Hyderabad, January, 2004: Over sixty five students of various disciplines studying at Cornell University, an IVY LEAGUE University based in Ithaca, New York visited Hyderabad city on study mission. Hyderabad is the first city in India to be visited by the team. This is the second time students and faculty of Cornell University, which is regarded as one of the top five universities (the likes of Harward and Stanford etc.) in the world. Students, faculty and researchers of different nations, cultural backgrounds studying at graduation and post-graduation level at Cornell are in India on a two week visit. They are in Hyderabad for five days and will proceed to Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Coonoor and Mumbai during 6th January to 20th January, 2004.

Disclosing this Mr. K. Vijayaraghavan, Director of Sathguru Management Consultants firms which is the representative of Cornell University in India, said the team during this period will try to understand Indian Agriculture, Rural Development and Policy Development. During their visits to so many places, they will interact with several government officials, NGOs, farmers, villagers and will visit various agricultural universities.

This visit is organized as part of the INTAG 602 program delivered by the International Programs at College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at Cornell University. It is a unique international program that exposes Cornell students to gain better understanding of the problems of agricultural and rural development in developing countries through the first hand observation and subsequent analysis. Cornell University and Sathguru have planned and implemented the INTAG 602 course for the first time in India last year, wherein a forty member delegation visited our country for two weeks. The second INTAG 602 program has now attracted 65 participants and the number is likely increase much more next year. This increasing demand for the program aptly demonstrates high global interest in Indian economic development. The main objective of this program according to Dr. K.V. Raman, Professor, CALS, Cornell University is to gain better understanding of the problems of agricultural and rural development in India through the firsthand observation and subsequent analysis.

The Plant Science Agriculture in the Developing Nations II integrates a two week field laboratory to India with some period for reflection, analysis and synthesis during the spring semister. In the past years this kind of groups have visited Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Ecuador.

Historically the participants in this course have come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have lived and worked in developing countries, and many have travelled widely, while others may never have set foot outside the United States. Some are professionals with many years of experience who have gone to Cornell to retool, to upgrade their skills or to expand their horizons. Others are just completing their undergraduate studies and are contemplating careers in international agriculture.

The entire class is divided into a theme groups such as ‘Trends in Biotechnology’, ‘Global Marketing and Export Agriculture’, ‘Livestock in Development’, ‘Rural Development’, ‘Agriculture Extension and Education’ and ‘Food Processing and Post Harvest Issues’. The faculty comprises of Drs. K.V. Raman and W.Ronnie Coffman, Dr. Rod Hawkes, Dr. Robert Blake, Drs. Terry Tucker and Janet Hawkes and Syed Rizvi.

The previous 602 course has initiated considerable post program interest for students to pursue further research in India and for the faculty to develop deeper understanding of the economic progress being accomplished by India.

Sathguru Management Consultants is a large consulting firm with its base at Hyderabad. It has been engaged in providing strategy and policy advisory to Government sector, research institutes, private sector in Asia Pacific region. Among several initiatives focused on development of industry and trade in India, Sathguru is engaged in development of the food chain initiatives in India with focus on farm productivity, food industry growth, international food marketing and food retailing. The Cornell-Sathguru linkage has addressed the needs of the country over the last 5 years in many areas such as agricultural biotechnology, food processing technologies, agricultural extension and rural development and food marketing. Sathguru represents the interests of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences of Cornell University in India.

-MK
Reachout's News Bureau
Jan' 2004

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