Officials in Kansas State University's College of Agriculture learned recently that the world's effort to rebuild war- torn Iraq extends beyond restoring buildings and government structures.

The K-State group hosted their counterparts from the University of Baghdad, who have viewed the overthrow of former President Saddam Hussein's regime as the end of a long string of sanctions that also has denied the country's scholars access to education and information.

"We are so far behind (in education)," said Fadhil Al-Sahaf, the assistant dean for the College of Agriculture at the University of Baghdad.

"In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, our country's relations with the United States got very bad," he added. "The sanctions that followed were worse on Iraqis than the war. We were not even allowed to receive medicine, information, journals, science....and not just from America, but from all over the world."

The situation was akin to a stranglehold for Iraq's higher education system. Professors could not travel for professional development, nor even receive research information from colleagues in other parts of the world. Al-Sahaf said he published an article in a scholarly journal in the Netherlands, but to this day has not ever seen an actual copy.

One result is that the country's agricultural industry suffered, largely because the void of information crippled Iraq's Extension service, which is designed to pair university research and education with farmers' production needs.

"We are almost starting from the beginning," said Mohammed Salman, the department head for horticulture at the University of Baghdad.

Salman, Al-Sahaf, Riad Abdul-Latiff, civil engineer in the College of Agriculture, and Atheer Kassab, a department head in the College of Veterinary Medicine, represented the University of Baghdad during the nearly three-week visit, which was to end Aug. 29. They met with many K-State officials, including President Jon Wefald, new Provost Duane Nellis, and new College of Agriculture Dean and Director of K-State Research and Extension Fred Cholick

Wefald and Cholick signed a five-year agreement to continue communicating and sharing information on areas related to agriculture and education.

"They were very interested in cooperating with K-State in a number of areas," Cholick said, including rebuilding the Iraqis' curriculum, providing graduate training and developing human resources. "Essentially, they need to rebuild their infrastructure so that they can develop new knowledge via research programs and provide educational opportunities for students and the Iraqi people. For starters, they need to get caught up with technology, where they've had a gap for nearly 20 years now."

Al-Sahaf said the process to receive help for Iraq's education system began after American troops rolled into Baghdad.

"After the fall of the [Hussein] regime, American troops were busy with the war and getting the security of the country," he said. "But last year, in September, some American troops came to the university and said, ‘look, we want to help you with the college.'"

The University of Baghdad's College of Agriculture currently has 4,000 undergraduate and 400 graduate students. Al-Sahaf says the college "has many problems," including inadequate classrooms, computer labs, dorms and student union. The College of Agriculture has identified 15 critical projects, all still awaiting funding.

It wasn't always that way. In fact, when the college was established in 1952, it had a strong cooperative agreement with the University of Arizona. Faculty members at both universities shared knowledge, and exchange trips were common. Students at both universities were given opportunities not otherwise available.

"We know right now that this is not possible to re-establish this in our country," Al-Sahaf said. "But within 1-2 years, we think the security will be better. And look, we know that Iraq is a rich country. Once the security is settled in Iraq, we hope to provide opportunities for faculty from K-State's College of Agriculture to give seminars or lectures, or to come teach in Baghdad."

Initially, he added, the two universities could share information by computer lectures or workshops, typically called distance learning.

The Iraqi faculty members said that they recognize that rebuilding the country's educational structure is a long process, but Kansas seemed a logical choice for beginning their work.

During their visit to the state, the group toured Research-Extension facilities in Wichita and Olathe. They also had meetings with the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Farm Bureau.

There was great interest in understanding the strong linkage between the state's producers and Kansas State University, Cholick said.

"Kansas has more or less the most important crops growing, particularly wheat," Al-Sahaf said, noting that wheat was originally grown in Iraq, "about 2,000 years BC."

"The state also grows corn, soybeans, sunflower, sorghum, alfalfa...many of the same field crops that we grow," Al-Sahaf said. "The climate [in Kansas] is relatively similar. We came here to learn so that we can be better at educating our country."

Some may ask how K-State's College of Agriculture was chosen by the U.S. Army to host the delegation.

"We were contacted in early June by Major Kathi McDiffett, who is a 1986 K-State College of Agriculture graduate," said Steven Graham, assistant to the dean and director. "Major McDiffett asked if we would consider arranging a two- to three-week visit later in the summer. Interim Dean George Ham said it sounded like an interesting opportunity for both sides, so we agreed to schedule the group."

Al-Sahaf added that his group's work may also provide new opportunities for Kansas and American farmers.

"If we want wheat, why do we have to go to Australia?" he asked. "We can tell our officials, ‘go to Kansas. They'll send you the best quality and value of wheat.'"

After signing the agreement, Wefald said he viewed the Iraqi group as "genuinely good people."

"If they represent the future of Iraq and its educational system, then that country is certainly moving in a very positive direction," he said. "As K-Staters, we appreciate the opportunity to work with them on this cooperative effort."

K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan.