Fresno State Awarded $3.1 Million Ag Training Grant

Staff Report

L. to R.: Adapt Project Manager Paul Sommers, left, teaches Marines about pomegranate trees, which grow in Afghanistan Photo: Randy Vaughn-Dotta — L. to R.: Adapt Project Manager Paul Sommers, left, teaches Marines about pomegranate trees, which grow in Afghanistan
Photo: Randy Vaughn-Dotta

Dr. Bill Erysian, Director of International Programs for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at California State University, Fresno, has been named Program Director of a recently-awarded $3.1 million grant from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

The project, entitled “Agricultural Development for Afghanistan Pre-Deployment Training” (ADAPT), is designed to strengthen the capacity of U.S. sponsored agriculture field staff to provide quality and effective outreach services to Afghan farmers.

A consortium of four universities under the leadership of Fresno State will deliver a series of 24 workshops over the next two years as part of a standardized curriculum that will use Afghanistan case studies and hands-on field exercises to provide trainees, both military and civilian, with an extensive overview of fundamental agriculture issues in Afghanistan.

“This training provides U.S. government personnel with agricultural knowledge and country-specific issues that will allow them to better implement their mission of helping create a more stable Afghanistan through economic development, governance and agricultural sustainability,” explained Dr. Erysian. “The ADAPT program supports an emerging U.S. foreign policy paradigm that promotes the three D’s, namely defense, diplomacy, and development.”

Since 80% of Afghanistan’s population is dependent upon agriculture for its economic livelihood, agricultural development is essential to establishing stable rural communities, creating employment opportunities, and reducing the threats of insurgency. Anticipated trainees will include the National Guard Agribusiness Development Teams (ADT), U.S. Army Civil Affairs, the Marine Corps Civil Affairs detachments, and USDA and USAID personnel preparing for deployment to many parts of Afghanistan.

Central California has nearly identical agro-climatic characteristics as Afghanistan and therefore represents the perfect location for this type of training. Nearly all crops grown in Afghanistan are also grown in the San Joaquin Valley.
The workshops are designed to be an integral part of a broader training that all U.S. government personnel receive in preparation for serving in an agricultural assistance capacity in Afghanistan.