CFAES Faculty, Students, and Alumni Represent Ohio State at 2018 AIAEE Conference

April 26, 2018

Eight faculty, students, and alumni in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) recently participated in and presented at the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) Conference in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, held from April 16 – 20, 2018.Dr. Erbaugh, Christopher Lameck, Dr. Rodriguez, and Dr. Scheer, with “O-H-I-O” at Mayan Ruins in Merida

AIAEE, established in 1984, is a professional organization for agricultural and extension educators who share a common goal of strengthening agricultural and extension education programs and institutions worldwide. This year’s AIAEE meeting was the 34th since its inception and themed “Celebrating the Intersection of Human, Natural, and Cultural Systems”.

Particular honors were given to Dr. Mark Erbaugh, Director of the Office of International Programs in Agriculture (IPA) and Professor in the Department of Extension; Dr. Mary Rodriguez, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL); Dr. Graham Cochran, Professor in ACEL and CFAES Associate Dean; and their partners at Sokoine University of Agriculture, for receiving the award for first runner-up in the category of best research paper. The paper outlined the implementation of and results from a collaborative pilot program in Tanzania, entitled “Improving the Training of Frontline Extension Workers in Tanzania: A Pilot Curriculum Reform Initiative with the Ministry of Agriculture Technical Institute at Ilonoga”.

Christopher Lameck, a 2017 ACEL alumnus from Mbeya, Tanzania, also attended the conference and presented his M.S. thesis research under the guidance of Dr. Scott Scheer (ACEL). Christopher’s graduate program at Ohio State was sponsored by the Innovative Agricultural Research Initiative (iAGRI), a Feed the Future project in Tanzania funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by Ohio State.

AIAEE Presentations by CFAES Faculty and Students

Professional Development Presentations:

The Empowerment Narrative: Storytelling a Tool for International Agricultural Development
Tobin Redwine, Mary Rodriguez, & Reagan Push

Introducing a New Program Planning Model to Implement Successful International Outreach Education Programs
Scott Scheer

AIAEE field tripResearch Paper Presentations:

Improving the Training of Frontline Extension Workers in Tanzania: A Pilot Curriculum Reform Initiative with the Ministry of Agriculture Technical Institute at Ilonoga
Mark Erbaugh, Mary Rodriguez, Catherine Msuya, Amon Mattee, & Graham Cochran
(First - Runner Up for Best Research Paper)

Drivers and Shakers of Agricultural Communications: Implications for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Developing and Developed Countries
Fally Masambuka, Mary Rodriguez & Emily Buck

Common Goals, Different Cultures: Exploring Volunteer Development in Ghana and the U.S.
Dustin Homan, Robert Birkenholz, Kirk Bloir, & Hannah Epley

The Influence of an Agricultural Subsides Extension Program on Smallholder Maize
Farmers in Tanzania

Christopher Lameck, Kizito Mwajombe, & Scott Scheer

Exploring the Hen House: A Focus on Village Chicken Production in Kenya
Kelly Robyn Wilson, Huaijun, & Philip Nyaga

Poster Presentation:

A Paradigm in Assessing Community Needs
Suzanna Windon, Amy Elhadi, & Deborah Lewis

The 2019 meeting for AIAEE will take place April 1-4, 2019 in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.