Agricultural higher education in Brazil

provided assistance for agricultural higher education in Brazil. From 1963-73, four agricultural colleges received technical support, equipment, library materials, and advanced U.S. training with the primary purpose of establishing postgraduate programs in agriculture. In 1973, the program"s focus was broadened to include more institutions and to encourage Brazilian universities to collaborate with each other. A.I.D."s efforts succeeded in creating viable, sustainable postgraduate programs, with more than 3,600 Master"s degrees and 200 Ph.D."s awarded, and in establishing research activities in many agricultural colleges. Graduates went on to found a number of additional undergraduate and graduate programs in over 50 universities throughout Brazil. Yet the program"s effectiveness is increasingly being questioned. Rapid enrollment growth, causing overcrowded classes and ill-prepared students, has eroded some of the advances originally made. The establishment of the Brazilian Corporation for Agricultural Research (EMBRAPA) in 1972 has also hindered the program, as the research center has drawn personnel and resources away from the universities. Finally, economic and political turbulence over the past decade has left long-term advances in doubt. Public funding of salaries, political repression, and political squabbles within the universities have led many scientists to leave the programs. Continuance of this situation could seriously curtail the role of the universities in the development of science and technology in Brazil. (Author abstract, modified)