Highlights of NRCS International Programs

Michael Rasher, National GPS Coordinator, Ft. Worth, TX, will attend the U.N. Workshop on Global Positioning Systems in Agriculture and Natural Resources Management, April 1-6, in Santiago. Global Positioning Systems is an integral part of the USDA Service Center Initiative and the USDA Enterprise GIS.

Civil Engineers from the National Soil Mechanics Center will attend the Geotechnical Modeling Workshop, April 8-10, in Vancouver, Calgary--Stephen Reinsch and Keith Grotrian (Lincoln, NE) and Lee Ann Moore (Ft. Worth, TX). This training/technology transfer course will provide these engineers with the latest tools in the field of geotechnical modeling. It will also benefit the agency in designing embankments and foundations of new dams, in the rehabilitation of existing dams, and in the design of sound environmental projects.

At the invitation of the Canadian Park Service, plant materials specialists Mark Majerus (Bridger, Montana) and Russell Haas (Lakewood, CO) will present papers at the Native Plant Materials Workshop, April 30-May 1, in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Participation at the workshop may lead to the development of recommendations for use of native plant materials in western Canada national parks, and develop relationships that could provide long-term exchange of information, ideas, plant propagules, and technology.

Under the Wisconsin Leadership Program, Margaret James, District Conservationist, Dodgeville, WI, will travel to China, Korea and Hong Kong, April 3-18, to participate in a two-week seminar to expose participants to the issues and problems of international trade and development. She will gain new perspectives on major issues facing societies and will better understand economic, political, cultural and social structures within a global context.

Larry Clark, Deputy Chief for Science and Technology; Wil Fontenot, Natural Resources Specialist, Lafayette, IN; and Renee Owens, Agricultural Economist, Canton, MI will participate in the U.S. Consultative Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development working group meetings, April 18-26, in Accra. Many of the soils in Ghana are similar (chemically and morphologically) to those in the southeastern U.S. Therefore, assessing their agricultural problems and working with the Ghanaians to arrive at solutions will provide experience that some day can be applied to problems in this country. The tropical rainforest of Ghana is threatened because of population growth and land hunger. Observing how the Ghanaians are coping with this severe problem will be useful to us in learning how to deal with competing demands on the natural resource base.

In collaboration with the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hari Eswaran, National Leader for World Soil Resources, will develop the logistics and program for a USAID-sponsored training workshop on soil survey and classification, April 21-25. The workshop, scheduled for November 2002 in Abia State, will be second of a series of activities designed to assist Nigeria in establishing a national soil survey organization. Hari will also develop a longer-term strategy in this technical assistance effort.

At the invitation of FAS/ICD, Jerry Hammond, Director, International Programs Division, will participate in the U.S.-China Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 10-12. The JWG is a forum held every two years where both sides can discuss programs to be undertaken during the current year, such as teams to be exchanged and future areas of cooperation. The JWG program began in 1978, when the U.S. and China signed an exchange protocol outlining areas of cooperation between USDA and China’s Ministry of Agriculture.

On April 15, NHQ specialists will meet with Mrs. Lingzhi Zhang, the Deputy Director of Shijiazhuang Environmental Monitoring Center, to provide an overview on our role in developing programs that promote sustainable agriculture in communities.

On April 18, Ron Marlow, Director, Conservation Engineering Division, will meet with members of a Water Resources Management Project for NEA (Arabic) countries to discuss the relationship between agriculture and water use, watersheds, and conservation. These visitors are from Oman, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia.

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