June 1, 2018 – Between now and the year 2050, the world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion people – that’s almost six times the population of the United States. Agriculturalists, like the researchers, faculty, and extension professionals in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) are joining forces within the land grant community and beyond to work toward solutions that prevent hunger crises worldwide. One such example is Bill Foxworth, an animal research scientist in the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center (CARC), who specializes in small and large ruminant reproduction. Dr. Foxworth represented the excellence of PVAMU as a recent recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, a prestigious national honor for volunteer service presented by Winrock International.
Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the US and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources. They awarded Foxworth because of his volunteer work in Nepal where he shared his knowledge with Nepalese veterinarians, government officials, animal scientists, agriculture extension personnel, and local village farmers on the use of artificial insemination for improving goat husbandry and genetics. Agriculture is an integral part of the Nepalese culture and sustainability is critical. Though the Nepalese diet is largely plant-based, goats are an important cultural staple that provides a much needed source of protein. Foxworth’s research helps them improve nutritious meat and milk production.
When Foxworth returns to the States from his volunteer experience, he brings with him a new appreciation for the amenities often taken for granted here. Yet, his perspective on cultural diversity is much more enlightening, and inspires his service to the people of Texas at CARC’s International Goat Research Center. Throughout his journey working in urban Kathmandu and with the Gurung people in Nepal’s rural countryside, engagement with the Nepalese was most rewarding. Foxworth described the experience with the friendly and welcoming people who were from climates as diverse as the jungles along the Indian border to the highest mountain tops in the world. Various ethnicities — Indian, Tibetan, Chinese — and multiple religions — Christian, Muslim, and Hindu — work together harmoniously. He has observed firsthand that people around the world can work together, particularly when survival demands it, to address the agricultural concerns of a growing population.
For more information about volunteering for Winrock International, please visit the website www.winrock.org/volunteer.
For more information about how to qualify for the President’s Volunteer Service Award and to find out how to identify additional volunteer opportunities in this area, visit http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov
LaRachelle Smith
Director of Marketing, Communications and Information Technology
lssmith@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5150