An agricultural economist and two biochemists from Africa are wrapping up seven weeks of training and research at Oregon State University that aims to improve the diets, health and financial conditions of people in their countries.

The three came to Corvallis through the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellows Program. The program temporarily places agricultural researchers and policymakers from developing countries at universities and other institutions in the United States. The visiting fellows then receive scientific training and engage in collaborative research that seeks to promote food security and economic growth in their countries.

"This has been a valuable opportunity to build relationships and assist in the development of agricultural self-sufficiency in Africa," said Stella Coakley, an associate dean at OSU's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Read more about the work of Phyllis Mends, a principal agricultural economist at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana; Haoua Sabo, a biochemist at Abdou Moumouni University in Niger; and Olufunke Ola-Davies, a veterinary biochemist at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.