Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

UM Extension Sr. Extension Agent Dale Johnson (back row, 3rd from left) pictured with farmers in Uzbekistan.

AGNR began a multi-year project in 2000, to help develop an extension service in Uzbekistan, and help farmers to work more efficiently in a market economy. The project, "Extending the Educational Outreach of Uzbekistan," involved improving the rural economy by developing a more sustainable agriculture. UMD's Dr. James Hanson and Agribusiness specialist Dale Johnson, went to Uzbekistan in 2001 to teach Uzbek faculty and farmers about U.S. extension, improving agricultural production, marketing and profits. Tashkent State Agrarian University was a partner in the project, and they sent six faculty to UMD for training.

In June 2001, President C.D. Mote, Jr. led a delegation to Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, where they met with government officials and visited universities and research centers.

The main purpose of the trip was to reinforce existing relationships and explore additional opportunities for collaboration in both research and education. The University of Maryland is recognized as an international leader, and is intricately involved in the international education process.

The visit highlights the University's involvement in this part of the world. To date, extension education has been a major component of the University's work in the region. However, during this trip the focus was on distance education, for both students and teachers, as an effective alternative to sending students to the United States to obtain their college and graduate education.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of this trip was the meeting with Uzbekistan's President, Islam Abduganievich Karimov, and President Mote, Dr. Riley, and Dean Fretz. During the meeting, President Karimov was awarded "The University of Maryland Presidential Citation" and the President's Medal of the University of Maryland for his leadership and achievements.

In addition, the delegation held extensive discussions with the Minister of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education, S. Gulyamov, as well as with other ministers and government leaders.

Kazakhstan

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From 2002-05, AGNR worked with Kazakh National Agrarian University (KNAU)to establish Extension centers in three regions of Kazakhstan. The centers would house information and experts who would help farmers improve production, marketing, and profits.

Eight AGNR faculty members traveled to Kazakhstan to conduct training programs that included conferences, classroom instruction, farm visits, and one-on-one training. Two of these faculty members, Susan Schoenian and Herb Reed, worked four weeks in Kazakhstan during the first year of the project. UM provided technical information in the form of bulletins, fact sheets, reports, and CDs to be used by the Kazakh faculty in their Extension efforts.

In 2004, eight Kazakh faculty from KNAU visited UM for two weeks to learn more about farmer education. Their training included developing Extension education programs, how to host farmer field days. evaluation methods and other topics.

For more information, contact Ann Leger

Last updated: 03/10/2009