Purdue News

April 29, 1994 Poland To Create Extension Service, With Purdue's Help WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Poland will develop a new system of transferring university research and technology to the farmers in that country, using a model that's been extensively tested in the United States – the Cooperative Extension Service. The Purdue University School of Agriculture and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City have teamed up to help Polish agricultural universities in Krakow, Poznan and Warsaw develop a national system for providing scientific and technical support to the country's farmers and food-related industries. According to Purdue program coordinator Richard Gelzleichter, as Poland transforms from a state-controlled system to a free-market economy, farmers' roles also will change drastically. "They're asking for help," said Gelzleichter, a former Extension Service administrator now with Purdue's International Programs in Agriculture office. "They're going to have to make decisions they never faced before. The farmers need a source of research-based information and technology, and the country needs to ensure a stable food supply. The whole situation is very similar to the conditions in the United States that created the Cooperative Extension Service." The Extension Service began in 1914 with the goal of bringing university research and teaching to the people. As a Land Grant university, Purdue fulfills that role in Indiana. A $178,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation will pay for program support and faculty exchanges between Purdue and the three Polish institutions. Areas of emphasis include food sciences, marketing, agricultural production, environmental protection, and leadership and rural economic development. Gelzleichter has organized several exchanges for Polish scientists, government officials and journalists to demonstrate the Cooperative Extension Service in action. He said the country currently does not have an effective system for tapping university research and knowledge for the benefit of the country's 8 million farmers. "Farmers there are hungry for information," Gelzleichter said. "They rarely turn to their educational institutions for answers. With the help of the Mellon Foundation, the four universities are going to change that." Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu