Statement of Significant Contribution:
The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet republic and now an emerging democracy in Eastern Europe, has growing ties to North Carolina. The nation and the state produced cooperative agreements involving agriculture, education and the professional development of educators, business, and health care. Managed by the North Carolina National Guard, the relationship between Moldova and North Carolina has flourished since 1995 as part of a federal program called the Partnership for Peace. The program matches American states with newly-independent nations, mostly former Soviet bloc countries or former Soviet republics, and fosters cooperation and aid in the areas of education, health care and other humanitarian disciplines, culture, agri- culture, and military issues. In 1999, North Carolina and the Republic of Moldova signed a Memorandum of Intent, and each formed a committee made up of academic, government and civic leaders. The two committees form a Bilateral Affairs Committee. The committee discusses ways in which the state and Moldova can work together to promote cooperation. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Representative Phil Baddour co-chair North Carolina's committee. Twenty two states participate in the Community Connections program, with three organizations in North Carolina participating: International House of Metrolina, Charlotte; International Visitors Council of Research Triangle Park, Research Triangle Park; and Southeastern Community College, Whiteville.
The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service - Columbus County Center has partnered with Southeastern Community College each year since 1999, hosting fifty-one agricultural participants from Moldova. The participants/interns have included farmers, agri-business leaders and agricultural educators. The first participant in the fall of 1999, employed by the Center for Private Business Reform, visited to gain information to assist farmers in the transition to farm privatization. In the summer of 1999 and each summer since, Extension team members provided educational opportunities to ten interns for two - two and a half weeks of the interns three week visit. The experiences vary each year, based on the needs and interests of the interns (shared with the team approximately one month prior to the visit). The Extension Team has provided extensive programming including - coordinating visits to local farms, seminars with agricultural lending institutions, special agricultural services (i.e. farm supply center, equipment dealers, feed service), provided agricultural literature, visited various departments at NC State University, Borderbelt Research Station, and introduced the interns to the other program areas of the Extension Service.
A delegation of more than 40 North Carolina political leaders, doctors, educators and National Guard officials spent the week of September 4 - 14, 2003 in the Eastern European nation of Moldova as a part of a four-year initiative to improve the health, security and economy of the former Soviet state. Secretary Elaine Marshall and Rep. Phil Baddours led the delegation. During the trip the delegation dedicated five new water wells for the city of Straseni. Doctors immunized orphans against hepatitis B andd performed surgeries on Moldovan patients. The Bilateral committee also signed a Memorandum of Intent for an additional five years. A contingent from Southeastern Community College (two International Programs staff and four Cooperative Extension staff) provided business and agricultural expertise to farmers who are making the transition from collective farming. One objective of this trip was to allow SCC personnel and the Cooperative Extension team to gain information on how past participants implemented knowledge and ideas from their visits to Columbus County and to provide on-going linkages for future exchange of information. Also gained from the trip was a clearer understanding of the culture of Moldova. On-site visits were made to farms, businesses and other agricultural sectors in order to see first hand their practices and conditions, along with experiencing the family atmosphere. The group had an opportunity to interact with thirty-three of the fifty-one interns who visited Columbus County. They shared the progress that has been made since their visits to the county. Some of these include: renting acreage to increase production and income, establishing farm and agricultural centers, implementing demonstration plots and expansion of the Agency for Consulting Assistance and Implementation - Agroinform (Extension Service).
Living is this global society, Extension team members gained a greater understanding/perspective of agriculture on a worldwide basis, as well as issues affecting agriculture and the economy in the U.S. and Moldova. It also provided an opportunity for Extension team members to share additional information with their Moldovan friends. Exposure to agricultural practices and Agroinform systems will be beneficial as we work with our customers in all subject matter areas.