Gender Equity

The University: Experience and Qualifications

Since its founding in 1855 as the first land grant university in the U.S., Michigan State University has adhered to its original mission: to “strive to discover practical uses for theoretical knowledge, and to speed the diffusion of information to residents of the state, the nation, and the world.” In operational terms, MSU has concentrated on building its strengths in educating and training succeeding generations of researchers both from the U.S. and the world at large. It has sought to establish collaborative links with people and institutions worldwide, broadening its research, academic and service outreach.

MSU is recognized as a center of excellence in international development. The academic and professional community at Michigan State is highly diverse and responsive and augments the University’s international goals with a broad array of globally relevant skills and expertise. People from every county in Michigan, every state in the U.S. and 134 countries around the world contribute to the University’s success. Annually, more than 3500 international students and scholars enroll in MSU’s graduate and undergraduate and certificate programs. MSU plays host to hundreds of international visitors every year who come to view campus research facilities, participate in campus life as visiting scholars and specialists, or to meet with MSU colleagues. Hundreds of MSU faculty members are engaged in critical outreach programs in many countries throughout the world, teaching, conducting research or providing technical assistance.

For more than 50 years, Michigan State University has been a leader among U.S. universities in international development programs. MSU has had a broad and deepening involvement in conducting technical assistance and research in developing countries, assisting the development of new institutions, and providing training for development tasks. MSU, through its Departments and Institutes and Centers, has also managed projects throughout the world, providing short- and long-term in-country technical assistance, degree and non-degree training programs, and extensive backstopping support from the main campus. The Office of the Dean of International Studies and Programs has overall responsibility for the university’s international initiatives. While historically a majority of MSU’s international development and technical assistance projects have been conducted by faculty in various departments of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, international expertise is increasingly incorporated into all aspects of university life marking MSU as a global university.

The Office of Contract and Grant Administration (CGA) holds fiscal audit authority and responsibility for the MSU contractual portfolio with both domestic and international external donors. In fiscal 2006-2007 awards for sponsored projects reached $308 million. To ensure that MSU is aware of, and can comply with the various agency regulations, CGA is organized by funding agency. CGA has a separate group dedicated to administration of international projects.

Gender Equity

Michigan State University’s Women and International Development (WID) Program promotes teaching, research, and action on international development and global transformation as they affect women and gender relations. While WID’s primary focus is the southern hemisphere, the program recognizes that the “South” is a set of relationships rather than a place. Moreover, development and global change bring costs as well as benefits, which are often not shared equitably by men and women of different nations, races, classes, and ethnicities.

Established in 1978, MSU’s WID is the longest-standing program of its kind in the nation. WID and MSU’s Center for the Advanced Study of International Development (CASID) are recognized as a National Resource Center by the US Department of Education.

More than 300 MSU faculty and graduate students from all colleges are affiliated with WID. The program acts as a catalyst for the scholarly discussion of gender, development, and global change. Under WID a number of specializations are sponsored in the colleges: graduate specialization in gender, justice, and environmental change (GJEC); graduate specialization in international development; and undergraduate majors in global and area studies with a concentration in gender and global change.

Graduate fellowships are accessed through WID: Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) and the Compton-MSU Africa Peace Fellowships. Study abroad opportunities exist through WID as well: diversity and global change undergraduate internships, GJEC internship program, and various gender and development study abroad programs. (http://wid.msu.edu)

Women in Agriculture

Increasingly scientists around the world are recognizing the role of women and ethnic minorities in agriculture and the need to work with these groups to conduct agricultural research. MSU scientists are using gender analysis and participatory techniques to make modern agricultural research more relevant to resource-poor farmers – efforts that include developing crops that are appropriate for microenvironments, that grow rapidly, cook easily, and are higher in protein and other basic nutrients. Research that takes into account the concerns and knowledge of resource-poor farmers helps to increase farm productivity, sustainable management of natural resources and economic well-being.

Gender equity is increasingly a component of MSU’s faculty efforts in agriculture including such projects as:

Nicaragua Partnership for Food Industry Development – Fruits and Vegetables (PFID-F&V).

This ongoing MSU-led program in Nicaragua has been a highly successful partnership of NGOs, training institutions, and private companies in the food industry, which has aimed at assisting small and medium producers to become more competitive and in expanding the export of fruits, vegetables, and specialty coffee from Nicaragua. Competitiveness is improved through enhanced market information and increased numbers of producer-buyer linkages, and capacity building of producers to meet grades and standards for food safety and quality throughout the value chain. The success of this program is a tribute to both MSU’s leadership capacity and the effectiveness of each of the key partners.

Central American Regional Partnership for Food Industry Development – Fruits and Vegetables (PFID-F&V).

The Central American Regional Project “Market Access for Farmers” has been a successful project. It focuses on facilitation of the resolution of sanitary and phytosanitary issues currently slowing increased fruit and vegetable produce exports to the regional and international markets. The project provides trade capacity building and full-time services of a regional liaison for SPS. A strength of PFID-F&V in Central America has been its ability to develop close relationships between small and medium farmers and supermarket chains in Central America, which are becoming increasingly important business partners for suppliers.

Partnership to Enhance Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages (PEARL).

Led by MSU, PEARL is an exciting USAID-funded program that works with rural communities across Rwanda to generate income through product development and market linkages.The project works with grower cooperatives to improve the production and marketing of specialty coffee, horticultural and cassava products. By focusing attention on quality control and consistency in production, product quality has risen, and the customer base has expanded dramatically and now includes importers in the US, EU, and Africa. PEARL has received considerable media recognition for its success in transforming Rwanda’s coffee sector, which is now focused on high quality, Fair Trade certified specialty coffee production. Results of PEARL have far exceeded initial program expectations in terms of specialty coffee sales, the program’s primary result. PEARL has taken Rwanda from no specialty coffee production and sales in 2002 to sales in 2006 in excess of $3 million by 17 newly installed community-based washing stations. MSU’s management approach has minimized management and overhead costs and, therefore, maximized funding for implementation at the field level. MSU has also provided over US$1 million in cost sharing. MSU is ahead of schedule in the specialty coffee sector development activities and on schedule to meet degree training activities. USAID/Rwanda recognizes PEARL as a showcase project. The success of the project has attracted two personal visits and high praise from Rwanda President Paul Kagame as a model for development in Rwanda.

Ghana Partnership for Food Industry Development – Fruits and Vegetables (PFIDF&V)

This program has been very successful in coordinating the activities of all of its partners including NGOs, a University, government agencies and Royal Ahold, an alliance partner, in promoting the pineapples, papaya and assorted vegetables, including some organic lines, for export. The program has also successfully trained stakeholders in the horticulture industry in supply chain management, cold chain and logistics management, food safety, grades and standards and food laws. MSU successfully coordinated the implementation activities in Ghana on behalf of the USAID