College of Agriculture & Natural Resources International Programs

CANR WorldTAP International Short Courses

The CANR World Technology Access Program (WorldTAP) offers international training, capacity building and technology transfer opportunities to the international community. These programs aim to share knowledge and experiences of MSU and building global knowledge partnerships. In 2020, the WorldTAP team offered four international short courses. These included Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety, Food Safety, and Agricultural Extension. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these courses were offered virtually using Zoom.

Agricultural Biotechnology, Biosafety and Technology Transfer short course

This annual short was offered virtually from July 12-24, 2020.  Fifty-one participants from 21 countries participated. This short course is organized in collaboration with private seed companies (Corteva AgriScience, Bayer Corporation, and Simplot Company), non-profit organizations and U.S. government agencies (USDA-FAS, EPA, FDA and USDA-FAS) sharing rich experiences of the U.S. in the use and management of agricultural biotechnology. For more information, please contact Karim Maredia, PhD, and/or Ruth Mbabazi, PhD, at kmaredia@msu.edu and mbabazi@msu.edu.

Food Safety short course

This annual short course was organized from November 9-13, 2020.  Forty-one participants from 17 countries attended this short course. This is organized in collaboration with food companies (Neogen Corporation and RB/Mead Johnson), non-profit organizations (NSF-International, IFPTI), and State and Federal Government agencies (MDARD and FDA). The course program covers diverse topics, including U.S. and international food laws, food hazards, HACCP, risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. For more information, please contact Ramjee Ghimire, PhD, at ghimirer@msu.edu.

Agricultural Extension short course

Through the support from MSU Extension team, this international short course was launched in 2020 and was offered at MSU for the first time from August 3-7, 2020. Twenty participants from nine countries attended this program virtually. This course shared rich experiences and best practices in agricultural extension and outreach services. The MSU Extension specialists from across Michigan shared their experiences in providing outreach and advisory services to farmers and local communities. For more information, please contact Sunil Madan and/or Anne Baker at madansun@msu.edu and amb@msu.edu.

Special Training Program in Animal Feed Ingredients

The MSU Animal Science Department hosted a 10-member delegation from Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda through sponsorship from USDA-FAS Cochran Fellowship program from September 28-October 13, 2019. Organized in collaboration with federal and state agencies and private sector, the program aimed to give the fellows a strong overview of U.S. feed industry, including technological trends in feed formulation that produce high quality feeds effectively and efficiently; DDGS and Quality Samples Program (QSP) benefits for feed and feed management; and grain quality standards. The program also focused on biosafety and security for feed ingredient manufactures, as well as HACCP in food processing. For more information, please contact Ramjee Ghimire, PhD, at ghimirer@msu.edu.

Norman E. Borlaug International Fellowship Program

Through the support from the USDA-FAS, during the past 15 years, CANR faculty members have hosted more than 40 Borlaug Fellows from all over the world and have provided hands-on training in research, policy and regulatory aspects in diverse areas of agriculture and natural resources. In 2019, CANR in collaboration with the MSU’s ISP/VIPP Unit, MSU hosted Bernard Oloo, PhD, from the Egerton University in Kenya for a three-month program from September- November 2019. The program focused on food safety issues related to genetically engineered crops and products. During the visit, Oloo interacted with more than 10 MSU faculty members and with local farmers in Michigan. He also participated in the World Food Prize symposium in Des Moines Iowa in October 2019. This program has resulted in two joint publications related to agricultural biotechnology in Kenya and Africa, published in African Journal of Biotechnology.  For more information, please contact Ruth Mbabazi, PhD, and Karim Maredia, PhD, at mbabazi@msu.edu and kmaredia@msu.edu.