Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program
Over the past 15 years, ISU-CALS has played a significant role in the success of the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service.  The program promotes food security and economic growth by increasing scientific knowledge and collaborative research to improve agricultural productivity.

Through a competitive grants process, ISU-CALS has been selected by USDA-FAS to host 73 Borlaug Fellows from over 20 countries beginning in 2002.  Borlaug fellows are generally scientists, researchers or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers.

Each fellow works one-on-one with an ISU-CALS professor/mentor, usually for 6-12 weeks.  Fellows may also attend the annual World Food Prize Symposium, held each October in Des Moines, Iowa.  The professor/mentor later visits the fellow’s home institution, typically for 5-10 days, to continue collaboration.

During the program, the Fellows learn new research techniques, gain exposure to the latest scientific developments in various fields of agriculture, access fully-equipped laboratories and libraries, and learn about unique public-private partnerships that help fund agricultural research and science. Equally important, this program provides international scientists and policymakers with opportunities to establish long-term contacts with U.S. scientists and to apply newly gained knowledge from U.S. institutions to their country's research and development programs.

The Borlaug Fellowship Program honors Norman E. Borlaug, the American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate who is known as the “Father of the Green Revolution.” Since the program’s inception in 2004, approximately 700 fellows from 64 countries have participated in research and training focused on a wide array of agriculture-related topics, including agronomy, veterinary science, nutrition, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, natural resource management, agricultural biotechnology, global climate change, agricultural economics and agricultural policy.  http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/borlaug-fellowship-program

Left:  ISU faculty mentor Lance Baumgard with Kosovo Borlaug Fellow Fidan Krasniqi in animal science lab at ISU.

Right:  Zambian Borlaug Fellow Richard Chanda and ISU faculty mentor Thomas Lubberstedt visiting DUS trials at a drought stress location near Siavonga in Southern Zambia.

The Global Programs-CALS office is USDA’s contact for Borlaug Fellowships.  CALS faculty and staff interested in submitting a proposal should contact Eduarda Becerra, Program Coordinator in Global Programs-CALS (hocine@iastate.edu or 4-3972).  Global Programs-CALS also provides assistance with visas, travel, orientation and financial management for Borlaug Fellows placed at ISU-CALS.

Above:  ISU faculty mentor Philip Becraft in Kenya at KARI Biotechnology Center.

Left:  Kenya Borlaug Fellow, Dr. Sylvester Anami, discussing maize improvement strategies at the USDA-GEM (Germplasm Enhancement of Maize) field tour in Iowa.