I am a Technical Information Specialist working on a reimbursable project
for the US Agency for International Development at the Center for
Information Research and Analysis. Our group, based at the USDA in
Washington, is responsible for supplying technical information and advice
in response to inquiries from USAID international program staff and their
affiliated contractors, grantees, and cooperators. We deal in all areas
of agriculture and the environment and place a specific emphasis on the
promotion of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection on a
global scale.
Recently, I received a request from M.H. Ben Hamouda, the Dean and
Director of the Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie (National
Agronomy Institute of Tunisia). This national training institute is
embarking on a program for the training of Tunisian professionals in
the English language in order to broaden their access to worldwide
agricultural literature (currently, most higher learning is conducted in
French). They have requested textbooks and agricultural literature
written in English on a variety of general topics:
Crop production
Animal production
Food Industry
Agricultural Economics
Rural Engineering
Water Science
Forestry Science
Fishery Science
As this is a national training institution, I believe that this is an
excellent opportunity to promote sustainable agricultural practices in
Tunisia. Those of you who have experience in this region of the world
might be quite familiar with some of the more environmentally destructive
and unsustainable practices that are unfortunately being implemented by many
producers. Access to education and information resources has been one of
the more limiting factors to both extension personnel and producers.
If anyone has textbooks on the abovementioned topics (in English) that
would be applicable to the Tunisian situation, AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE
THEM to the Institute, please contact me directly at drobinso@ag.gov. Our
agency is willing to arrange postage and shipment from our office to Tunisia.
Again, this is an excellent forum to send sustainable messages to a large
portion of the Tunisian population.
Thank you kindly!
Doreen L. Robinson
Technical Information Specialist
USDA/USAID Center for Information Research and Analysis
Telephone: 202-690-4827
FAX: 202-690-4846
Internet: drobinso@ag.gov