Six Ukrainian leaders participating in the Open World program will spend May 1 – 9 in Richland Center examining agriculture and agribusinesses in southwest Wisconsin.
The University of Wisconsin-Richland Office of Continuing Education is hosting the delegation.
Managed by the Open World Leadership Center, a support agency of the United States Congress, the Open World program is designed to enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by developing a network of leaders in the region who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and free-market system. The Open World program works to link Members of Congress to Eurasian leaders and is an instrument for Americans engaged in citizen diplomacy.
While in the Richland area, plans are for the delegates to visit Organic Valley, Westby Cooperative Creamery, Driftless Meats & More, Meister Cheese Company, Muscoda Protein Products, and Rural Route 1 Popcorn to learn more about production and processing of agricultural products in southwest Wisconsin. As time permits, the group may also visit a local farm, winery, hops farm, crop sharing association, and beekeeping operation.
The visiting delegates, expected to be three men and three women, will be accompanied by an interpreter/facilitator. They are agricultural leaders in government and the private sector who are working to create a more productive, inclusive, and competitive agricultural industry.
In addition to visiting farms and agribusiness establishments, the Open World delegation is scheduled to visit classrooms to speak to UW-Richland students and to present a Love of Learning lecture, open to the community. The free, public lecture is planned for 6:30 p.m Wednesday, May 6 in the Pippin Conference Center/Melvill Hall on the UW-Richland campus, located at 1200 Hwy. 14 West in Richland Center.
They will also take part in several cultural and community activities, including visits with local officials.
The delegation is focused on accountable governance, economic development and agricultural development. The U.S. Mission in Ukraine currently has project activity aimed at supporting the agriculture sector in Ukraine to increase the country’s contribution to global food security. Ukraine’s fertile soil and large land resources have the potential to contribute significantly towards feeding a world that, according to the United Nations, will need to produce 70 percent more food by 2050. Project activity in Ukraine is aimed at government organizations, NGO leaders, and local governments/community leaders working to improve the agricultural sector in Ukraine.
The Open World Leadership Center has awarded a grant to the University of Wisconsin-Richland Office of Continuing Education to administer this exchange.
For more information about the May 1-9 program, or the free lecture, please contact Jessica Laeseke, UW-Richland Continuing Education coordinator, by email at rlnce@uwc.edu or by calling the campus at (608) 647-6186, Ext. 227.
