Oklahoma State University
Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural resources
Programs in
IRAQ
Click here to read a sample Chapter from Twice Armed by Alan King - one of the most cited books on Iraq.
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Click here to read the USAID Iraq Competitive Analysis from May 2006
The Team Aggie Consortium, led by Texas A&M and including Oklahoma State University as an associating institution, has been awarded the “Iraq Agricultural Extension Revitalization Project (IAER) December 2006 ”. USDA requested proposals from U.S. land-grant institutions to strengthen agricultural extension and training at Iraqi agricultural universities. USDA is providing USDA staff as needed in Iraq and is working to develop agricultural credit training there. According to USDA Secretary Johanns: "Because much of Iraq's population relies on agriculture for their livelihood, the country's stability partially depends upon the agricultural sector's performance. A strong extension system that responds to the needs of farmers, processors, marketers and others in agriculture is a key element of recovery." The Iraq Agricultural Extension Revitalization Project (IAER) will provide extension training programs for Iraqi nationals. The training will enhance the agricultural management, production and marketing related to small and medium-sized production enterprises. The effort was launched on Aug. 1, when Johanns and Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Salamm Zukam Ali Al-Zawba'i signed a joint statement of intent in Baghdad. Training will be provided through partnerships built between the Team Aggie Consortium and Iraqi agricultural universities in each of five governorates of Iraq. The project goal is to build strong institution-to-institution partnerships to link American expertise in extension training and advisory services with agricultural colleges in Iraq and with Ministry of Agriculture personnel. Among the areas the institutions may address are arid crop production development, livestock production and animal health, and water resources management and irrigation technology. Through this project, USDA and Team Aggie hope to assist in restoring and expanding a sustainable agriculture sector in Iraq that includes an effective extension service based on education and research. Priority activities will include training of extension specialists; long-term degree training; development of distance learning methods and instructional materials for train-the-trainer extension programs; and field trials, demonstration plots and lab methods for adoption by Iraqi farmers.
