Agricultural Extension and Training Center

Introduction to the center:

The Center has been working since its establishment in 1996 to achieve the principle of linking the Faculty - with what it produces and contains of knowledge and modern agricultural technology - with the rural communities surrounding the University through many activities that represent the third function of the University (which is the function of environmental development and community service) considering that the center is the long education arm of the College (Out-Reach Hand), which is responsible for reaching farmers, agricultural producers and the rest of the parties involved, concerned and interested in the various stages and activities of the production and marketing of crops and agricultural commodities.

Basic Information:

Center Name: Agricultural Extension and Training Center

Creation Date: 1996

The Nature of the Center's Work: Community service - training - educational extension - research.

Tel: 35730932

Fax: 35681610

Email:

The Most Important Activities and Achievements of the Center:

The Center has been working since its establishment in 1996 to achieve the principle of linking the Faculty - with what it produces and contains of knowledge and modern agricultural technology - with the rural communities surrounding the University through many activities that represent the third function of the University (which is the function of environmental development and community service) considering that the center is the long education arm of the College (Out-Reach Hand), which is responsible for reaching farmers, agricultural producers and the rest of the parties involved, concerned and interested in the various stages and activities of the production and marketing of crops and agricultural commodities.

The Center has been exposed to some obstacles, which are outside the control of the Faculty officials. Most of these obstacles were concentrated in the lack of funding necessary to carry out the various agricultural extension and advisory educational activities. These obstacles led to the freezing of the Center's activities during the period between 2006 and 2008. In January 2009, a committee was formed to activate the Center's activities and write a report on the financial, technical and administrative situation. On April 14, 2009, the Council for Community Service and Environmental Development approved the re-work of the center.

During the previous three years, the center carried out the following activities:

1- An agreement was signed between the Center and the Egyptian Village Building and Development Authority, at the Ministry of Local Development, to hold enlightening seminars to educate and raise community awareness about literacy issues and their role in the development of rural communities, within the framework of the “Egyptian Village Without Illiteracy” project, as well as holding educational indicative discussions to promote small economic projects financed by loans from the Local Development Fund, in the governorates of Giza, 6th of October, and Sohag.

2- A workshop titled “Environmental Analysis of the Agricultural Extension Organization as a Basis for Developing a Strategy for the Development of Agricultural Extension in Egypt” was held in partnership with the Scientific Society of Agricultural Extension, the Central Administration of Agricultural Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Agricultural Extension Research and Rural Development Institute at the Ministry of Agriculture, and with generous sponsorship from each of Prof. Dr. Ezz El-Din Abu Steit, Dean of the Faculty and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center, and Prof. Dr. Ahmed Naguib, Vice Dean for Environmental Development and Community Service Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Center. This symposium was attended by representatives of the concerned parties and those interested in providing agricultural extension services, including farmers, agricultural producers, field extension agents, heads of agricultural extension departments in the governorates, agricultural extension professors at agricultural faculties, and agricultural researchers in various research institutes at the Ministry of Agriculture and regional research stations in different regions of Egypt. Based on the success of the work and discussions of this workshop, these works and discussions were completed to define the vision, mission, goals, objectives and action plans for the provision of Agricultural Extension and advisory services in Egypt in the workshop that was held in May 2011.

3- The Center participated in a symposium on linking agricultural research with agricultural extension, which was held on 11 and 12 April 2011 at the Genetic Engineering Research Center at the Ministry of Agriculture. Based on the success of the discussions in this symposium, a committee was formed (which includes in its membership the director of the Center, in addition to professors from the Faculties of Agriculture at the Universities of Mansoura and Alexandria, the Research Institute of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, and the Agricultural Extension and Training Sector, at the Ministry of Agriculture) to develop plans for the development of agricultural extension in Egypt. At the present time, ongoing meetings and discussions are being held in this regard, under the patronage of Prof. Dr., Head of the Agricultural Extension and Training Sector at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Current Activities and Future Plan of the Center:

• Contact is currently being made with many parties interested in training agricultural extension agents in the Arab countries to arrange for holding training courses to raise the efficiency of agricultural extension agents and those responsible for managing agricultural extension and advisory services (a letter has actually been sent in this regard to Eng. Muhammad Abdullah Al-Shiha - Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture for Training Affairs The Ministry of Agriculture - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and contact with him will be pursued in the near future.)

• The Center participates in preparing the project "Implementing the Living Labs Concept" to develop Egyptian agriculture and improve the capabilities of rural people in general, and farmers and agricultural producers in particular, in order to obtain information related to the production and marketing services of crops and agricultural commodities, through the development of innovative means and technologies for information and communication (Innovative ICTs) so that they are available and easy to use for different target groups in rural areas.

• The Center will hold a workshop to discuss and agree on the vision, mission and strategic objectives of the agricultural extension and advisory educational services that were developed during the previous workshops in partnership with the Scientific Society for Agricultural Extension, the Agricultural Extension Research Institute and Rural Development (at the Agricultural Research Center), and the Agricultural Research Center, the Desert Research Center, the General Administration of Agricultural Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture, representatives of the executive extension bodies in the various governorates, representatives of the agricultural extension majors in the regional Faculties of Agriculture, representatives of farmers and producers from many governorates, in addition to representatives of the parties and other concerned parties.

• The Center is working to take the necessary measures for Egypt to join the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS).

• The Center works to provide training opportunities for Faculty students of agricultural extension specialization in the field of conducting agricultural extension research and evaluating extension programs and projects.

• The Center is conducting a study on "The Role of Agricultural Extension in Reducing Rural Poverty in Egypt".