Agribusiness Development in Afghanistan

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Agribusiness Development in Afghanistan

• The Oklahoma National Guard and Oklahoma State
  University working together for long term success.

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International Agricultural Programs at Oklahoma
State University
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Mission and Vision of International Agricultural
Programs

• Advance the globalization of DASNR and facilitate
  engagement with State, National and International
  communities by fulfilling compelling educational
  needs and advancing the development of Oklahoma
• Provide superior international strategies,
  outreach programs, and services that prepare
  people to excel in a changing global community.

International Agricultural Programs
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The University-National Guard Partnership

• A Dialogue on Strengthening the Mission

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Principal Messages

• Agriculture is back on the development agenda.
• Technical training is increasingly important to
  the agricultural sector in developing areas.
• Oklahoma State University can provide the
  technical backup for the Oklahoma National Guard
  in Afghanistan

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Broadened Definition of Agriculture

• Includes the science and practice of activities
  related to food, feed, and fiber production and
  also such related issues as processing,
  marketing, distribution, utilization, and trade
  of these products. All lumped together this can
  be called Agribusiness.

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Agriculture StrategyLinking Producers to Markets

• Whats new?
• Agricultures role in economic development and
  poverty reduction is best accomplished in its
  transformational context.
• Agriculture is moving away from subsistence
  production and it is increasingly important to
  link producers, through value-added mechanisms,
  to domestic and export markets for their
  products.
• Another word for this is Agribusiness
  Development

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Agribusiness in Afghanistan

• Agriculture is a significant component of
  sustained long term economic growth and
  development.
• Oklahoma State University can be a key partners
  of the Oklahoma National Guard in fulfilling its
  mission in the agricultural arena.

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Examples from Iraq

• Oklahoma State University has successfully
  participated in three agricultural development
  efforts in Iraq

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IRAQ
DASNRs IRAQ Projects The Al-Shirakah Project
with Oklahoma Higher Education Partners
2004-2006 (Soils Lab) The Agricultural Extension
Project with Texas AM 2007-2010 The Department
of Defense Economic Revitalization Task Force
2007-2012
International Agricultural Programs
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Kurdish Globe, Erbil, No 86, Nov. 27, 2006
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Sample press commentaries on the agriculture
industry

• Agriculture paralyzed due to cheaper imports.
• Local products have not been able to compete with
  foreign ones.
• Many years have passed since the lands with
  fruitful trees were ever taken care of and
  maintained.
• Farms and orchard no longer generate good income.
  
• Despite wide campaigns to reconstruct the cities
  in an attempt to improve urban life, rebuilding
  rural areas has still not been accounted for
• Many people have given up their agricultural
  careers, left their villages and have moved to
  the cities.
• No official census has been conducted showing the
  exact village demographics and economy.

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The Minister of Agriculture of Kurdistan
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The Top Ten Seniors in the College of Agriculture
at Salahadin University in Erbil, IraqMarch 2007
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Pre-Departure Training Program

• OSU would create a 3 credit course titled Ag
  3080 Agricultural Skills for Afghanistan
• The main cost would be the cost of tuition for
  the participants.
• Other incidental costs might include mileage to a
  training location if held off campus (also
  possibly hotels if that was needed).

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Pre-Departure Training Program

• Participants in the course would actually receive
  credit at OSU
• We are receptive to suggestions as to topics that
  would be covered and the timing of class
  presentations

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Examples of Training Topics

• Developing Area survival skills (Dr. Mike Dicks
  pilot project in Guthrie)
• Meat Goat Boot Camp program
• Basics of horticulture
• Grain Production Practices
• Home meat processing food safety training
  (designed for hunters, applicable for small
  producers overseas)
• Fruit tree production practices
• Agribusiness development issues

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What are the specific ways OSU and the OK
National Guard would work together to improve
agribusiness in Afghanistan?
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Technical Support

• Providing Technical Information via web transfer
  and/or e-mail
• Providing interactive advice via live webcast or
  satellite transmission
• Providing in-country workshops to stimulate
  interest in Agribusiness

