N.C. State University
The College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences was center stage on Dec. 19 as
N.C. State University hosted the
historic visit of a sitting foreign head of state.
Vladimir Voronin, president
of Moldova, included the university on his two-day visit to North Carolina
in large part because of the partnerships that faculty members have
built with his country’s agrarian university.
Accompanying Voronin were
Moldova’s defense and foreign affairs ministers, the U.S. ambassador
to Moldova, the Moldovan ambassador to the United States and N.C. Secretary
of State Elaine Marshall.
While at N.C. State, the
delegation toured Centennial Campus and heard about university partnerships
developed under a U.S. Information Agency grant. The grant project helped
the Agrarian State University of Moldova modernize its curriculum in
light of the nation’s shift to a free-market economy. The economy
of Moldova, a former Soviet state, depends largely on agriculture.
Under the three-year grant,
faculty members from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and
the University of North Carolina
at Greensboro traveled to the Mol-dovan university and also hosted
visits of that institution’s scientists and educators here in North
Carolina.
“This project is now
drawing to an end, and we haven’t achieved all we wanted to, but
we have made a fair start,” said Dr. Bill Crowther, a UNC-G faculty
member who helped guide the project. Faculty member exchanges have led
to joint publications as well as ongoing collaborative research projects,
he said, and more are expected.
To continue the partnership,
the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has developed two grant
proposals — one focusing on post-harvest technology for Moldova’s
horticultural crops industry and the other on agricultural tourism.
In the area of post-harvest
technology, the focus would be on preventing diseases and extending
the shelflife of fruits and vegetables, improving storage, developing
international markets and instructing students on export requirements.
The tourism proposal is designed to help Moldova begin building a sustainable
agritourism industry centered on the nation’s rich history and
culture and especially its internationally renowned wine-making industry.
Final word on the grant
funding won’t come until August, but Dr. Larry Nelson, visiting
Moldova in March, reported strong support at the embassy and in the
local government agencies.
—Dee
Shore
