Rotary International and Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are launching an innovative program to enhance agricultural productivity and alleviate hunger in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The program kicked off during the Rotary International Agricultural Summit, held in conjunction with Penn State's Ag Progress Days exposition, Aug. 15-17. The summit brought together Rotarians, government officials and agricultural university representatives from Pennsylvania and the countries of Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia and the Ukraine for a series of meetings, tours and workshops.
Peace can begin when there is no hunger in the world.
In the months following the summit, Rotary clubs in central Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia will partner with clubs and universities overseas to develop collaborative projects that address agricultural needs in the emerging free-market economies of Europe and Central Asia. Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will oversee the scientific and technical aspects of the program. Robert Neff, president emeritus of Juniata College and visiting professor in Penn State's department of agricultural and extension education, is coordinating Penn State's participation in the project. Penn State's agricultural expertise and established connections in the participating countries make this an ideal partnership. Following the summit, the international visitors were scheduled to tour agricultural sites of local and national interest.