All in-person Extension meetings, events and classes are canceled through Friday, May 15.
Global initiatives
See this page in: English
Minnesota is part of an increasingly connected global network, which benefits from exchanges in education, research and development.
Extension engages with scientists, teachers and learners around the world, and with diverse communities at home. Efforts build capacity locally and internationally to enhance livelihoods, while building a national network of professionals with expertise in similar initiatives.
Current efforts are funded through partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, grants from other partners and donor gifts.
Extension Global Initiatives programs meet at least one of three criteria:
- A Minnesota-based organization is a partner or collaborator
- The program supports a wider University of Minnesota initiative
- Unique Extension expertise meets a critical need
History
Extension's global work began with supporting agricultural exports during and after World War I. In the 1960s and 1970s, a relationship started with Morocco.
The "Minnesota Project" educated nearly 250 Moroccans, who then returned to Morocco to create a world-class research and teaching institute. Many maintain relationships with Minnesota researchers and businesses today. This 1970s photo shows doctoral student Ahmed Zahour (right) and Zahour's adviser, Donald Rasmussen, a U of M world expert in barley.
Extension is frequently invited by other countries to share the model of connecting communities to University research. The model appeals to people because it engages people in their own learning with each other.
Connecting with learners across the globe
Extension Global Initiatives connect University research and education/training to learners in:
In partnership with USDA Cochran Fellowship Program, this program included intensive training on agricultural Extension, program design, monitoring and evaluation, and public-private partnerships.
USDA Foreign Agriculture Service requested the Climate Smart Agriculture training program focusing on climate change projections and the potential impacts on the agriculture sector, forestry and all natural resources. Extension in partnership with the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment developed training for 10 Cochran fellows from Brazil. The program included visits to USDA Regional Climate Hubs. The program enhanced Brazil’s capacity for agricultural development on climate change mitigation and practices to support compliance of the global agreement on climate change signed in 2016 in Paris.
Extension faculty developed a 10-day program highlighting key associations in the meat industry distinguishing roles and functions of government agencies and the private sector. The training included quality principles and standards, new research, safety regulation, and risk analysis. Conducted in partnership with the U.S.-China Scientific Cooperation and Exchange Program of the USDA.
This project will build the capacity for integrated family and youth development programs by training adults who can support a network of educators in partnership with the University of San Carlos and enhancing student internships in communities.
The Cochran Fellowship Program’s Latin America Region supported this 2-week professional training program in School Meals Programs to educate seven Fellows on administrative and nutritional aspects of school feeding programs. Fellows from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finances learned about current U. S. efforts under the National School Lunch Program and the U. S. agriculture sector. The goal of the training was to build food and market systems that expand trade and economic growth between the U. S. and Guatemala through food assistance programs.
Extension regional staff hosted 17 farmers from Hokkaido, Japan. The participants were from the Tokachi Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives who came to learn about agricultural systems in southeastern Minnesota.
This project improves food security for women farmers in southwestern Kenya through appropriate and cost-effective postharvest handling and technologies. The USDA Scientific Cooperation and Research Program funds this program. Extension participation began with the Minnesota Kenyan International Development Association (MKIDA) initiating the partnership.
In partnership with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, Extension supports agricultural faculty at the University of Prishtina, modernizing teaching, research and service in livestock and veterinary sciences, food technologies, and plant health. The World Learning Transformational Leadership Program is a USAID-funded project to enable higher education to produce graduates that meet the needs of a growing economy and developing state.
The University of Minnesota has conducted exchange programs with the Kingdom of Morocco for more than 40 years. Efforts began in 1962 with the first Fulbright scholar and continued with support through USAID. The University of Minnesota views Morocco as a key international partner. The programs below have reinvigorated the relationship.
- Agricultural Extension and advisory services is a partnership with the USDA Cochran Fellowship program. Twelve Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries officials were trained on agricultural Extension, program design, monitoring and evaluation, and public-private partnerships.
- Rural Leadership Training strengthens the leadership and strategic planning capabilities of rural farmer associations. University of Minnesota Extension was selected by the VEGA Alliance for the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer program to offer three leadership skills workshops in collaboration with professors from the National School of Agriculture in Meknès.
- Tourism At Your Service customer service training was adapted by the Tourism Center for use in Morocco. Extension trained Moroccan facilitators from the Rural Tourism Development Network and the University of Ibn Zohr, who were mentored while conducting the first workshop in Morocco.
University of Minnesota Extension educators and researchers facilitated this educational program about marketing, production strategies and risk management strategies used by producers in the state. The program set the stage at the national level in Washington, DC for federal oversight and guideline-setting in feed grains and cereals, and it provided an overview of the U. S. grain and animal feed sector. The goal was to strengthen the presence of U. S. grains and cereals in the Moroccan and Tunisian markets.
OneVillage Partners, a Minnesota-based non-governmental organization, collaborates with rural communities to help them achieve their vision of a better life. They help rural community members conceive, design, implement and evaluate their programs. Extension assists the program committee with strategic thinking, guidance and feedback.
A team of government representatives was selected for this program in cooperative management. The objective was to illustrate an enabling legal environment for cooperative management through the U. S. example, and to work with the Tunisians to devise training and mentoring programs that support strong cooperatives for improved farmer livelihood. The training focused on understanding how the principles of independent cooperative management and effective governance develop financially profitable cooperatives.
University of Minnesota Extension educators and researchers facilitated this educational program about marketing, production strategies and risk management strategies used by producers in the state. The program set the stage at the national level in Washington, DC for federal oversight and guideline-setting in feed grains and cereals, and it provided an overview of the U. S. grain and animal feed sector. The goal was to strengthen the presence of U. S. grains and cereals in the Moroccan and Tunisian markets.
Ministry of Agriculture officials selected as USDA Cochran Fellows learned about swine production and Extension education, focusing on biosecurity systems and improved genetics breeding programs implemented by local producers.