Vietnam is seeking economic development possibilities in Prairie View, Texas. Aruna Weerasooriya, PVAMU researcher; Horace Hodge Agricultural Liaison at USDA, and the Vice President for Research & Innovation, Magesh T. Rajan, met with the city of Prairie View mayor David Allen to discuss economic development and the student impact that a collaborative agreement with Vietnam could bring to PVAMU and to the city.
Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya has worked with a delegation from Hanoi, Vietnam, that is interested in eco-tourism growth through urban agricultural development. Dr. Weerasooriya developed an orchid that grows in little or no soil, thereby making it a profitable crop for low resource farmers. The City of Prairie View Mayor David Allen recently had the opportunity to visit Vietnam. He shares their interest in continuing the discussion on collaboration.
Allen states, “The Vietnam Orchid Project will greatly enhance the City of Prairie View that Dr. Weerasooriy in Prairie View A&M University’s College of Agricultural Research Department shared with me almost two years ago. While visiting Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam, and other cities where the company has Orchid greenhouses, we are considering the ideas of PVAMU student and professor exchange and study abroad programs. The economic development, tourism, and jobs that will come from their $1 million initial investment to build greenhouses and grow Orchids in our city make this an incredible project with unlimited potential”.
For additional information contact Aruna Weerasooriya
Research Scientist, Cooperative Agriculture Research Center