Agri-Education for Extension - Cambodia
....an international development project of NSAC

NSAC has been awarded a project from the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA) to contribute to poverty reduction in Cambodia. The project, titled Agri-Education for Extension, aims to increase agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers by developing appropriate training for the country’s agricultural extension workers. NSAC will work with the Royal University of Agriculture, the only agricultural university in Cambodia, to implement this project over the next five years.

NSAC faculty member and Project Director, Dr. Raj Lada, explains that “a major challenge for agricultural development in Cambodia is the lack of adequately trained, skilled extension workers to promote the growing of sustainable, productive, diverse and marketable agricultural products to farmers in Cambodia. This challenge will be addressed through the Agri-Education for Extension Project.”

“NSAC is one of only two institutions in Canada that have successfully competed for three successive projects from this CIDA program. This achievement demonstrates the capabilities of our staff and NSAC’s unique position to develop the capacities of agricultural universities overseas to better serve their communities,” said university president Dr. Philip Hicks. “I am proud of our team and their continued commitment to international outreach.”

The project will provide opportunities for NSAC’s faculty, staff and students to visit and work in Cambodia over the next five years, as well as opportunities for our Cambodian partners to receive training at NSAC. “These opportunities form one of the cornerstones for internationalization of our students and our campus,” according to NSAC’s Director of Internationalization, Dr. Dian Patterson.

NSAC International, the focal point for internationalization activities at NSAC, led the development of this project, which was submitted to a competitive selection process under CIDA’s Canadian College Partnership Program (CCPP). NSAC is also implementing current international development projects in The Gambia, Ethiopia and Ghana. Visit www.nsac.ca/international for more details.

NSAC Team members include Dr. Raj Lada, Ms. Cara Kirkpatrick, Dr. Claude Caldwell, Ms. Shannon Kilyanek, Mr. Alden Knight, Dr. Nancy Pitts, Mr. Mark Mason, Ms. Mary Breen and Ms. Natalie Cole.

The total value of the project is $565,000, which includes CIDA’s contribution and NSAC’s in-kind contribution.