AgroStudies students (illustrative). (Embassy of Israel in the Philippines)

For from Zion shall come forth…farming and agriculture!

Some 1,200 students from countries around the globe attended a ceremony in Tel Aviv last week, during which they received their graduation certificates and concluded a unique course which prepares them to develop agriculture in their respective countries.

The students completed an 11-month course provided by Israel’s AgroStudies, an organization that provides a unique apprenticeship in agriculture, combining advanced studies and hands on learning-by-doing in various fields.

AgroStudies collaborates with dozens of carefully selected farms across Israel, to ensure each student is nurtured in the most stimulating learning environment, allowing them to benefit from real exposure to the most advanced agricultural working methods.

Classes are taught once a week on three campuses. In addition, each group is assigned a tutor who accompanies them throughout their internship, based on their area of study.

The project concluded its thirteenth year, training some 3,500 students annually.

Partner countries include Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda and Togo from Africa, and Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines in Asia.

To honor this special occasion, a number of delegations arrived in Israel, including: a delegation of university presidents from the Philippines; a delegation from Uganda including the First Lady and Minister for Education and Sports and representatives from the University of Makarere; and the Zambian Minister of Higher Education and representatives from the Copperbelt University (CBU); in addition to representatives from the various embassies of partner countries.

An exhibition of the students’ final projects was on displayed.

Rachel, a 23-year-old graduate from the Philippines, told Israel Hayom that in her country Israel is widely praised.  “I have learned a lot here and have honed my skills,” she said. She plans to return to her country and raise cows.