�� - Ghana

Informational Session: Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana

mmgrant — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:47:17 +0000

Thursday, April 10, 2025 - 5:00pm to 6:00pm

Location:

2016 Agronomy Hall

Learn about the fall 2025 course, "Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana," which will travel January 4 - 19, 2026!

This is a great opportunity to meet the program directors, review the itinerary, and ask questions! Join us at 5:00pm in 2016 Agronomy Hall on Thursday, April 10th.

Tags:

travel course

Ghana

Fall 2025

winter break

Informational Session: Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana

mmgrant — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:04:13 +0000

Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 5:00pm to 6:00pm

Location:

2016 Agronomy Hall

Learn about the fall 2025 course, "Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana," which will travel January 4 - 19, 2026!

This is a great opportunity to meet the program directors, review the itinerary, and ask questions! Join us at 5:00pm in 2016 Agronomy Hall on Thursday, April 24th.

Tags:

Chris Meyer, Student Highlight

mmgrant — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 17:03:07 +0000

Alternate Url:

/highlight/chris-meyer

Chris Meyer, Student Highlight

Tags:

Ghana

travel course

Chris Meyer

Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana - Winter Break 2025-2026

nicolerh — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 21:02:47 +0000

Currently Unavailable

Ghana

Program Director(s):

David Kwaw-Mensah

Theressa Cooper

Program dates are tentative and subject to change!

This travel study program will cover farming systems in tropical agriculture including livestock and crop production, agroforestry, animal ecology (wildlife), and Ghanaian culture in food, art and festival, music in three ecological zones of Ghana. This travel study program will be beneficial to students in Agronomy, Animal Science, Animal Ecology, and Agricultural Studies. The course will consist of in-person class lectures, discussions, community service projects, visits to private farms (livestock and crop production), research institutes, and universities in Ghana.

This Travel Study course will take place in the Coastal Savannah, the Semi deciduous rainforest, and the High rain-forest Evergreen ecological zones of Ghana, where students will learn about tropical agriculture, agroforestry, animal production, animal ecology, and aspects of Ghanaian culture in foods, art, and music in the three ecological zones chosen for the travel study. Students will have the opportunity to interact with local farmers for community service.

Students will visit a National Park in the Western Region, the Akansa Game Reserve, and Nini-Suhien National Park in the high rain-forest evergreen ecological zone of Ghana, designated as an International Biosphere Reserve to serve as a nature museum for research.

3 credits of AGRON 4960 or AGEDS 4960 for fall 2025 semester

This program was offered for the first time in 2023.

Sunday, January 4, 2026 to Monday, January 19, 2026

Department:

Agronomy, Ag Education and Studies

Type of Travel:

Travel Course

Application Deadline:

Thursday, May 1, 2025

Semester:

Fall

Learn more

Year:

2025

Students Return from Study Course to Ghana

nicolerh — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:18:06 +0000

A group of Iowa State University students recently returned from the “Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana” study course to Ghana, Africa, which took place from December 30-January 15. Instructors Dr. David Kwaw-Mensah, agronomy, Dr. Theressa Cooper, agricultural education and studies and assistant dean for diversity for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and CALS Global Programs Agricultural Education and Studies Director, Jodi Cornell accompanied the group. The students visited three ecological areas of Ghana including the dry coastal savannah, the semi deciduous rainforest, and the high-rain evergreen forest, where students learned about tropical agriculture, agroforestry, animal production, animal ecology, and aspects of Ghanaian culture in foods, art, and music. Students had the opportunity to interact with local farmers for community service.

Agronomy students Kylie McGlade, Chris Meyer and Emma Caspers went with the group. “We truly did it all, visiting local farms, research stations, cultural landmarks, and being immersed into local communities!” said McGlade, a senior in agronomy. “As an Agronomy major also studying genetics, it was extremely interesting to learn about breeding projects in different crops especially rice. Traveling and speaking to farmers and researchers in other countries is so eye opening as a way to learn from each other and further agronomic knowledge.”

One of the most exciting things Caspers learned about during the trip was the cultivation of Rubber Trees. “It fascinated me to discover that harvesting the sap from these trees requires years of experience, with precision being crucial in scraping the bark. A single mistake in the cut could negatively impact the tree’s ability to produce rubber sap,” said Caspers. The highlight of her study abroad experience came during her interaction with professors, farmers, and children. “Seeing the positive impact our presence had on their lives, despite the challenging weather conditions, was truly heartwarming. They warmly welcomed us and made sure we had the best possible experience during our time there. Everyone we met truly gave us the ‘Ghanian Kindness’ that my professor Dr. Kwaw-Mensah always spoke so highly of upfront,” said Caspers.

In photos at top, from left, agronomy senior Kylie McGlade takes a selfie with members of the Ghana study course group making their way by boat to the Village on Water (Nzulezo). Center, the group visits a demonstration rice plot at the Crops Research Institute, Kumasi. At right, (from left) Lydia Johnson, Dr. Theressa Cooper, and Kylie McGlade wear leaf hats while visiting Nzulezo. Villagers had given them the hats to cool down, but they are usually worn as umbrellas. Photos provided by Kylie McGlade.

_{Original story posted, https://www.agron.iastate.edu/2024/01/23/students-return-from-study-cour....}

Tags:

Students Return from Study Course to Ghana

Agronomy

Ghana

Tropical Agriculture and Culture in Ghana

Kara Berg

Author(s):

Kara Berg