Lincoln University's agriculture and extension programs provide a unique opportunity for the Mid-Missouri school to develop cooperative relationships in foreign countries.
Recently a group of agriculture students, faculty and administration traveled to Jamaica on what they hope is the first of many such educational visits.
For two of the students, the trip gave them a chance to see their native country in a different light.
Gerald Bascoe, president of the International Student Association, and Kayon Sincleair, an undergraduate agriculture major, were surprised how much organic gardening already was in place.
"It was inspiring to go back and influence the young minds about agriculture," Sincleair said.
Through the extension's Integrated Pest Management program, State Specialist Jaime Pinero was able to give three two-hour lectures on the subject. He also has become a resource to Jamaican farmers, helping identify unwanted pests.
Many Jamaican students attended the group's presentation Monday on campus.
The primary goal of this first visit was to promote organic and sustainable growing methods, said Duwon Clark, coordinator of international students services.
Junior Amanda Hahn said she expected pretty beaches and to recruit future Lincoln students.
"We did a lot more than that," she said.
For animal science major Jeri Rippeto, the trip was a learning experience with plants, as well as her first flight to a foreign country.
Lincoln has collaborated with One Love Learning Foundation, which operates farms in rural St. James. The visitors and the Jamaicans were able to share different techniques, such as crop rotation, soil conservation and marketing.
"They had a superb knowledge," Sincleair said.
A plant science major, Sincleair was proud of how his culture is tied to foods and hoped that tourism could grow based on the marketing of its exotic fruits.
"What Lincoln University could do in Jamaica I found extremely exciting," Boscoe said. A business administration graduated student, he said the trip "broadened my horizon. There are so many things that can be done to keep pests away from plants without using pesticides."
Beyond the agricultural exchange, Boscoe said he is eager to see Lincoln have a presence in other countries.
"There are so many things Jamaica has, I think we could explore," said Nadia Navarrte-
Tindall, extension state specialist in native plants. "This is just the beginning."