Our Vision
To provide small farmers the knowledge and facilitate the learning of skills needed to access more lucrative markets sustainably.
Our Process
PFID is a joint university and food industry technical assistance program, with the leader agreement managed by the Office of Agriculture in the Economic Growth Agriculture and Trade (EGAT) pillar of USAID. Project objectives support the USAID Agriculture Strategy strategic theme of "Mobilizing Science and Technology and Fostering Capacity for Innovation."
Our project initiatives expand beyond USAID-related projects to include a number of partners in the international donor community, private sector and global NGO’s such as the Gates Foundation.
Our search for partnership-based activities is guided by our vision to provide knowledge and facilitate skills to small farmers with the potential to supply markets that offer more opportunities to increase incomes.
Our Resources
The heart of our resources is the broad network of Michigan State University’s researchers and technicians, mainly under the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. MSU is recognized as a center of excellence in international agricultural development. The academic and professional community at Michigan State is highly diverse and augments the University’s international goals with a broad array of globally-relevant skills and expertise. People from every county in Michigan, every state in the nation, and more than 110 countries around the world contribute to the University’s success. Annually, more than 2,200 international students enroll in MSU’s graduate and undergraduate programs. MSU hosts hundreds of visitors from around the world every year who come to tour the campus facilities, take positions as visiting scholars, or meet with their colleagues. Hundreds of MSU faculty members are engaged in critical outreach programs in many countries throughout the world, teaching and conducting research.
The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) has a long and distinguished history of involvement in international work, with over half of its 450 faculty having participated in more than 175 MSU projects related to agriculture, natural resources, institution building, and rural development. Major funding agencies for CANR international programs include the US Agency for International Development, Kellogg Foundation, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), USDA, World Bank, the FAO, Inter-American Development Bank, host countries, and others.
The primary mission of the CANR Office of International Programs is to support and coordinate international activities in the college. OIP staff support departments and faculty in developing new overseas study courses and encourage increased international subject matter into curricula. The OIP develops and coordinates short-term training activities for researchers, scientists, executives, and other professionals from around the world and provides overall direction for the CANR Institute of International Agriculture.
A broad range of disciplines and expertise is available for FEWS NET activities to draw upon. The college, consistently ranked among the top five agricultural colleges in the U.S., has 11 academic departments which are totally administered from within plus 3 that are joint with other colleges on campus. Key among the units are:
- ANR Education and Communication Systems
- Agricultural Eco¬nomics
- Agricultural Engineering
- Animal Science
- Botany and Plant Pathology
- Crop and Soil Sciences
- Entomology
- Fisheries and Wildlife
- Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Forestry
- Horticulture
- Packaging
- Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies
