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DAVIS – 12/26/06 – The University of California - Davis is one of four universities nationwide selected to receive a $5.3 million federal grant to help restore Iraq's farm sector
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the grant will fund training programs designed to build a network of farm advisers in Iraq.

UC Davis experts will train Iraqi nationals in strategies for developing high-value fruit and vegetable production, said Jim Hill, associate dean for international programs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The other colleges – Texas A&M University, Washington State University, Utah State University, and New Mexico State University – will offer expertise in other areas such as water conservation and animal health.

Iraq's agricultural sector is the second-largest contributor to that nation's national economy and employs about 25% of the country’s entire work force, according to a USDA news release.

Some USDA staff members are already stationed as advisers in Baghdad.

Because of Iraq's instability, much of the actual training funded by the new grant will likely take place in Egypt, Jordan, and the US.

“The state of agriculture is pretty miserable there at the moment,” said Hill. “This is going to be a real challenge.”

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