1. Professional Societies in Agriculture: Their Roles and Functioning Tom Hammett Director, InnovATE, Virginia Tech RUFORUM 4 TH Biennial Conference, Mozambique July 25, 2014 Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education

2. Who is innovATE? The program is implemented by a consortium of US universities: Virginia Tech with: Tuskegee University, Penn State University, and University of Florida Others to be added

3. Session Objectives:  Share experiences and best practices of professional associations  Increase influence and strengthen roles  Improve efficiency  Build capacity through collaboration and partnerships  Bolster agricultural development and food security through the work of professional associations

4. Benefits of Professional Associations:  Networking opportunities  Training and Mentoring programs  Conferences that highlight research and share experiences  Professional publications such as journals and newsletters  Improve public awareness  Provide forums to stay up to date on innovations

6.  International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)  “IUFRO is a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists, which promotes global cooperation in forest-related research and enhances the understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and trees” www.iufro.org  Forest Products Society  “The Forest Products Society is an international not-for- profit technical association founded in 1947 to provide an information network for all segments of the forest products industry.” http://www.forestprod.org/about

7. NACTA  Forum for discussion of teaching tips and strategies  Improve post-secondary teaching of agriculture through examination of courses and curricula, teaching and testing techniques, facilities and materials  Reward instructional excellence  Promote research through their annual conference http://www.nactateachers.org Association for International Agriculture and Extension Education  Forum for professional networking  Initiate new educational programs  Annual Conference  Scholarly Journal and newsletter https://www.aiaee.org/

8. Professional Societies Jordan- Water User’s Association Uganda- Uganda Seed Trade Association Nicaragua- AmCham Research and Innovation Build Capacity though training Public Awareness

9. Online network of agricultural development professionals Collaborative discussion spaces for AET and agriculture Resource sharing and project development Global training events database French and Spanish discussion pages The innovATE Community of Practice

10. www.innovate-community.oired.vt.edu Search by topic, keyword, tag or person View newest members of the community and establish contacts Get navigation help and quick tips View recent discussions and resources

11. Innovation for Agricultural Training and Education Tom Hammett, Director Virginia Tech himal@vt.edu www.oired.vt.edu 540-231-2716 InnovATE is supported by a grant from USAID and managed by Virginia Tech’s Office of International Research, Education, and Development (OIRED). This project was made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through USAID Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-L-12-00002 Thank you to RUFORUM for allowing us to present and to our sponsors and university partners who collaborated in order to complete this project.