The South Asia Partnership (SAP) is a platform for collaborative programs with public and private institutions in India and seven other countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The current focus of SAP collaborations is with institutions in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) facilitates various collaborations and maintains long-standing partnerships with institutions engaged in agricultural research, education, training, outreach, and capacity building. In India, the CANR has established four major platforms for implementing collaborative programs coordinated by SAP senior representative, Dr. Vibha Dhawan, based at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi.
The four major platforms making up the South Asia Partnership are managed and supported by the work of faculty members and departments within the MSU College of Agriculture and National Resources (CANR) in collaboration with other MSU colleges, including MSU's Eli Broad College of Business.
Agricultural Extension and Outreach Platform
In an effort to internationalize MSU Extension Programs, the CANR maintains a partnership with the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) in Hyderabad, India, providing opportunities for extension specialists from MSU and India to exchange information and experiences related to market-driven agriculture and global food systems. Focusing on a global view of agriculture while providing market opportunities for Michigan, this partnership strives to reach outreach specialists across India to enhance their capacities to better serve the needs of market-oriented food and agricultural systems.
Dairy Sector Platform
India's vibrant cooperative dairy sector owes much of its success to MSU alumnus (1948) Dr. Verghese Kurien, the "Father of the White Revolution." Through collaborative partnership with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the CANR has launched outreach and networking programs with dairy cooperatives across India.
Universities Platform
The CANR collaborates with a number of public and private universities in India to implement higher education and institution building programs through a long-term partnerships. A few examples include CANR partnerships with the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) in Hisar, Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) in Ludhiana, Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU) in Mumbai, and Amity University (AU) in Noida/New Delhi. This includes collaborative research, student and faculty exchanges, and opportunities for South-South partnerships.
Seed and Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Platform
India has a vibrant seed industry with more than 400 private seed companies engaged in breeding, seed production, seed distribution, and marketing of quality seeds of vegetables and field crops. Through a public-private partnership, the CANR is collaborating with the Bejo Sheetal Bioscience Foundation for industry-based study tours for international stakeholders and access to improved seeds and emerging biotechnologies to countries in Africa. The platform focuses on how modern technology can help smallholder farmers.
*Indicates partners contributing funding for SAP or SAP initiatives.
National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Dairy Cooperatives
National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE)
Punjab Agricultural University
Research and Information Systems for Developing Countries (RIS)
Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU)
The Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP)
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Contact for: State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), ICAR/DARE, and MANAGE
Dr. Karim Maredia is a Senior Global Scholar and Director of International Programs in Agriculture and Natural Resources in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University (MSU). Dr. Maredia has worked on numerous international development projects funded by the USAID, USDA, UN-FAO, the World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Winrock International, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to joining MSU in 1989, Dr. Maredia worked with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico as a Research Scientist for three years.
Contact for: State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) and education/training programs
Dr. Kelly F. Millenbah is the senior associate dean for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). Additionally, Dr. Millenbah is the director of academic and student affairs in the CANR at MSU. She is also a professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Dr. Millenbah is a scholar of natural resources education with a focus on teaching and learning within the classroom, curricular design and development, and recruitment and retention of students in the sciences. She earned her B.A. degree in Biology from Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife at MSU and has won multiple awards for leadership, scholarship, and teaching.
Contact for: Research and Somaiya Vidyavihar University
Bio forthcoming
Contact for: USAID GRAIN Project with Afghanistan
Bio forthcoming
Contact for: Agricultural Extension and MANAGE
Bio forthcoming
Maredia, K. (2012). Michigan State University in India: A growing partnership. Connect, 3(3), 14-17. Retrieved May 20, 2020, from https://www.iusstf.org/assets/sitesfile/image/publications/pdf/pdf_1137974974.pdf
Maredia, K., Mysore, S., Kumar, S., & Rakhmatov, C. (Eds.). (2013). Technology transfer and commercialization: Experiences of India and USA. Michigan State University Press.
Agricultural Extension and Outreach Platform
The linkage with MANAGE has led to MSU Eli Broad College of Business offering an online program on supply chain management, contributing to the Broad College's efforts to globalize supply chain curriculum. Exchanges between MSU and MANAGE are ongoing, and joint conferences have been held in India. Further, through South-South linkages, the MSU-MANAGE platform is exploring extension capacity building in Uzbekistan.
Animal Husbandry and Dairy Sector Platform
In addition to current programming with partners in the dairy and livestock sector in India, CANR is exploring a partnership between the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA), AMUL, and DudhSagar Dairies in Gujarat, India for commercial linkages and a two-year certificate program offered through the CANR AgTech Institute.
State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) Platform
Focusing on wheat research, postgraduate students from Afghanistan have studied at two State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) - Haryana Agriculture University (HAU) in Hisar and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. Their post-graduate programs are a component of a special project managed by MSU with funding from USAID. In addition, a joint proposal through the ICAR/World Bank has been approved through the National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP) with plans for future faculty and student exchanges.
Seed and Agricultural Biotechnology Industry Platform
The linkages with the seed and biotechnology industry in India have opened opportunities for licensing MSU-generated technologies for enhancing agricultural productivity in India (e.g., traits for biotic and abiotic stresses). Additionally, through this partnership, policy makers, regulators, and senior scientists from several African countries have traveled annually to India to exchange knowledge about the seed and agricultural biotechnology industry since 2010.
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