Takeaways
- International partnerships between U.S. land-grant universities and UNAG are building a strong pipeline of agricultural talent with real-world impact.
- Students trained through these programs contribute directly to agricultural productivity, research and Extension in both the U.S. and Central America.
- The symposium serves as a catalyst for ongoing collaboration, turning shared challenges into shared solutions and long-term professional networks.
“Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not. Networks help close that gap.”
That was the message Leonardo Lombardini, head of the University of Georgia Department of Horticulture, delivered to a crowd of students, researchers and alumni from across the U.S. and Central America who gathered at the UGA Griffin campus for the third International UAA-US Symposium.
The event was organized by the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (UNAG) Alumni Association in the U.S., a network of faculty, industry partners and former students working across borders to tackle agricultural challenges that rarely stay in one place.
A decade of groundwork at UGA
What started as a handful of connections in the early 2000s between faculty at various land-grant universities and faculty at UNAG campuses in Honduras has steadily grown into a wide network matching top-notch UNAG students with university research programs in the U.S., helping meet increasing demands in agriculture.
At UGA, early participation was led by College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) faculty like plant pathologist Alfredo Martinez-Espinoza, who visited Honduras in 2004 and saw firsthand the range of production systems farmers were navigating and the ingenuity and determination it took to sustain them. Many of the crops, pests and production challenges farmers face in Central America are the same ones U.S. growers deal with — which means students arrive with relevant experience and determination for pursuing research that addresses those shared challenges.
Martinez-Espinoza was honored at the awards ceremony for his early involvement in hosting UNAG students in his own research lab and for his continued support throughout the years. The award was presented by Rolando Orellana, a former UNAG student and co-founder of the alumni association who has worked for UGA Cooperative Extension for almost two decades. Orellana now serves as the urban water management agent at UGA’s Center for Urban Agriculture.
Impact in both directions
Martinez-Espinoza said the return on investment is clear on both sides, as graduates go on to contribute to agricultural productivity in the U.S. and in their home countries through research, Extension and industry roles.He pointed to alumni like Orellana, whose work in urban water management has saved Georgia communities millions through conservation and efficiency efforts that also directly support the green industry. And Alejandra Jimenez Madrid, another UNAG graduate, who is now a researcher in the CAES Department of Plant Pathology and director of the Plant Molecular Diagnostic Lab on UGA’s Tifton campus. Her diagnostic work supports the agricultural industry by helping Georgia growers quickly identify and manage plant disease.
“That’s the full circle,” Martinez-Espinoza said. “You see that kind of impact again and again with each of the students who are part of this network. Their work directly supports agriculture, nutrition education, marketing and so many other fields of study.”
“There is no point in doing research if we don’t get it in the hands of the people it’s intended to benefit,” said Lawton Stewart, assistant dean for Extension at UGA. As the Agriculture and Natural Resources program leader for UGA Extension, Stewart said these students help think through those issues on a global scale.
Other universities across the U.S. have also built on those early efforts, creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and ultimately share that knowledge through Extension programming, scholarly publications and academic presentations at the annual symposium.
Land-grant universities built to share knowledge
Louisiana State University (LSU) has been one of the most active partners, hosting UNAG interns since 2013. Nearly half go on to pursue master’s or doctoral degrees there in agricultural and environmental fields, strengthening a pipeline of scientists and practitioners who remain connected to the UNAG network.
César Escalante is one example of that pathway. He arrived in the U.S. in 2014 without speaking English, earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at LSU, completed a doctorate there, and later held a postdoctoral position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture at Auburn University.
At Ohio State University, John Beardmore and colleagues have helped place more than 50 UNAG students in internships, undergraduate programs and graduate studies since 2016, opening doors not just for individual students, but for the agricultural systems in Honduras they return to support.
At North Carolina State University, Susana Milla-Lewis pointed to Esdras Carvajal as a full-circle example. Carvajal began as an intern, stayed through graduate school, and is now a faculty member in the same department, contributing to one of the nation’s leading turfgrass breeding programs.
Others have followed similar paths, building careers in research, industry and academia while maintaining ties to the UNAG network.
The symposium as an engine for ongoing exchange
For many in attendance, the symposium is less about a single event and more about keeping the work moving forward. Held each year for two days, students, researchers and industry professionals convene to share research results, compare solutions and build relationships that fuel collaborative, multidisciplinary research.
Martinez-Espinoza said these connections create a better understanding of how agricultural challenges move across regions and borders, as well as their benefits.
“It takes guts and real grit to come to a different country, learn the language and the culture, and then throw yourself completely into the research,” Martinez-Espinoza told alumni. “And I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
