Prof. Manish N. Raizada International Relations Officer Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph Partnership between the Faculty of Agriculture at Kandahar University, CIDA and the University of Guelph, Canada

Overall Objective Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Specific Objective 1 Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Specific Objective 2 Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Specific Objective 3 Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Challenges Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA After equipment ordered, Afghan partners discovered unopened boxes of soil testing equipment donated by an international aid agency!! Afghan and Guelph faculty met in Dubai to re-evaluate equipment list and Guelph faculty could hear first hand “really” what was needed and what was not needed disposal of lab chemicals is a challenge 18 month delay in signing contracts travel Visas are a problem language translation is a problem: English will be used for training materials not clear what level of expertise currently exists in Kandahar and this has been difficult to ascertain

Funding Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) paying for building paying for equipment paying for training Challenge: CIDA needs all work completed by March 2011

History Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA AgriTeam, a private international aid grant consulting firm, along with WUSC, approached Guelph as they were creating a proposal for CIDA. AgriTeam/WUSC approached Guelph specifically to develop a soil science equipment/training proposal.

Future Funding: Plan A Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA 1.Many Kandahar University faculty do not have PhDs so they looking for a partner to upgrade their training. 2. Kandahar University would like to establish a long term relationship with Guelph for training such as a 1-year “sandwich” program.

Future Funding Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA Problems: 1. Majority of population is rural 2. Foreign curriculum/ideas can end up destroying local agriculture (e.g. Africa) 3. A focus on “academic training” rather than practical technical training benefits few, not many (e.g. India) and can be highly disconnected from local needs. 4. Female literacy in rural areas <10%, yet women are key to Lifting society out of poverty. Solution: Need to focus on developing the female rural economy…. add $300-$500 in income per family………..

Future Funding: Plan B Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Future Funding: Plan C Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA

Contact Information Partnership in Agriculture University of Guelph Kandahar University CIDA Professor Bev Hale Associate Dean, Ontario Agriculture College, University of Guelph Professor Manish Raizada International Relations Officer, Dept of Plant Agriculture x 53396