INTAD Competitive Grant Winners Announced

Hello from the other side: community perspective of international service learning － Noel Habashy

Noel Habashy is a Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Extension Education and International Agriculture and Development. His recent work focus on understanding how the hosting communities are affected by international community service learning program. Although international service can be beneficial in many ways, it could have adverse effects on the hosting community. However, the hosting community usually have little ability to share their perspective and have their voice heard. Noel aims to explore the perspective of various members of the community hosting international service learning program in East Africa. By comparing the perspective of such members, Noel hopes to evaluate the impact of an international service learning program on the host community, and provide a general framework for planning, implementing, and evaluation of international service program throughout the world.

Parental figures' influence and opinion of youth pursuing agriculture related degrees and career in South Africa － Merielle Stamm

Merielle Stamm is a master's student in Agricultural and Extension Education and International Agriculture and Development. Her recent work focus on understanding parents' opinions, attitudes and perceptions of children pursuing agriculture-related careers in South Africa. With growth the agricultural sector, there is an increase in demand for agricultural-related human resources in South Africa. By understanding how children are affected by their parents, and how different demographic parameters (e.g. age, occupation, ethnicity, gender, and income) affect the view of parents, Merielle hopes to create opportunities for education, family programming, and outreach effort. She also believes that this research can contribute to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, and relive the pressure of youth migration in South Africa.

Environment's role in Panama Disease: elucidating phenotypic differences between races in the same VCG of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense － Genna Tesdall

Genna Tesdall is a master's student in the department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology and International Agriculture and Development. Her work focuses on a fungal disease of banana in South East Asia, Africa, and America. This disease, known as the Panama disease, is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), and has been the limiting factor of banana production in many places. Foc are divided into different races that caused disease in different varieties of bananas. Recent study showed that fungal isolations from the same race might cause distinct disease at different places. Genna hypothesizes that this is due to the differences in environmental factors. Due to the ability of this pathogen to shape banana industry, it is important to understand the interaction between the environment and fungal genotype for better management of the disease.

Utilizing indigenous knowledge for Ethno veterinary poultry disease in rural Rwanda －Celize Christy

Celize Christy is a master's student in Rural Sociology and International Agriculture and Development. Her recent research aims to archive indigenous ethno veterinary knowledge for poultry disease management in rural communities in Rwanda. The rural community of Rwanda has limited access to modern veterinary practices, leaving traditional knowledge to serve as the major influence on disease management. Celize hopes to incorporate these traditional knowledge into the poultry production system of Rwanda to create an effective and sustainable system.

Riyadh extension agents' perception regarding organic agriculture and implication for training－Bader Alotaibi

Bader Alotaibi is a Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Extension Education and International Agriculture and Development. His recent research focuses on identifying the perspectives of extension agents on organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is gaining popularity in Saudi Arabian area, and extension agencies play an important role in agricultural sector in Saudi Arabia. As a result, by understanding the current perceptions of extension agents on organic agriculture will help policy makers and extensionists design and implement effective organic agricultural education programs