Borlaug Program
Description
The cornerstone of the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and
Technology Fellows Program (Borlaug Fellows Program) is faculty and
scientist exchange programs with developing countries. The program provides
short-term scientific training for international agricultural research
scientists and policymakers from selected developing countries. Each Fellow
is assigned a mentor who will coordinate the Fellow’s training. Training venues
include U.S. land grant universities, USDA or other government agencies,
private companies, not-for-profit institutions and international
agricultural research centers.
Geographic Coverage
The program is open to participants from developing and middle income
countries. At this time, the priority regions of coverage are Africa, Latin
America and Central America, Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, with active programs in
Africa (women
from
Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali,
Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia),
Armenia,
Bahrain,
Bolivia,
Bulgaria,
Ecuador,
Georgia,
Guyana,
India, Mauritania,
Montenegro,
Oman,
Peru,
Poland,
Romania,
Serbia,
Sri Lanka
and
Yemen.
Background
The United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural
Service (USDA/FAS) has established the Norman E. Borlaug International
Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program in honor of Nobel Laureate Norman E. Borlaug. This program is an outcome of USDA's
Ministerial Conference and
Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology that was held in Sacramento,
California, in June 2003. The program fosters developing countries in
adopting and adapting agricultural science and technology.
Purpose
The purpose of the Borlaug Fellows Program is to help countries
strengthen their agricultural practices through the transfer of new science
and agricultural technologies. The program encompasses a wide variety of
agricultural technologies, including those related to production, processing
and marketing. The program also addresses obstacles to the adoption of
technology, such as ineffectual policies and regulations. Areas of training
can be in any agriculture-related field, and include traditional areas such
as agronomy, plant pathology, entomology, veterinary sciences, microbiology,
agricultural economics, but also may include food safety, sanitary and
phytosanitary topics, environmental sciences, agricultural biotechnology,
global climate change, water quality and management, among others.
Training Focus
The objective of the Borlaug Fellows
Program is to provide promising young scientists with an opportunity to work
closely with U.S. and international specialists in their fields of
agricultural science. Typically, during a 4 to 8 week training period,
selected Fellows will work closely with their assigned mentor, learn new research techniques, access fully equipped
libraries, and learn about public-private research partnerships. Fellows
will also have an opportunity to learn about graduate curricula in
agricultural research. It is expected that the Fellows will apply the
knowledge obtained through the program in their own research and teaching
activities, and share it with colleagues at their home institutions and
throughout their country. Fellows can be trained at U.S. universities
(especially land grant universities), international agricultural research
centers, international organizations, and private sector research and policy
centers.
Upon returning to their home institutions, Fellows will be
expected to present a seminar on their research activities. In addition, a
Program-wide seminar and workshop will be scheduled in their country or
region in the year following the fellowship. The event will consist of
presentations by Fellows and their mentoring scientists to the academic and
agricultural research community. The purpose of the workshop is to identify
areas of mutual interest and promote networking and further collaboration
among host country and the mentoring agricultural scientists. Participants
in the Borlaug Fellows Program must agree to return to their home
institution for at least two years following their training experience so
the goal of establishing ongoing international collaboration can be
achieved.
Training Program Design
Each training activity reflects the philosophy that training in an
agricultural science should provide the Fellow with sound technical
knowledge and the opportunity to test and practice new skills and knowledge
in practical situations. Therefore, most programs offer a mixture of
technical instruction and practical field experience. Training programs are
specifically designed in accordance with the training objectives discussed
during the interview and application process. It is important that the
application contain detailed information on the candidate’s background and
research interests.
How To Apply
Eligibility
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