Technical Assistance to Romanian Agriculture

This proposal is for the University of Kentucky (UKy) to work with various entities in Romania in the general area of agriculture and food safety. The overall plan will be decided in consultation with the US Department of Agriculture's Division International Cooperation and Development (USDA/ICD). UKy's Plan for Romania At present, the plan is to host Romanian scientists through the Norman Borlaug International Agriculture Science Program for one-month visits to laboratories at the UKy. This will give these scientists an opportunity to meet with UKy scientists, to view and participate in UKy scientific research, and to understand the nature and extent of research at UKy. This experience will help them change their own research program and to (hopefully) bring about significant change in Romania's scientific establishment. Another part of the program will be to host Faculty Exchange Program (FEP) participants from Romanian universities. These sciemists will have a longer period of time at UKy where they will not only have an opportunity to observe and work in a laboratory, but also allow them to work on their teaching methods, course content, and other aspects of their university teaching position. Other activities will be decided at a later date in the project so that the benefits to USDA's program in Romania will be maximized. It is anticipated that these activities will involve UKy faculty conducting short courses and technical assistance in Romania on food safety and other technical topics. The specifics of these activities will be negotiated with USDA/ICD). The budget includes nine two-week visits by UKy faculty.