The Agriculture and Rural Training (FAR) International Network

The cornerstones of the FAR International Network were laid at Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in 2006 on the initiative of a group of agricultural and rural training specialists from different African countries. FAR actors are primarily striving to pool their experience and expertise to enhance the agricultural and rural training systems.

FAR Network activities

To harness these dynamics, foster exchanges between actors and enhance the South-South expertise of its members, FAR regularly calls upon agricultural and rural training professionals to oversee the system renewal initiatives and affiliated cooperation programmes. The specific activities under way at different levels are focused on:

• Overseeing a network of FAR actors—men and women—based in 19 African countries
• Harnessing training resources to strengthen agricultural and rural training inAfrica. FAR Network coordinates the international Agricultural and Rural Training Engineering Master’s degree programme (MIFAR), in partnership with ENSETP-UCAD (Dakar, Senegal), Institut Agro (Dijon and Montpellier, France) and ENA (Meknes, Morocco).
• Developing and funding activities and expertise in member countries to help upgrade their agricultural and rural training systems.

Close linkages with L'Institut Agro Montpellier

The FAR Network—hosted by the Tropics & Mediterranean Center (formerly the Institut des régions chaudes [IRC])—benefits from the international expertise of Institut Agro Montpellier professor-researchers and DEFIS department engineers. The network supports the training of young FAR professionals from member countries, under the coordination of the MIFAR professional Master’s degree programme. FAR also hosts first- and second-year interns from Master’s degree programmes.