Asia

Thailand

Linkages with universities in Thailand hold substantial promise for the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) as the country “graduates” from the status of “developing” to an industrial/technical leader in Southeast Asia. CAFNR presently enjoys active relationships with three universities in Thailand:

The linkage with PSU’s Faculty of Natural Resources is the oldest, having been established in 1989, and is the most active. Several of the PSU faculty have earned graduate degrees through CAFNR and a number of others have been on our campus to meet with our faculty on short-term visits. In addition, several CAFNR faculty as well as graduate students have been on the PSU campus for varying periods. Involvement has focused on collaborative research as well as teaching.

More recent linkages have been established with the Faculty of Forestry at KU and the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at KMITL. The relationship with KMITL promises to be quite productive as funding has been made available for several CAFNR faculty to visit the institution and collaborate with faculty counterparts in short-term teaching assignments.

Such linkages have proven mutually beneficial for all parties. Important research and training has been conducted at all locations and the challenges of strengthening course and curricula offerings have been successfully met through faculty development experiences. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment of these relationships has been increased awareness of different cultures supported by personal friendships.

Korea

Contact: C. Jerry Nelson, Ph.D., Primary Coordinator, E-mail: nelsoncj@missouri.edu

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) International Agriculture Program has had long-term relationships with several institutions on the Korean peninsula as well as with other countries of East Asia. The University of Missouri (MU) has several activities in the Republic of Korea that link with industry, universities, research institutes and social agencies.

In addition to offering academic programs and study abroad opportunities, there are other initiatives which form collaborations on agricultural trade policy, production, agriculture, and rural development. These consist of faculty-led programs, collaborative efforts with research institutes and other groups, and specialized training.

Emphasis areas include:

  • Policy and economic analysis
  • Trade negotiations
  • Pricing strategies
  • Farm subsidies
  • Input/output analyses
  • Rural decision making
  • Land use management
  • Food production capacity

Groups within the Division of Applied Social Sciences involved in collaborative efforts between MU and Korea include FAPRI, OSEDA, and RUPRI, which engage in probing these issues through problem solving, research, training programs and other scholarly activities.

Partnering Institutions and Collaborating Agencies

  • Korea Rural Economic Institute – KREI
  • Korea Forest Research Institute – KFRI

Partnering Universities

University of Missouri Organizations