13
2017
On Friday January 13th, 30 International Agriculture and Rural Development (IARD) students and their professors from Cornell University in New York and ten local students from Yezin Agricultural University and Pathein University visited the Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development headquarters in Yangon.
At MIID’s offices the students were given a short speech by Joern Kristensen, MIID’s Executive Director, which introduced them to the two areas of policy that MIID primarily works within: natural resources management and social inclusion, and food security and nutrition, as well as broader comments on the socio-political situation within Myanmar. This was followed by small introductions by each of the other MIID staff on their roles within the organisation, before a round of student-led questions on development were fielded by the MIID team as a whole.
The students’ visit was organised as part of larger trip co-ordinated between MIID and Cornell University, which saw students travel to several areas in Shan state, Mandalay division, Yangon and the Ayeyarwady delta over a 16 day period. The group toured several agricultural and development projects each day, and have left with a much improved understanding of the issues being faced during Myanmar’s current development period.
It is MIID’s fervent hope that experiences such as this encourage cross-cultural exchanges, while inspiring both local and international young talents to put their skills to work in moving Myanmar’s development forward.