Close to 200 agricultural leaders and global experts in extension and rural advisory services gathered in Denver in October for the 14th Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) Annual Meeting, sharing ideas and exploring strategies for producing the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Attendees representing more than 40 countries across North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe participated in the three-day event, which was hosted by the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN). It was the first GFRAS meeting held in the United States.
The Colorado State University System hosts the NAAAN Secretariat as an international platform to support collaboration involving the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and to promote engagement in global conversations about best practices in rural advisory services.
Watch the GFRAS Annual Meeting videos
In opening remarks at the meeting, Kerri Conway, Special Advisor to the Chancellor and Director of International Agriculture at CSU Spur and the NAAAN Secretariat, described goals to “emphasize shared learning, and most important, celebrate a chance to hear from young leaders, those in the early career phase, and from groups representing the underserved and underrepresented in our agricultural communities.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Manjit Misra, Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, stressed the importance of collaboration, opening his remarks with an African proverb: “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”
Through discussions, presentations, farm visits, and other activities, GFRAS participants explored what it means to go far together by building the next generation of leaders in agriculture.
In the coming months, the NAAAN Secretariat and partners will launch an engagement platform to host the NAAAN Country Hubs across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
To learn more about the GFRAS Annual Meeting, read the NAAAN blog.
About the NAAAN
The North American Agricultural Advisory network (NAAAN) is a North American platform among advisory services organizations, including government extension services, promoting and supporting innovation, knowledge utilization, and information sharing across rural and urban landscapes in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. NAAAN shares North American best practices and facilitates learning from global best practices. Learn more at naaan.csusystem.edu.
About GFRAS
The Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services is an international non-profit association, based in Switzerland, that works to enhance visibility, strengthen capacity, enhance exchange, and promote rural advisory networks and services around the world. GFRAS consists of 17 sub-networks across six continents. The North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN) is the 17th network to join GFRAS. Learn more at g-fras.org/en/.
About CSU Spur
CSU Spur is a new, free educational year-round public life-long learning destination in Denver focused on engaging PreK-12 students, families, and visitors around food, water, and health. CSU Spur showcases the work of the CSU System campuses: CSU, CSU Pueblo, and CSU Global, and offers degree programs that originate from the campus offerings. Spur is built upon the land-grant mission of access to education and the belief that students can be anything they want to be. To inspire learners of all ages to engage in important world issues, CSU Spur brings together scientists to collaborate, puts science on-display, and showcases career paths. The CSU Spur campus provides immersive learning experiences and cutting-edge research across three buildings: Vida, Terra, and Hydro. Learn more at CSUSpur.org.
