients of 10 awards to support research on creative approaches to the complex challenges of agricultural education institutions.

Article by Edin Simms

This month, innovATE spoke with Charles Maguire, an international development consultant and former senior institutional development specialist at the World Bank.

Charles Maguire has had a long, influential career working as a champion for agricultural education and training. An Ireland native, he grew up in a small village where farming was the main source of livelihood. His connection to the land was further cemented by his typical, rural Irish upbringing which involved sports, fishing, and hunting small game. Earlier this month, Maguire spoke with Edin Simms, innovATE program coordinator, about his career and perspective on international development today. Continue reading >

Article by Edin Simms and Laina Schneider

Halt in research work at IPR_FRA de Katibougou

“Mali is facing major hurdles caused by the coup-d’état, especially in agricultural education and training.  These challenges are present in a wide geographic range, Bamako in particular, due to the influx of rural youth seeking perceived job opportunities,” said Ntam Baharanyi.

During January, Baharanyi and Youssouf Diabate, both of Tuskegee University – an InnovATE partner-visited Bamako and Katibougou, Mali, to assess the impact of the 2012 coup-d’état on agricultural education institutions. Their findings suggested that the crisis had a negative impact on the education and training system due to physical destruction, academic calendar disturbances, the inability to staff schools with teachers and reduced funding from government and donors. Continue reading >

Article by Laina Schneider

Bluefields is a colorful port city on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua known for its diverse population of different indigenous and Afro-Caribbean peoples. It is also one of many places in this area facing alarming rates of youth unemployment. The municipality has limited access to basic services, including education, due to its remote location in the isolated South Atlantic Autonomous Region. With regional population on the rise, rural youth are commonly involved with drug trade activities or are forced to migrate out of the area to find work in Managua, the capital city. Continue reading >

Article by Laina Schneider

Connecting to one another is a basic human instinct that fulfills our need to learn, teach, share and grow. It is how we get feedback on big decisions, share the joy of a promotion, or give advice to an employee. Online social networking has made connecting with others faster than ever, but the explosion of social media outlets has also made it harder to find like-minded people with specific interests or resources. Continue reading >

Article by Laina Schneider

What does it take to produce “more crop per drop”? An InnovATE team had this question on their minds this winter as they assessed the agriculture education and training system in Jordan. They hope to help the USAID mission design programs to improve water management, a critical component of the country’s agricultural system. Continue reading >