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Manpower needs to provide a quick response time

• For a cost of 1200 per month a graduate student
  in the Masters of International Agriculture
  Program could be assigned to technical support
  for .5 FTE

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Duties of the Graduate Student

• Locate Fact Sheets or research bulletins on
  topics that provide the technical information
  necessary for support, and send those to the
  requesting individual via e-mail, web transfer or
  fax.
• Request that an OSU faculty member with knowledge
  in the area respond with a specific response (for
  example, we receive a digital photo of a crop
  disease like a leaf blight that might be enough
  to provide some likely ways to handle it.)
• Identify OSU faculty members who might have
  additional expertise to share, and arrange for a
  live interactive presentation.
• Keep a record of the requests for information and
  provide material for updating of the project web
  site.

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The student will be selected from our new
programMasters of International Agriculture

• A new option in the Masters of Agriculture
  Program
• Dr. James Leising is the first graduate
  coordinator for the program
• Student interest is already strong

International Agricultural Programs
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Web Presence

• A web page on the international ag programs web
  site at OSU will be dedicated to documenting the
  positive impact of this project.
• www.InternationalAgPrograms.OkState.Edu

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Does OSU have faculty in the College of
Agriculture who would provide workshops in
Afghanistan?

• The answer is quite a few. Some specific
  examples follow.

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Dr. David Henneberry

• Director of International Agricultural Programs
  and Professor of Agricultural Trade

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Dr. Mike Dicks

• Professor of Agricultural Economics, former Peace
  Corps in Kenya

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Dr. Udaya DeSilva

• Professor of Animal Science and a specialist in
  animal genetics

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Dr. Shida Henneberry

• Professor of Agricultural Economics, specialist
  in international trade and agribusiness, and also
  women in development. Native Farsi language
  skills.

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Dr. Patricia Rayas Duarte

• Professor of Food Science and a Specialist in
  Cereal Grains

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Dr. Salim Hiziroglu

• Professor of Forestry who specializes in
  processed wood products.

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Dr. Ed Miller

• Associate Dean of the College of Agriculture and
  Professor of Natural Resources

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Dr. Mike Schnelle

• Professor of Horticulture who presented workshops
  in Azerbaijan and Nepal

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What would it cost to present a workshop in
Afghanistan?

• Cost of Organizing the event
• Cost of providing security
• Cost of Travel (Federal Per Diem Rates)
• Salary can be waived for awhile
• Overhead can be avoided for awhile
• Program fees can be avoided for awhile

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In the longer term, if we were successful in
collaboration, Oklahoma State University would
require economic resources of a magnitude similar
to that of the cost of the activities
performed.OSU is a non-profit institution.
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Project Director

• Director of International Ag Programs since 1999
• Experience in 65 countries
• PhD in International Agricultural Economics
• Your ability to communicate directly with the
  responsible individual is key to project success

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Cultivating a Favorable Image of the Relationship
is Important.

• This is not always easy to do in a negative news
  cycle. The following are a few cynical examples

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Media Headlines in a Negative News Cycle

• U.S. soldier falls asleep while using Iraqi child
  as body armor.

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Media Headlines in a Negative News Cycle
See-saw torture technique
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Headlines in a Negative News cycle

• Forced Child Labor by US Troops

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Headlines in a Negative News Cycle
US Soldier attempts to eat Iraqi child
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Headlines in a Negative News Cycle

• GI forces Iraqi child to hang by fingertips

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What could we accomplish if we had 20 years?

• The following are a few examples of how Oklahoma
  State and Maejo University in Thailand have been
  linked together.

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President Thep in Full Cowboy Regalia
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Notice the statue of an American Indian at the
entrance of the Maejo University stadium
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Cowboy Transit at Maejo University
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The Presidents House
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The OSU Spirit Rider Statue at Maejo University
in Thailand
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Our College of Ag Study Abroad Course at Maejo
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Our college of ag faculty have asked me to
mention that if any activity was coming up in
Ethiopia or Kenya they are highly interested in
those areas.
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Thank You