Nevertheless, with a population of 800 million, Africa has no more then 300 universities. FAO Education can play an important role in agriculture, ensuring higher production and rural development. In developing countries, the role of the public sector has dramatically shrinked and it no longer promotes investments in the agricultural sector, since higher education in this field, does not necessarily guarantee employment after graduation. There are still too many exclusions, especially rural population and more specifically women. In this conference, for instance, we can see many masculine personalities, but only a few female faces.
Sustainable development demands new strategies and solutions.
In the 21st century, agriculture education will have to focus on multi disciplinary approaches to cope with issues such as food shortage and environmental problems. Now, adapting to new trends, reforms are being carried out, notably regarding the funding of universities by the public sector. Funding is now related to performance and quality of research, teachers and students. As an opening to other countries and cultures, German universities are offering a wide range of new courses dealing with problems of the developing world. Furthermore, several universities offer studies in other languages than German, to attract foreign students that can study in Germany even if they do not speak the language.