NC A&T Hosts University of the North

June 12, 1997

Greensboro, NC: Wanting to know more about the North Carolina A&T State University Cooperative Extension Program's efforts in small-scale agriculture and youth development, a contingent of visitors from South Africa recently spent three days touring the A&T campus and county Extension centers in the Piedmont.

The visiting group was comprised of two faculty members from the University of the North, two representatives from the Northern Province's Department of Agriculture, two representatives from the Northern Province's Department of Education, one legislator and two South African farmers.

Two faculty representatives from Michigan State University, the group's other United States stop, also accompanied the group on their visit, which was funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The ultimate goal of the project is to help South Africa establish an outreach program, through the University of the North, similar to USDA's Cooperative Extension System.

According to Dr. M. Naftal Mollel, team leader for the group, South African officials hope to pattern their outreach programs after those they study in the United States and other countries. "Our visit is part of a planning process for writing a proposal to gain support for an outreach and youth development center in South Africa," said Mollel.

While visiting North Carolina, the group toured A&T's farm complex and other research facilities, met with Chancellor Edward Fort, was briefed by Extension personnel regarding Extension programs, and traveled to the Raleigh/Durham area to see efforts involving small-scale agriculture and other limited-resource audiences.

According to Mollel, of particular interest to the South African contingent were the marketing strategies shown to them by Morris Dunn, a Wake County agricultural Extension agent with NC A&T's Cooperative Extension Program, and "Down to Earth," an environmental education program for youth, coordinated by Drs. Ellen Smoak and Bob Williamson, specialists with NC A&T's Cooperative Extension Program.

South African officials hope that they are able to take the concepts from these efforts and the others they saw, and apply them to their situation.

"The leaders in South Africa continue to search for ways to reach the citizens of their country through innovative and dynamic outreach programs," said Dr. Daniel M. Lyons, assistant administrator of regional and county programs with A&T's Cooperative Extension Program. "The need for these programs has been perpetuated by a new constitution."

Lyons spent ten days last summer consulting with South African officials on their outreach efforts.

"The people of South Africa are very interested in learning about our successful efforts in helping youth and limited-resource audiences," said Lyons. "We look forward to helping them design and implement programs that will help the citizens of South Africa improve the quality of their lives through education."

The South African group also visited institutions and programs in Tanzania and Zimbabwe as part of their planning process.

The University of the North, one of six historically black universities in the country, has a student enrollment of approximately 14,000, and its outreach programs serve nearly 700,000 farm families living in the Northern Province.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Daniel M. Lyons, NC A&T Cooperative Extension Program, (336) 334-7956.