The November World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI) presentation will focus on international cooperation in agricultural development. Policy makers and donors care about strengthening markets and improving rural conditions. In Brazil, where both major agricultural commodities (e.g., soybeans, coffee, etc.) and smaller family farms dominate, development strategies and policies must address global trade dynamics, natural resource constraints, and locally-driven solutions. Dr. Colby Silvert will share his experiences and learnings as a Fulbright scholar as well as numerous research and educational projects in Brazil and surrounding countries, including work with farmer cooperatives, private companies, and government outreach and policymakers. He will describe effective approaches for international actors and organizations to engage with farmers, policymakers, and agricultural market chains to achieve global development outcomes.

Colby Silvert, Assistant Professor and Co-director of the Agricultural and Extension Education Program at the University of Maryland, examines behavior change approaches to improve agrifood systems, conserve natural resources, and positively shift social dynamics. Dr. Silvert has a BS in Specialty Crop Systems and MS and PhD degrees in Extension Education. He was a Fulbright research scholar in Brazil where he examined family coffee farmers’ access to specialty and certified markets. He was also based in West Africa for two years as the Extension Coordinator for multimillion-dollar USAID-funded agricultural projects, which included economic, gender, and nutrition strategy development. He has worked with the private sector on systems that include winegrape, coffee, and small-scale fruit and vegetable production. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.