Iowa State University/Universidad Nacional Agraria “La Molina”
Country:
Peru
Award Date:
2001
Award Amount:
$99,948.00
Cost Share:
$26,339.00
Other Funds:
$12,000.00
Other Partners:
Grupo Yanapai; Practical Farmers of Iowa
The partners are working to strengthen institutional capacity in sustainable agriculture and in building sustainable rural communities in Peru. Among notable accomplishments, the partners have 1) implemented a master’s program in agrarian innovation for rural development at the Universidad Nacional Agraria-La Molina (UNALM), admitting 25 students into its first two classes; 2) established the Institute for Sustainable Smallholder Production at UNALM; 3) developed an interdisciplinary master’s and Ph.D. program in sustainable agriculture at UNALM; 4) and organized a hands-on learning tour within Peru for 21 Peruvian farmers, a representative from a Peruvian NGO, two UNALM faculty, a farmer from Iowa, an Iowa State University extension agronomist, and two indigenous farmers from Ecuador. Partnership activities are contributing to a significant shift in the focus of UNALM toward a more applied development orientation that takes into account the needs of small farmers and peasant communities. The partners are now planning to develop exchanges between Hopi and Peruvian farmers.