Global Agriculture and Food Security Initiative

The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology launched the Global Agriculture and Food Security Initiative in 2022 (story) to empower Fresno State students to become global leaders in agriculture and to create international opportunities for faculty research in the agricultural sciences. 

The initiative has three primary areas of focus, namely curriculum support on contemporary issues in global agriculture, training and education for foreign agricultural specialists, and overseas agriculture development projects.

Several programs in international agriculture will be housed within the initiative, including the Department of Defense-endorsed “Agricultural Development for Armed Forces Pre-Deployment Training” (ADAPT), which is an agricultural skills training course designed for U.S. military and government personnel who are deploying to food insecure regions around the world (story).

The initiative also serves as home for USDA-funded international programs. One example is a series of collaborations in the Eurasian Republic of Georgia where the inititiave director, Dr. Bill Erysian, faculty and staff have been engaged for several years to help modernize the country’s national plant health policies. 

The program began a joint project with the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme in September 2023 conduct a three-year study on the control of pollution risks to the Black Sea ecosystem (story). The collaboration involves with research organizations in five countries bordering the Black Sea and includes more than a dozen international scientists who specialize in environmental and marine sciences. 

The initiative's board includes its director; representatives from each Jordan College academic department; Dr. Honora Chapman, College of Arts and Humanities dean, who will represent the campus at large; and leaders from the local agricultural community.