U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with the Latvian Embassy in Tashkent and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan organized a study tour to Latvia. From April 11-15, 2016, an Uzbek delegation with representatives from: the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources; Tashkent, Samarkand and Andijan Higher Agricultural Educational Institutions; and the Horticulture and Vegetables Research Centers visited Latvia. During the trip, participants learned about contemporary, horticulture curriculum structures and value chain best practices used in the European Union. The trip offered Uzbek representatives an opportunity to witness: firsthand modern agricultural practices; marketing and certification; and transferring methodologies that can strengthen agricultural education as well as research systems in Uzbekistan. Latvia is the largest European Union market and a major gateway for Uzbekistan’s agricultural produce. The group visited: the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture; Latvia’s University of Agriculture; the Rural Consulting Centre; and a private fruit growing association in Latvia. Representatives also visited private commercial farms along with trade and quality control organizations. USAID anticipates that one of the outcomes will be the establishment of cooperative agreements on exchange of faculty and students among Latvia’s University of Agriculture and Tashkent, Samarkand and Andijan’s Higher Agricultural Educational Institutions.
