American Society of Agronomy International CCA Program International

American Society of Agronomy International CCA Program International Expansion

International Expansion • India – IRRI Project • Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) • Funding – Gates Foundation, USAID, World Bank • Argentina – Working on marketing plan

India • Strong interest among academia, industry, NGOs, government – fair – Continuing education is new concept of maintaining a position in agriculture • Potential 3, 000 -5, 000 CCA in 3 to 5 years – might take longer to get to 5, 000 but still a large potential pool • 3 visits so far

Performance Objective Development Session New Delhi, June 2009

India • April 2009 started drafting the exam POs and organizing the infrastructure • Hired a CCA Program Manager based in Delhi • Challenge – doing business, setting up structure with partners – Identified a potential business partner – Developing a licensing agreement • Larger purpose – increased food production in region with more efficient use of inputs, i. e. water and fertilizer • Grant to ASA - $50, 000/year for 3 years

India • September 2009 – Identified a local business partner to administer the program – Certifying board and exam committee are being organized – POs are in end user review and members are starting to write exam questions – Target is to offer the exam for the first time in November 2010 (June will do a beta test)

Argentina • Strong interest among industry, NGOs, academia, less by government • One visit in March 2009 • Potential 1, 000 CCAs within 5 years • 15, 000 agronomists, no ASA counterpart • Similar agriculture to US, same companies • Conclusion – develop proposal to do market analysis, 4 months, $10, 000, not yet received

CCA Model World Views • World Food Prize – Program in Des Moines, IA – Gabesia Ejecta – Sorghum breeder, Purdue Univ. – Implementation of technology is key problem in many regions of the world. – CCA program may have a fit in many areas that are dealing with small holder farmers where technical assistance is vitally needed.

International Fertilizer Industry Association Task Force on “Effective Last Mile Delivery”* o An assessment of the current methodologies being followed in developing countries/regions such as China, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, etc; o Collection of successful last-mile delivery examples in developing countries. This library could be showcased for creating models for adoption elsewhere; *Patrick Heffer, Secretary, Agriculture Committee, IFA, Paris

International Fertilizer Industry Association Task Force on “Effective Last Mile Delivery”* o A paper defining industry's strategy to best address technology and knowledge transfer: role of the industry, partnership, etc. This paper might need to be translated into regional industry guidelines for effective last-mile delivery; o Possible field programmes in selected countries: so far, India is ahead of the other countries. It might be good to consider launching a similar programme with partners in a few other countries. *Patrick Heffer, Secretary, Agriculture Committee, IFa, Paris